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Will iChat Ever Go Multiprotocol?

H

hornandsaxguy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2004
15
0
Denver, CO
I understand that Apple has a relationship with AOL and I'm glad for that. But, as I imagine nearly everyone else does, I've got friends who use Yahoo, AIM and MSN. I'm happy with my multi-protocol client, Fire, but it'd be great to see Apple make iChat work with all of the most common services. And I'm just asking for basic text messenging. Video would be king's gravy.

Any thoughts on if and when text messengering between iChat and Yahoo, MSN, etc. might happen?

Cheers
 
Apple didn't have anything to do with iChat and ICQ. I believe AOL bought ICQ thus they use the "same" service. AIM users can message ICQers. Anyway, their bound with AOL seems too great. Adding more clients would only clutter it. Also it seems that Apple should be working more on including more AIM features than adding more services (which would definitely require some sort of royalty provision to MSN or Yahoo).
 
Besides it wouldn't be Apple's style to be compatibile with MSN. Sigh.

Unfortunately, none of my friends have Macs. Zilcho. Therefore iChat AV has been useless until yesterday. However, everyone uses MSN and I can't get anyone to convert to AIM 5.5! I want to try out audio! (Eventually video when I can afford to get an iSight :D)

MSN is ok and I currently use that but it doesn't like my uni firewall and chokes because of it. Every 15 minutes or so it loses connection and signs me out, meaning I can't sit there with it on all day. Shame 'cos it works at home on my dial up with no problems.

Today I left iChat running all day it the connection didn't break once. Too bad I have NO buddies on it...
 
Originally posted by johnnyjibbs
Besides it wouldn't be Apple's style to be compatibile with MSN. Sigh.

Unfortunately, none of my friends have Macs. Zilcho. Therefore iChat AV has been useless until yesterday. However, everyone uses MSN and I can't get anyone to convert to AIM 5.5! I want to try out audio! (Eventually video when I can afford to get an iSight :D)

MSN is ok and I currently use that but it doesn't like my uni firewall and chokes because of it. Every 15 minutes or so it loses connection and signs me out, meaning I can't sit there with it on all day. Shame 'cos it works at home on my dial up with no problems.

Today I left iChat running all day it the connection didn't break once. Too bad I have NO buddies on it...
Click to expand...

Have YOU tried Fire or Proteus? Impressions?

HSG
 
No I haven't. I hadn't even heard of these chat clients until I read this thread. But I don't know if I want yet another chat client to install...
 
Originally posted by johnnyjibbs
No I haven't. I hadn't even heard of these chat clients until I read this thread. But I don't know if I want yet another chat client to install...
Click to expand...

Both Proteus and Fire are quite good. And they work with nearly everything: MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Jabber, ICQ, etc.

Fire is better at the moment as it is having fewer problems connecting with Yahoo.

I'd give it a try...

HSG
 
I might just do that. I suppose they are chatting only - not audio and video?

If I can use something else to talk to MSN people without it cutting out I'll take it...

(I still want to use iChat though. For some reason, Apple's apps are just nicer ;) )
 
I've downloaded Fire and have started to use that. I've got it to work for my MSN but the interface isn't half as nice as iChat (or even MSN). I might stick with it a bit and then see. In the meantime, I'll try and persuade everyone to move across to AIM 5.5!!!
 
Yeah, AOL works with ICQ. That's why the official AIM client supports ICQ as well. I'm not complaining about this because I only use AIM and don't know anyone that uses YIM or MSN. Glad, too, since MSN is M$ and I try to live without M$ as much as possible (except forced to use Excel and PowerPoint).

Adium is good, but is still in beta. I'm sure 2.0 will be great, knowing how awesome 1.0 was, but I find the latest alphas unstable and unpractical. So for now, I'm using iChat. Never tried Fire or Proteus, but heard that they are good.
 
Surely someone could come up with a hack for iChat, i.e. a plug-in (similar to mail.app hotmail plug-in, etc) that would enable iChat to work with MSN? If things like Fire can access all the protocols then it's not like MSN is a closed proprietry system (or maybe it is but has been hacked!). Why hasn't someone come up with this?
 
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