A variety of multiclient instant-messaging services have cropped up that allow users to communicate with each other over the Web. Some can be downloaded onto your desktop, while others can be accessed on the Internet. In either case, they're worth trying out, if you want to enjoy a fine experience communicating with your friends.
Multiclient IM resources
Adium Adium is my favorite multiclient instant-messaging tool for a few reasons. It supports practically any IM platform around, including AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, MySpace, Google Talk (via Jabber), and more. It even has a plug-in for Skype.
You'll rarely have any trouble communicating with friends in the service. But its most redeeming quality is that it's open source. So, if you want to modify the code to fit your own IM desires, that's possible. And those in the open-source community are constantly improving the product, whose updates typically install with ease.
When you download Adium (it's available for Mac OS X), you'll have the option of choosing your IM service. By default, Adium takes on the same design as Mac OS X. But with the help of some plug-ins from Adium's site, called "Xtras," you can customize it as you see fit. Those add-ons include emoticons, dock icons, scripts, and more. I could go on about Adium, but I think that you get the point: if you're a Mac OS X user, it's worth trying out.
Adium takes on the look of Mac OS X by default.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Digsby Digsby is a multifaceted tool that lets you communicate with friends over instant messaging, e-mail, or social networks. I recently took a look at its social-networking capabilities. After having the opportunity to use its IM services, I was just as impressed.
After installing Digsby on my Windows PC (Mac and Linux versions are reportedly on the way), I was able to log in to my accounts on AIM, Yahoo Mail, Facebook, and others. Digsby's app is designed well, with a more attractive interface than Adium's default skin. Digsby also gives you the option of sending an SMS text message from the application. Overall, I liked Digsby.
Digsby lets you chat with anyone at any time.
(Credit: Digsby)
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CNET)
Mac users: are you a Twitter user who also uses Adium? If you are, you'll appreciate third-party plug-in, TwitterIM. With this plug-in installed, you'll be able to receive Twitter messages in a chat client window. Though the developers of Adium have promised Twitter support in upcoming version 1.4, Twitter users can get started early with this third-party plug-in.
Get all your tweets in one chat window, making it easy to follow your friends while chatting.
(Credit: CNET)You will need an account at Twitter to get started. Once you're registered, download and install the TwitterIM plug-in (above) and launch Adium (make sure to update to the latest version). With Adium running, open the Adium Preferences and add an account from the Accounts tab. Choose "microblog-Twitter" (at the bottom) and enter your Twitter username and password. Now, simply restart Adium, and you can now receive Twitter updates in a chat window for easy access!
While this is kind of a work around to get Twitter updates in Adium, it should be enough to hold you over until Adium 1.4 when Twitter will be fully supported.
Mac users long ago discovered the incredible power of Adium, the open-source, multiprotocol instant-messaging application for the Mac. The next time someone suggests that open source can't innovate, is not user-friendly, etc., point them to Adium. It's simply incredible.
What Adium isn't, however, is a good Twitter client. That's about to change, starting with Adium's next version (1.4), when sophisticated Twitter functionality will be integrated into Adium.
Sure, it has been possible to integrate Adium with Twitter with things like TwitterAdium, but those have involved a little more heavy lifting than most users want to give to their desktop applications.
Now, as Adium has announced, this leading instant-messaging client is about to get serious Twitter integration, which is no mean feat, considering that Twitter shut down IM access in 2008 and has no announced plans to resurrect it.
The integration is accomplished using Matt Gemmell's MGTwitterEngine, a library used to communicate with the Twitter API. While the service won't initially be as full-featured as, say, TweetDeck, it sounds like a great first attempt at replicating the basic Twitter functionality in an IM client. Full details on how it will work are on the Adium blog.
Here's what the service is expected to look like. I can't wait. Much of my day is spent in both Twitter and Adium. Now I may simply spend time in Adium. You can follow me on Twitter at mjasay.
Adium gets Twitter integration in 1.4
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