If you are like most students, you spend a lot of time logged into AOL Instant Messenger. Along with the cell phone, instant messaging, specifically over AIM, has become one of the most popular forms of communication for students.

And yet you have probably never given a thought towards your instant messaging client.

Oh, sure, maybe you have had to choose between AIM and MSN, or Yahoo! and ICQ, but most likely, everyone you know uses AIM, and so you use it, too. Given the lackluster quality of the other major AIM clients, there probably has not been a good reason for you to switch.

But what if there was another option out there, one better than AIM or MSN? That service is called Jabber, and it offers an immense library of useful features and flexibility to the typical instant messenger.

My forays into other protocols came recently, and was prompted by two incidents: my first use of AIM Triton, and my subsequent "discovery" of Google Talk, a service released to the public last August.

Triton is AOL's next-generation instant messaging client. If you have not tried it yet, do not bother--simply downloading the software is a waste of time. AOL markets Triton with the tagline "We're always trying to make AIM better." It is ironic, then, that Triton is such a step backward in the evolution of instant messengers.

The problems start with its horrible interface, which utilizes an ugly silver theme that is inconsistent with Windows' look and feel. The problems continue, however, with the IM window, which is entirely too cluttered. There are tabs for each type of messaging Triton employees (text, voice, and video), as well as tabs for each IM. Note to AOL: What works in Firefox does not necessarily translate well to instant messengers. On top of that, the window is cluttered with useless information about the person with whom you are chatting--information that does not disappear.

Even signing off isn't simple anymore--I had to confirm that I wanted to sign off at least twice before Triton finally signed me off.

After five minutes, I could tell that the future of AOL Instant Messenger looked grim.

Enter Google Talk. Google Talk is an instant messaging client released by Google last August. As a user of Gmail, Google's mail service, I automatically had a Google Talk account, but I never signed on until that fateful experience with Triton, which prompted me to take a closer look at Google Talk.

At first, I was unimpressed. The official client, available from talk.google.com, is not at all extraordinary. The voice chat feature is something I never use. So what's so great about Google Talk? The answer is simple: Jabber.

Unlike Instant Messenger, which uses a proprietary messaging protocol, Google Talk uses Jabber, an open standard. This means that anyone can develop a client that is compatible with Jabber (and thus Google Talk). For example, instead of the official Google client, I use Adium, available from adiumx.com, to connect to Google Talk, without any problems whatsoever. Clearly this feature greatly empowers the user: If users are free to choose whatever client they want, they can find one that fits their needs, rather than use AOL's one-size-fits-all client that falls far short of any standards of usability.

Jabber chat networks are inherently decentralized; unlike AOL's system in which all communications are channeled through a central system of servers, Jabber servers are spread out, much like email servers. This allows for some pretty cool features, such as allowing the messaging of offline users (messages would then be retrieved when the user logs on), or setting up a private chat network or server. For example, under Jabber, it would be possible for a person to set up his own closed network in which only friends and family could connect and talk to each other; or a person could run a public Jabber server that allowed anyone to chat with all Jabber users. Don't like the policies of one server? Just connect to another Jabber server instead!

The Jabber protocol is designed to be extensible, meaning new features can easily be added. For example, Jabber clients can already encrypt chats between users. While voice chat is only possible between Google Talk users right now, Google is planning to submit changes to the Jabber protocol that will allow voice and video chat for all Jabber users.

Of course, with the entrenchment of AIM, how can one possibly switch to a different service? Google is once again here to free us all. As part of its 5% acquisition of AOL in late December, AOL and Google plan to offer interoperability between AIM and Google Talk in the near future. That means that AIM and Google Talk users will be able to chat with each other.

Thanks to the efforts of Google and the Jabber development team, instant messaging fanatics need not submit to the whims of AOL any longer. The next time someone asks for your AIM screenname, give them your Google Talk contact information instead--and help them move to the light side, too.

Yet, my brain hurts again.

It's not exactly a highly technical or even complicated piece of writing...

Lol I know, I just wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say, and my head really does hurt.

are you working for google?! hehe jk. aim used to suck my life away. now im too busy for it. email is the way to go! slow everything down. no more instant gratification! say no to aim!!! ^_^

I, unfortunately, tried AIM Triton...big mistake. It's more annoying than good in any sense, and I too had a problem with signing off. It's way too cluttered, and the colors are pretty lame.

I do have Gmail though, so I'll give Google Talk a try.

No, I wish. Ha.

AIM does take up a lot of time. I'm not a huge fan of IM'ing in general. But AIM itself really blows.

my friends say they got viruses from AIM

Probably not from AIM--but they can be sent via AIM.

I actually read all of that, which is interesting since I tend to stray from any instant messaging these days.

I've been interested in trying out google talk since I first noticed it in my gmail, but I never did get around to it. Perhaps I will sometime.

I've tried a bit of everything I guess. I look down into my taskbar and this is what I see:

AIM
Yahoo
AOL Triton
Gtalk
MSN
and ICQ

Yeah. I used to love AOL Triton, because I love new things, but it eventually got annoying, so I switched back to the classic version. Now I'm getting annoyed with it too - and I absolutely love Gtalk. Its so simple, its just awesome. And once your done with a chat (if you choose this option) you can go into your message archives in Gmail and reread it. Awesomeness.

However, nobody I know uses Gtalk, except for one person. So I guess AIM has kinda trapped me. Ugh.

Agreed. Ive used all of the above. I dunno i kind of ♥ AIM.... oh well im not planning on changing anytime soon. RAWK ON aim users.

IM ME- Suziirawkssoxx

Well if I should use AIM, would Gaim be good to use for signing on AIM?

It's a good client, but I mean to say that it's the protocol, not just the client, that is flawed.

I was on gmail one time and my friend told me to chat with her using Google Talk. I would have to say that the interface is pretty interesting. I mean, it's something I had to get used to, but it's neat! Plus, the smilies! :D

I've read it all and wow.. I really don't know what kind of clients that you can use, but the idea of it is pretty neat! :D And receiving messages when you're offline?! :D Awesome! I hate it when someone signs off right when I'm about to say something. Google is making billions, but I'm glad that they're developing their new ideas,not half-assing them like AOL is, that will revolutionize Instant Messaging.

I used AIM Triton over the summer. It got annoying cause it got too confusing. The tabs were too much for me. I haven't used GoogleTalk yet... I don't mind AIM as much. I use it for communication.. though I only talk to ~11 people overall on AIM. -shrug- Away messages are always fun!

Triton sucks, thats why i just kept on normal AIM

Triton AIM is evil. It totally screwed up my DeadAim, since I had deadaim installed (my idiotic sister updated aim.. AUGH) and I spent a good hour trying to fix it, since I had to search all over for aim 5.5 (it was hard to find!) and then my deadaim stopped working. I don't know what happened but finally after an hour, it started working again...

Google talk.. I don't know how to describe it. But it's cool that you can press it " :) " And the smiley will rotate 90 degrees cloclwise so that it does look like a smiley face. It'spretty need. And the heart <3 turns into a heart! I really like the simplicity of how it looks. Of course this was only when I was signed in on gmail. I haven't used a client for it yet (IDK how to.. )

I just use Trillian so I can use AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and stuff all in the same program.

i feel your pain. my idiotic brother did the same thing after i told him it sucks. -__- oh well. he ended up fixing it anyways

anyhoo. i dont think i would change to jabber.. im not really an email person =x

Jabber isn't email, it's instant messaging.

i <3 aim. i used to use msn...but nobody uses it.

I don't ever update my version of AIM. That's very interesting, Michael. I've already downloaded Triton but deleted it because I don't like it; thus, I went back to my old version I had.

so is it really safe to download aim? i had aim on my old computer, and now i don't use it because it got this awful virus. so i'm paranoid about downloading. i went to the aim site and they said they had a worm attack at the end of last year, but i'm just worried about downloading aim and having that happen and ruin my laptop.

The first time I used AIM Triton, I uninstalled. I hated things like that. I prefer to use AIM 5.9, I tried Google Talk and it was good, but no one I knew used it, so I uninstalled that, too. I would use it if more people I knew did. =\

Still, I love AIM.

i like msn better i think its less confusing then aim

Yeah, and Google Corp. can, too.

Conversations are logged with AOL Instant Messenger, as well. You just don't get to read them.

I haven't heard much about "Google Talk" but so far I hear it is better then AIM. Some people want to try it out and tell me what you think? And if you have tried it how is it to you?

I'm a big supporter of Google Talk. I think it's nicer than AIM in a lot of ways, mainly because a) you can use any Jabber-supported client, not just one "official" client, and b) the official client doesn't have tons of stupid ads. Google Talk has a lot of nice features. I'm on Google Talk any time I am on an instant messenger.

i have it since i have gmail. eh...it's nothing that special. i don't know a whole bunch of people who use it. it's more plain, and it's not a separate box. it's...well...part of your email. so i suppose it's more convenient.


^ (michael) really? hm....it's not the same thing as google chat, is it?

Well AIM has a really good e-mail service now which suprised me. I use it more than gmail.

I didn't really like Google Talk, but it'll probably get better.

but is it the same thing as google chat? the one that automatically comes with your account?

is this similar to trillian?

I'm not sure what you mean by "Google Chat". Google Talk ties into the Gmail service, and Google distributes an official client (commonly refered to as "Google Talk") to connect to the service; but Google Talk is just an implementation of the Jabber protocol, so any Jabber-capable client can connect to Google Talk. For example, I use Adium.

https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogi...mp;ltmplcache=2

right there. gmail chat. is that the same thing?

I can't see that, because it's a secure page, but if you mean the link that says "Chats", that's just where you can save chat logs from Google Talk.

If you can take a screenshot of the page in question, that would be cool.

Yeah, pretty much. Gmail's chat feature essentially connects you to Google Talk when you login.

hmm I might download it to try it seems good from what your saying mipadi

i don't really like Google Talk. especially when it's in your Gmail browser, then whne someone IMs you it's like "WTF, where's that coming from" and i go crazy.
i use GAIM. it's awesome-er.

Gaim and Google Talk are two different things. Gaim is a program; Google Talk is a service or protocol. You can actually connect to Google Talk with Gaim.

hey, michael, adium looks pretty cool. too bad i don't have a mac.

so in google talk you can only talk to people who have gmail and jabber?

Yeah, Google Talk users can only communicate with other Gtalk or Jabber users, although there are plans to allow chatting with AIM users, too.

oh, awesome!

so what is Jabber? i heard that it came with gmail, but i've never seen it.

Jabber's an instant-messaging protocol. AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! are other protocols. Jabber is different, though, in that it's an open protocol, in that anyone can write software to implement it—for free. Furthermore, anyone is free to run a Jabber server (only AOL operates AIM servers). It also supports other features that AIM doesn't, such as offline messaging.

You can read more about it here.

I had a jabber account the day before google launched googletalk, but I never had anyone to talk to. I suppose I'll add jabber to my gaim auto sign on for this computer.

I have a Jabber account (mdippery@jabber.org).

me too i m almost never on and people are like omfg why dont you like AIM... it just gets boring for me

I Prefer aim over Google talk, Most if not all of my friends have it and its more conveniant than google talk.

ive tried trillion and triton and dont like them. i just stick to normal AIM