Yahoo and MS Messenger merge
13 October, 2005A few weeks ago I read this article: IM War and I’ve been meaning to blog about it ever since.
Events have overtaken me though, and yesterday Yahoo and Microsoft announced that they will be connecting their IM networks so that users on one system can communicate with users on the other via text and voice messages.
It seems to me that this could go two ways. Either it’s a huge lockout move designed to let the MS and Yahoo systems federate whilst locking out every other third party client, or it’s the first step towards opening up their networks. Which one do you think is more likely?
Rather unusually, Slashdot has some good commentary (so long as you’re only reading comments with a score of 4 or 5 of course).
I’ve already sworn to never use MSN Messenger ever again, so if they do indeed go for lockout, I’m going to try as hard as I possibly can to move every single one of my contacts over to Google Talk, because at least from there we have the chance of open communication.
Comments
Charl van Niekerk
13 October, 2005 at 16:02
Pip
13 October, 2005 at 20:32
Charl van Niekerk
14 October, 2005 at 15:29
Fin
28 October, 2005 at 20:23
Pip
28 October, 2005 at 20:33
I’m not so sure that Google Talk actually is “open communication” because, as far as I understand, it doesn’t talk to the public Jabber network.
So the protocol might be open, but the network isn’t.
(Appologies in advance if I have my facts wrong; I don’t use Google Talk myself.)
Your facts are right as things stand.
The Google Talk servers currently don’t federate with other Jabber servers, but the company has publically committed to do this (on the Google Talk site, on the jabber development mailing list ‘jdev’, and in a public online chat hosted by the Jive Messenger guys).
For me, this is enough of an assurance to be able to recommend Google Talk above other IM networks for anyone moving away from MSN Messenger.
Ah, I should stay more updated with Jabber issues. In that case, I’m fully behind Google Talk too! 🙂
Good news at any rate, I can’t be doing with both of those. MSN is my choice because ALL of my friends have it.
I’m getting a mac soon so what I really want to do is use ichat with MSN. Doubt that will happen, though.
It’s more likely they’ll try to block Google here. But we can all dream…
They’ll block Google? Jesus!