Instant Messaging

[Bob George]

On Wednesday 16 April 2003 08:17 pm, Michael Henry wrote:
> I would like to find a messenger that will allow me to access a msn
> messenger server. My teammates in class insist on using it to meet online.
> Any suggestions?

I can enthusiastically recommend using a jabber client, and finding a good 
public server that supports the various IM transports. Using a good jabber 
client, I can:

1. Run a single client (on Windows, Linux, Java applet or many other 
platforms) and log into a single server.

2. Use AIM, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo!, including group chat and other features, over 
a single (jabber) connection.

3. Have buddy lists maintained and sorted amongst all transports, including 
online/away/xa status updates which is maintained independently between 
clients.

4. Run over an SSL-encrypted tunnel between my client and the server (handy if 
there are snoops at work  -- though the server-server link is only as secure 
as the "original").

5. And I also have the benefit of running an open protocol for my "important" 
peer communications.

I'm currently running PSI under Linux and Windows, but I've used GAIM (only 
bothering with Jabber transport), Gabber and Winjab in various combinations. 
I keep the PSI client running, and regularly get incoming chats from visitors 
to my open lab using each of these transports.

The only limitation is that some of the IM systems do require that you use 
their (spam and spyware-laden) clients for the initial account creation. Once 
created, everything else works wonderfully from Jabber.

Check out jabber.org for more info. 

- Bob