An IM bear hug for Microsoft and Yahoo

Yahoo and Microsoft have decided to make nice--at least when it comes to instant messaging.

The two companies announced Thursday that they have made their IM programs interoperable, allowing users of Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger with Voice to connect with each other.

The duo had announced plans to offer interoperability nine months ago. The move creates a global community of nearly 350 million accounts, the companies said. But it's not just focused on helping users--the companies are also hoping it will give them an advantage against AOL's Instant Messenger program.

Blog community response:

"Today's news should make IM much more valuable for dedicated users of both systems. It's good to see that though both companies have been working hard at developing value added interfaces for their own messaging services - they aren't so afraid of losing customers that they pretend other IM clients don't exist."
--TechCrunch

"What is needed is true interoperability. The players in the industry need to move to a common standard, be that XMPP, or SIP/SIMPLE, and provide mechanisms for individual users to present credentials and authorize on any network. What is the equivalent of cell phone roaming in the IM world?"
--Alec Saunders .LOG

"I think that it will drive further innovation in the instant messaging application that we see coming out. People will use a particular instant messaging client over another because the like the value, the features and user interface over over similar applications, rather than using a messaging client just because they have contacts on their list and are 'locked into' using the application."
--Mip's scan