Best Instant Messenger?

Wayne Carver · Post by **Wayne Carver** » 29 Aug 2005 5:12 am

I'll be switching from AOL dial-up to Comcast cable modem and my kids want to install an IM program. Is one preferred over the other. Are there any conflicts using one with a cable modem?

Roger Kelly · Post by **Roger Kelly** » 29 Aug 2005 6:58 am

Wayne, I am on Cable and use MSN and AOL Instant Message for both Audio and Video hook-up with no problems. I have also used YIM with no problems. Cable is about 10 times faster than Dial-up here. You should not have any problems IMO.

Kiyoshi Osawa · Post by **Kiyoshi Osawa** » 29 Aug 2005 6:59 am

that choice really depends more on what the people you want to communicate use. If more of your friends and family use, say MSN messenger, then youll end up having that even if you prefer some other program.

There are quite a few programs that can connect to many different messenger protocols. This means you could use one program to chat with your AOL buddies, as well as your MSN buddies, etc, etc...

These programs might be overkill though, if you just want your kids to chat with their friends.

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Will Holtz · Post by **Will Holtz** » 29 Aug 2005 8:04 am

I use GAIM for my IM client and highly recommend it. As Kiyoshi mentioned, this is one of the programs that will allow you to talk to people on all the common IM networks (AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, ICQ). You might not need that functionality, but the other nice feature is the lack of advertising. The current windows version can be downloaded here.

Wayne Carver · Post by **Wayne Carver** » 29 Aug 2005 8:55 am

I'm sure my kids buddies are all on AIM so I might as well just go with that one. I thought if you were using say, Yahoo that you could easily chat with someone in AIM.
A coworker said his kids put AIM on his PC and it messed it up somehow so I was just checking.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 29 Aug 2005 9:02 am

How about the new Google chat program?

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 29 Aug 2005 9:59 am

Yahoo Messenger is a great program. It has undergone a lot of upgrades. it allows you to display a photo on your message window. It has an easy-to-install voice option,pc cam, exchanging files,etc.

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Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 31 Aug 2005 3:48 pm

I have been using Trillian for a few years, with only a few intermittent connectivity problems, when AOL, Yahoo or MSN decide to block it from connecting to their networks. The current version is 3.1 and is available here: http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/

As with all IM Clients, the user must be extremely cautious about security threats. This includes not allowing or accepting file download invitations, not allowing hyperlinks to be clickable, and not allowing active content to run. Basically, to be safe with an IM client you had better run it in plain text only mode, no downloads, no clickable links, no html formatting.

The reason for this level of alertness is not paranoia. Paranoia is only thinking that they are out to get you. In this case they are out to get you! Many of the new Worms, code exploits and Trojans are being planted via IM vulnerabilities and by tricking IM users into clicking on links to hostile websites. A lot of IM Worms are generated by scripts on infected computers and pretend to come from a Buddy.

This is The False Authoriy Ploy that used to be prevelant in E-mails a year or two ago. The scammers and hackers are now moving into the fertile IM field where people are not used to seeing and identifying these threats until it is way too late.

Remember this addage; Chance favors the prepared mind!

Wiz

FIONA TOMANY · Post by **FIONA TOMANY** » 2 Sep 2005 5:01 am

Their is also Skype http://www.skype.com/helloagain.html
this can also be to make phone call spc tp Pc