November 23, 2004

• Trillian (google it) has been a big winner for me for a very long time. It connects to AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo messenger at the same time, and makes it much easier to use one program than four bloated, adware-stuffed corporate releases. Trillian basic is free, and it's good enough for me. Trillian Pro looks to be a good upgrade if you're looking to pay for the extra features that it gives you. Definitely have a look.
• Gaim rocks! Use it, love it. It does everything you want and more.
• Hey LOL, G2G I gotta go, but watch for me 'cause I'll be right back, BRBeeeeeeeee So siiiiiign on, and I.M. me
• I have trillian, but I've noticed that I can't receive any text that's pasted into the window. I just get an error that says trillian isn't compatible with unicode.
• I prefer BitWise for an IM. It doesn't connect to yahoo, aol, or msn. It has it's own, much smaller network and and many won't like bitwise because of that. But you can run it off a floppy, which is great for a work computer that you can't install stuff onto. I mainly use it for file transfers that are to large for email. Here's their top 25 reasons to use it (Some are repetitive, but still).
• Miranda IM is quite good, and has a nice modular architecture, although it's not as stable or pretty as trillian. If you intend to use some of the more 'niche' protocols like Jabber, its a better option than the now slightly dated trillian engine. it's also all GPL-ish.. so why do i still use trillian? i like teh sH1|\|y!!!1
• Gaim, but i've been thinking about setting up a local bitlbee-server for use with irssi. (in windows I use miranda or trillian depending on mood)
• trillian user here though have used separate clients if I want to send a file through yahoo for instance. Trillian will also do IRC. Other one universal messanger is GAIM. Only problem with them is from time to time yahoo or MSN throws a hissy fit over other programs accessing their protocols and renders portions of trillian/GAIM useless (a patch is available pretty quickly)
• I used Trillian and then Trillian Pro for a long time; now I use Gaim. I preferred Trillian, but I'm one of those people, once I get used to something I don't like to change. Gaim is all right though, it does the job, but get Trillian to work in Linux and I'll switch back in a heartbeat. I miss my microscopic metallic Trill skin. It was all shiny and cute.
• I use Miranda because it's a lightweight, free alternative to Trillian and handles the business of chatting very well. That said, it's been a long time since the client's been officially updated; the team continues to release nightly builds but the last point release feels really old. It also doesn't like it very much when you attempt multiuser chats or file transfers (although I suck at file transfers in general, no matter the client).
• Gaim is cool. I have a linux box at work and gaim is cool. I like it al ot better than I remember liking trillian, but that was several years ago so things may have changed.
• Add another vote for Trillian here. Works best for me, although it's had a spotty track record with file transfers (sometimes won't initiate them properly) and I've had the occasional crash when trying to copy a link from a chat window (go figure). Customizable up the wazoo and the compatibility with each service has been exceptional. Some people don't like it as an IRC client, but I find it's quite adequate for my needs. Also allows logging of all IM formats which is handy when you want to search for what that annoying person in the chat room said last week that totally contradicts what he's saying this week!
• I use trillian because it's purdy. But I fully acknowledge that gaim is way better. Now if they'd just make it skinnable...
• Thank you, monkeys! I remember using Trillian in the past, but it was buggy for me (can't remember how so). That was back in the day, tho, so that and Gaim top my tryout list.