# iChat, why AIM?



## MacLegacy (Jul 18, 2002)

I don't understand why iChat is only compatible with AIM accounts. Is that the most popular account for mac users? 

Personally, OK i'm using MSN Messenger a *lot* and it's *cough* microsoft.. but all my friends have it, so no choice here. I think iChat should have support for MSN, ICQ, AIM and others I may forget all at once. I'm not planning to use iChat if it uses AOL only.. 

Are there really a lot of people using AIM out there? (mac users)

The use of AOL may appeal to many persons, i'm not saying it sucks, i'm just making personal comments about it. 

Prolly just cause i'm a teenager and want to get support for what *I* use, lol 

Well anyway, I don't have OS X, so I shouldn't bother too much about it yet. I'm sure my father will be forced to buy a new comp when even 3rd-party apps he uses will be X only 

Forgive my less than perfect use of the English language. I'm used to talking French everyday.


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## gibbs (Jul 18, 2002)

I think its politics more than anything else , MacLegacy.

I use Proteus or Fire, so that I can talk to people no matter what service they happen to be on. Not that I talk to anyone much these days.


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## MacLegacy (Jul 18, 2002)

Yeah, apps like Fire seem cool because of their different service support.

I'd think AOL and Apple made a deal so Apple makes iChat AIM based only.

Does anyone know if the Bubbles chat is the only view available or if there is "normal" view like in MSN, ICQ and such..


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## twister (Jul 18, 2002)

I wish iChat was more like fire.  It's sweet.  Ohh and i'm not looking forward to iChat.  I think it looks retarted with the bubbles. Maybe it'll be cool though.  We'll see.

Twister


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## simX (Jul 18, 2002)

You can turn off the bubbles and have it look like a standard message-by-message interface, but I like the bubbles.   It makes it look like an actual conversation.


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## ddma (Jul 18, 2002)

I use ICQ, AIM, and MSN because my friends are using them... I have 2xx contacts in ICQ and 5 contacts in AIM and 2 contacts in MSN... I don't care about MSN too much... Well, but ICQ... I know AOL bought ICQ already... Why shouldn't iChat support ICQ too?


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## vanguard (Jul 18, 2002)

I use AIM every day (actually, I use Trillian or Fire).  It has the largest userbase by far so it's probably the best choice for Apple (unless you consider the benefits of pleasing msft to have value).  My prefence is the yahoo service because I can see if the other person is typing.  However, it's not as popular amoung the people I know.

I hope that they add more services in the future.  Or, maybe they will start to converge on a single standard and every client will work with every service.

Bottom line:  If you have to pick one, AIM is probably the best choice.


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## ddma (Jul 18, 2002)

I know but AIM is only popular in the US... right? Because of the AOL Internet service... In Hong Kong, even many people don't know what is AIM! Sighs... But ICQ is a must for Hong Kong Internet users... so?


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## toast (Jul 18, 2002)

The sole point of several chat apps is boring. I don't like Micorosft very much, but I use MSN every day because all (almost all) my friends use PCs at work or at home, and they use MSN.

From there on, I don't understand Apple doesn't let iChat use the MSN buddy system. It's like promoting MSN to me.


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## senne (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by ddma _
> *I know but AIM is only popular in the US... right? Because of the AOL Internet service... In Hong Kong, even many people don't know what is AIM! Sighs... But ICQ is a must for Hong Kong Internet users... so? *



And in Western Europe it's all about MSN Messenger..... (Me included)


senne.


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## toast (Jul 18, 2002)

senne is right on this point. French people know AIM just by name, almost. MSN rules all over theplace, because it's nice and functional and because all PCs have it installed by default with Windows XP, just like IE6.


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## ddma (Jul 18, 2002)

I think there should be another open standard for IM! Like POP and IMAP!


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## Dradts (Jul 18, 2002)

Does iChat save its Buddy Lists on the AOL server?
I'm just asking because I don't want to reenter all my Buddys again when if (finally) move over to 10.2.
Currently Im using AIM.


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## Izzy (Jul 18, 2002)

I don't plan on using iChat. I'm using Adium to talk to buddies on AIM and will continue to do so even after iChat as long as there is no logging feature on it. I've also gotten spoiled with a one window IM interface with tabs...it would be hard to go back to multiple open IM windows.


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## hazmat (Jul 18, 2002)

I hate AOL, but do use AIM (Adium really) and have since about 1997.  The best thing about it is that it was always one less thing you had to teach or explain to the typical AOL idiot, because they already have it!


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## MacLegacy (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by simX _
> *You can turn off the bubbles and have it look like a standard message-by-message interface, but I like the bubbles.   It makes it look like an actual conversation. *



LOL, do you actually see a bubble pop out of your friend's head when he talks to you ?  



> _Originally posted by vanguard _
> [B  My prefence is the yahoo service because I can see if the other person is typing. [/B]



Hmm, MSN does that too and I admit it's really useful


Well, in my area, I know nobody who uses AIM, it's probably not too popular in Canada either.. But whenever I can install OS X (jeez!) , I will use MSN Messenger 3.0 , it looks awesome anyway


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## hazmat (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by simX _
> *You can turn off the bubbles and have it look like a standard message-by-message interface, but I like the bubbles.   It makes it look like an actual conversation. *



Any screenshots of this around?


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## ddma (Jul 18, 2002)

http://www.apple.com/macosx/jaguar/ichat.html


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## Izzy (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by hazmat _
> *
> 
> Any screenshots of this around? *



I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.thinksecret.com/features/jaguarichat/images/imboxstyle.html


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## xaqintosh (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by ddma _
> *I think there should be another open standard for IM! Like POP and IMAP! *


that is a good idea.


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## hazmat (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Izzy _
> *
> 
> I think this is what you are looking for:
> ...



Thanks.  Looks alright, but it doesn't say who is who.  I suppose there's default color-coding.  I'll have to see for myself.  I think I will stick with Adium.


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## xaqintosh (Jul 18, 2002)

at the top it says "instant message with thinksecret"

thinksecret is the AIM name. so you DO know who you're talking to. and in a chat, i'm sure the name is next to the im


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## MacLegacy (Jul 18, 2002)

Well, at least there's an alternative to the bubbles!


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## hazmat (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by xaqintosh _
> *at the top it says "instant message with thinksecret"
> 
> thinksecret is the AIM name. so you DO know who you're talking to. and in a chat, i'm sure the name is next to the im *



Not according to the screenshot it isn't.  Are you suggesting that this window is not in a chat?


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## MacLegacy (Jul 18, 2002)

Actually I think this is a chat window, and I think ThinkSecret is the AIM name too


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## xaqintosh (Jul 18, 2002)

this is a one on one chat, not a more than 2 people one. so you don't need their name repeated every time they write something.


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## hazmat (Jul 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by xaqintosh _
> *this is a one on one chat, not a more than 2 people one. so you don't need their name repeated every time they write something. *



So then why does the bubble mode have each speaker's icons next to them? ;-)

Either way, it should be a preference.  For all I know, maybe it is.


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## ddma (Jul 18, 2002)

Maybe that is only an incompleted part of iChat.


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## xaqintosh (Jul 18, 2002)

and btw, remeber this is still BETA!

EDIT: oops, the most stupid member beat me to the punch


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## JetwingX (Jul 19, 2002)

your not stupid, you just leep b4 you think


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## xaqintosh (Aug 5, 2002)

no, my browser didn't reload


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## Ricky (Aug 15, 2002)

All my buddies are on AIM, and the reasons I use Fire is because it's so much more stable than AOL's client, no annoying flashing banner ads, and not too much interface, so I can have nice, small windows.

Once iChat comes out, I'll probably use that.

Also, did you guys know that if you're chatting with someone over Rendezvous, you can make it so that you can see each other typing messages?


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## adambyte (Aug 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by MacLegacy _
> *
> 
> LOL, do you actually see a bubble pop out of your friend's head when he talks to you ?
> *



Aww, dangit, MacLegacy stole my joke! Dang dang dang!

And... let's be honest here... most, if not the vast majority of the U.S. uses the AIM network, so it's only logical for Apple to support that system. Hopefully they'll add other systems in the future.

Right now, however, I'm using AIM for OS X... I love the fact that minimized windows use the buddy icons in the dock... very clever. I'll only use iChat if it has as many features as AOL's AIM. I actually use File Transfer and such.


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