MSN Messenger

Windows Live Messenger (formerly named MSN Messenger) is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP (up to Wave 3), Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x, and Zune HD. 

The client has been part of Microsoft's Windows Live set of online services since 2005. It connects to Microsoft's .NET Messenger Service. The client was first released as MSN Messenger on July 22, 1999, and as Windows Live Messenger on December 13, 2005. 

Windows Live Messenger is free to download and is available in 26 languages and is used in more than 60 countries by more than 240 million active accounts each month.

QIP

QIP (an acronym for Quiet Internet Pager) is a multiprotocol instant messaging client. It is a closed source freeware program originally developed by Ilgam Zyulkorneev. In 2008 it was bought by RosBusinessConsulting media group and named most popular RBC service in 2009. 

QIP 2005 unique feature (at the time) : tabbed message windows -- instead of a message window for each chat session, one window with several tabs is shown. Since this feature's introduction, ICQ Version 6.0 now includes this feature, as do the multi-service clients Pidgin, Miranda IM, and Trillian. Other features include integrated mail.ru e-mail client, and a wider range of emoticons. QIP presents no advertisements in the application windows; this is described as a security advantage.

QIP Infium is the second version of QIP. It features full Unicode support and is multi-protocol client, supporting the following protocols:

• OSCAR: ICQ
• XMPP, first stolen and only then licensed on Miranda IM Jabber Plug-in with preinstalled settings for QIP, LiveJournal, Google Talk
• XIMSS (CommuniGate Pro IM and VoIP protocol) with preinstalled settings for QIP, SIPNET and Euroset
• Mail.ru Agent
• IRC (Additional plugin)

QIP Infium attempts to reset Internet Explorer to use the search engine at the QIP homepage (currently written in Russian). This feature can be disabled on the first attempt or by using the Add-on Manager under the Tools menu of Internet Explorer.

New version of QIP named QIP 2010 contains all features of Infium and interface of QIP 2005.

Yahoo! Messenger

Yahoo! Messenger (YIM) is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger is free and can be downloaded and used with a "Yahoo! ID" which also allows access to other Yahoo! services, such as Yahoo! Mail. Yahoo! also offers PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service, file transfers, webcam hosting, text messaging service, and chat rooms in various categories.

Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager on March 9, 1998.

In addition to instant messaging features similar to those offered by ICQ, address-book integration and Custom Status Messages. It was also the first major IM client to feature BUZZing and music-status. Another recently added feature is customized avatars. Yahoo! Messenger also allows users to access Yahoo! Chat Rooms.

So, with Yahoo! Messenger, you can: 

• Instant message friends in real time, including your Windows Live Messenger friends.
• Add a Pingbox to your personal Web page so that you can instant message the people who visit your page.
• Call and talk with your friends. You can call a friend’s computer, mobile phone, and even the old-fashioned home phone.
• Share your favorite photos.
• Send text (SMS) messages to a friend’s mobile phone.
• Forward your instant messages to your mobile phone when you’re away from your computer.
• Save friends’ contact details in your Yahoo! Address Book and access the information in Messenger.
• See and be seen with webcam.
• Add plug-ins to do such things as listen to music through LAUNCHcast Radio, check your mail, and play games with your friends.
• Check out what your friends are up to by viewing their updates.
• Add color and graphics to your conversations and change the look of the application.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging (chat) or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file sharing.

IRC was created by Jarkko Oikarinen in August 1988 to replace a program called MUT (MultiUser Talk) on a BBS called OuluBox in Finland. Oikarinen found inspiration in a chat system known as Bitnet Relay, which operated on the BITNET.

IRC was used to report on the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt throughout a media blackout. It was previously used in a similar fashion during the Gulf War. Logs of these and other events are kept in the ibiblio archive.

IRC Messenger boasts many features, such as a skinnable interface, encrypted chat, and voice (microphone) chat. It is simply a program that lets you make a list of contacts, and when those contacts are online, you can chat with them.

However, when all the features and aspects of IRC Messenger are considered, it is much different from those other programs. For example: while AOL Instant Messenger works through the AOL network, and MSN Messenger works through the MSN network, IRC Messenger works through, of course, the IRC network.

For those of you who don't know, IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat, and is one of the oldest and most popular chat networks in use today. People from every imaginable location on the Earth congregate on this network, and IRC Messenger is simply a tool you can use to tap into that vast arena. 

To become closer to IRC watch this video:

Pidgin

Pidgin (formerly named Gaim) is an open-source multi-platform instant messaging client. Initial release: 1998 as Gaim.

Pidgin is a chat program which lets you log in to accounts on multiple chat networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on MSN, talking to a friend on Google Talk, and sitting in a Yahoo chat room all at the same time.

Pidgin is compatible with the following chat networks out of the box: AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, MXit, MySpaceIM, and Zephyr. It can support many more with plugins.

Pidgin supports many features of these chat networks, such as file transfers, away messages, buddy icons, custom smilies, and typing notifications. Numerous plugins also extend Pidgin's functionality above and beyond the standard features.

Pidgin features some of the standard tools for an instant-messaging client, such as a contact list, file transfer on supported protocols, and conversation and chat logging. Tabbed conversations is an optional feature on Pidgin. The IM window consists of the message window, formatting tools, and an edit box.

Users can add contacts (usually known as "Buddies") in the "Buddy List" window or in the IM window. As a client that supports IRC and other chat programs, Pidgin can also add different IRC channels and IM Chats. Contacts with multiple protocols can be grouped into one single contact instead of managing multiple protocols, and contacts can be given aliases or placed into groups.
Further features include support for themes, emoticons, spell checking, and notification area integration.

Worldwide known ICQ

As you've understood today's post is about ICQ. So, WHAT is ICQ?

ICQ is an instant messaging computer program, which was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then bought by America Online, and since April 2010 owned by Mail.ru Group. The name ICQ is a homophone for the phrase "I seek you". This is an adaptation of the Morse code callout "CQ", which means "calling any station"

The first version of the program was released in November 1996 and ICQ became the first Internet-wide instant messaging service, later patenting the technology. AOL acquired Mirabilis on June 8, 1998, for US$407 million.

Primary versions ICQ features included sending text messages, offline support, multi-user chats, free daily-limited SMS sending, resumable file transfers, greeting cards, multiplayer games and a searchable user directory .

Chat using Gmail

Google gives You one more chance for communication, using its apps. Checking our mail, we can see a green/yellow/red/grey dot by someone’s name in the chat box. It means that person is on/off the chat. While using it You can:

• send messages;
• make video-chat;
• make voice-chat;
• make a chat with group of users;
• use some plain smile-images.

As additional options You can:

• block a user to send you messages;
• stop writing down chat history.

GoogleTalk

Google Talk is an instant messaging service. It provides both text and voice communication. The instant messaging service is colloquially known as "gchat" to its users.

Using Text chat You can:

• Write instant messages: share quick thoughts in real time
• Update your status: see if friends are around and what they are up to
• Transfer files: instantly send and receive files, pictures, and more.

Using Voice chat You can:

• Communicate in free long distance: make PC-to-PC calls to people anywhere in the world
• Make audio conferencing: talk to multiple people at once
• Have Gmail integration: chat with your friends on Gmail

Here is an interesting link, which can help You to know how to use Google Talk: http://www.google.com/talk/start.html
And here are news about Google Talk: http://www.google.com/talk/whatsnew.html

Next time I'll tell You about Google Chat

Some more from history of popular chats

ICQ is an instant messaging application which was developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996. ICQ was a huge success and AOL acquired the company in 1998. ICQ was extremely popular during the end of the ‘90s and is still used today.

Yahoo! Messenger is a well known instant messaging application which was launched in 1998 using the name Yahoo! Pager.

Windows Live Messenger is Microsofts instant messaging application launched in 1999. It was known as MSN Messenger before recently changing its name.

Skype was launched in 2003 with lots of buzz surrounding it. It quickly became one of the most popular applications to make voice calls over Internet. The software also has connections to landlines and mobile phones.

Google Wave a platform and communications protocol announced by Google in 2009. It is designed to merge the functionality of email, instant messaging, wiki and social networking.
P.S. This project was closed.

2nd period in history

In previous post I have told about the time period from 1960 to 1990, i.e. the era before the birth of the World Wide Web that we live in today. Now it’s time to continue my narration about chatting, from 1990 until 2009.

So here some chats are, some of the most popular computer messaging applications and services during 1990-2009, including some less known ones, that helped drive innovation and development forward.

Back to the start...

Every intelligent person uses chatting for communicating with friends, colleagues, relatives and even unknown people. These days it’s hard to imagine a life without computer chatting and other applications that let us communicate cheaply and over great distances. But does anyone know, how this all began?

I think it’ll be interesting for You, my dear reader, to know: Chat rooms became popular with the dawn of the Internet, but actually were around about 20 years before the World Wide Web even came into existence.