Originally Posted By LacyBelle I have an AIM account, but just don't use instant messanging very often so am not real good with all the ins and outs. I have friends that have MSN and Yahoo IM accounts. Is there a way that we can communicate across ISPs? Or do we all need to have accounts on the same ISP? I'm just trying to avoid the hassle of setting up new accounts. I know they're free, it's just a hassle to keep track of so many. I have enough logins and passwords for all my other stuff as it is. I thought that Trillian software would solve the problem, but it appears it is just an all-in-one tool so that you don't have to have different windows open for each provider. Any solutions? Am I just missing something in Trillian?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I think you're confusing terms here. ISP's are companies that give you access to the web. Some ISP's happen to have IM services, which is what is causing your confusion. Yahoo is NOT an ISP, but a web portal, which is why most people use it for instant messaging.
Originally Posted By LacyBelle I know that. I only used ISP for lack of a better word. The bottom line is....is it possible for someone with an AOL IM account to communicate with someone with an MSN IM account?
Originally Posted By hopemax Yes, and you should be able to do that with Trillian. Only, I don't know how to set it up, DH did that, but he uses it all the time to do just that. He has Yahoo, and his one co-worker has MSN, and someone else has AIM.
Originally Posted By Dave >>>Yes, and you should be able to do that with Trillian<<< But I beleive you still have to have a msn acct. So why not just get it and use it. It has lots of cute emoctions
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger Article from 2004 outlining AOL, MSN, and Yahoo's plan to interoperate: <a href="http://www.technewsworld.com/story/35159.html" target="_blank">http://www.technewsworld.com/s tory/35159.html</a> I guess it never worked out. It seems that Microsoft and Yahoo are now in a "limited test" of interoperability: <a href="http://news.com.com/Microsoft,+Yahoo+connect+IM+services/2100-1032_3-6093579.html" target="_blank">http://news.com.com/Microsoft,+Yahoo+connect+IM+services/2100-1032_3-6093579.html</a> (You'll probably have to cut and paste the link to get it to work) Extract: July 12, 2006, 5:15 PM PDT Nine months after announcing they would make their instant messaging services interoperate, Yahoo and Microsoft have done it. The companies are set to release on Thursday a limited beta test of a service that will enable users of Windows Live Messenger (the next generation of MSN Messenger) and Yahoo Messenger with Voice to connect with each other. The move creates a global community of nearly 350 million accounts, the companies said. The beta service is being launched globally in 15 localized languages. "It's the first-ever bridge between two global instant messaging services," Blake Irving, corporate vice president in Microsoft's Windows Live Platform division, said Wednesday. The service will allow people to sign into both services using one user ID, and to see the status of connections of friends from both networks. "The messenger friend list is your heart of your social network in many ways," said Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president of communications, community and front doors at Yahoo. "We expect a rapid ramp with millions of users in the coming weeks." Connecting the networks took months of testing, Irving said. "This was a very difficult technical problem to solve," he said. The companies announced plans last October to make their IM services interoperable, in what analysts said was a shot to market leader AOL Instant Messenger and a defensive jab at Google Talk.
Originally Posted By peeaanuut trillion allows you to log into several accounts at once. You still need to hold an account at each, but you wont have to have 3 or 4 IM apps running at once.
Originally Posted By LacyBelle Thanks for all the input. That's what I figured. I guess perhaps I will set up a few more IM accounts with different companies and use Trillian to access them all.
Originally Posted By Dave I used trillian for about 1 day and dumped it and continued to use the individual programs and prefer them. (yahoo, msn, aim and icq)
Originally Posted By LuLu I'm confused, why would you need to set up separate accounts to IM different people? I have iChat (on Mac) and I assumed I can IM anyone. I have all the same folks I had with AIM. Am I missing people with MSN and Yahoo?
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger AFAIK, they all use different protocols, although some are working on cooperating. None of them really want the others to play in their yard. (Although I think Google uses an open protocol and welcomes anyone to come in.) I've never used IM, so I don't follow it too closely.
Originally Posted By peeaanuut Dave: If I had a 3rd monitor or more real estate on the 2 monitors I have, I would use seperate apps, but my desktop real estate is pretty valuable at the moment. So trillion fits the bill. I dont use all the extra junk (emoticons, voice) so the basic features work great for me.
Originally Posted By LuLu OK, duh, iChat only works with AIM and .Mac accounts. Glad I straightened that out for myself!
Originally Posted By Big Thunder couldn't Lacybelle just use AOL's IM client on her AOL account/software and have her friend use AIM? That's what I used to do when I had AOL before MSN and Yahoo got popular. I later used AIM and later dropped AOL [well sorta I still pay for lil Thunder's acct.] I have a friend who I IMed with on AIM alot and that friend talked me into trying Yahoo Messenger which I highly prefer. I rarely IM now but for a while we were enjoying the free voice chat and other features. I must admit I also got a kick out of the cute audible emoticons too [but dont tell anybody, cuzz normally I claim that I despise that kinda foo foo nonsense]
Originally Posted By Big Thunder oh wait I just re-read the original initial post and realise that I misunderstood... never mind
Originally Posted By Dave >>>(Although I think Google uses an open protocol and welcomes anyone to come in.)<<< Oppps I forgot I google chat too
Originally Posted By Dave >>>I later used AIM and later dropped AOL [well sorta I still pay for lil Thunder's acct.]<<< Soon AOL will be free if you have dsl at home. I just can't imagine how many ads you will have to put up with.
Originally Posted By Big Thunder <<Soon AOL will be free if you have dsl at home. >> really???? I did'nt know that
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger Yep. They're going to become an add supported portal like Yahoo and Google.
