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Chat Universal with TrillianJan 05 '03 (Updated Jan 19 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line There are many types of chat software to be had. Why not use them all seamlessly? I think we really are in the new millennium :)
I don't know about you, but my 'chat career' started off simply. I had one chat client - ICQ. Although increasingly large, all of my contacts were neatly on this one simple program. As the years went by, someone would come along and say they couldn't use ICQ but #### worked fine for them; would I please download it and use that to chat? Sure. And then there were a few who insisted that #$#! was really the best and certainly I could add that. Of course. My task tray became a mess. My RAM was practically non-existent. Recently I received a newsletter informing me of a chat program that could save me both headaches and resources. The article spoke of a program that would integrate multiple chat clients into a universal client. It would load the most common chat clients: ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and AOL as well as connect to IRC. Four different servers on one client. One icon in my task tray. How unique is that? Having three different clients on my task tray I flew to the site to check it out. After reading about it, I downloaded and installed it. The default interface is futuristic and interesting. It isn't as confusing as ICQ's newest version. This rather shocked me considering how many programs it involves. For the first time in awhile, I had fun configuring the settings. I spent hours trying it out, playing with it and telling my friends about this new wonder. Oh and did I mention playing with it? I was about to tell one of my friends/contacts when he informed that he has had it for awhile. What?? I thought this was new! I set about checking it out. Two versions are available - version 0.74 (free) and Pro ($25). I have version 0.74 and am considering upgrading. Created by Cerulean Studio in 1998, Trillian was first released on the web in 2000. To this writer, it would seem in stealth mode. We are in 2003 now, right? Below are the particulars about the program: Requirements (as taken from the website) * Operating System Windows XP/2000/ME/98. Windows 95 requires the Winsock2 upgrade; some early Windows 98 installations may as well (for the pro version). * Hard Drive Space 15 MB Minimum. * Screen Resolution 640x480 Minimum. 800x600 Recommended. * Color Depth 8-bit Minimum. 16-bit Recommended. * Internet Connection Yes, definitely. * Mouse or Pointing Devices Yes. * Internet Browser Internet Explorer 4.0 optional. Pros (per my view) * Connects to 5 different chat clients/mediums * Huge number of emoticons/sounds to choose from for Yahoo users * Each medium has same interface but functions differ as they pertain to each particular medium * Drag and drop file transfer * Settings for individual mediums * Each medium setting can be changed on the fly * Store info on contacts, retrieve by hovering your mouse over name * No account needs to registered to Cerulean and/or Trillian * Multiple skins available * Message history/logging * Multiple users can store an unlimited amount of contacts * With the Pro version, updates and help availability * Can send URL via weblinks * Drawer will remember where you've been on your browser * Doesn't write to registry!!! Cons * Loss of some functionality, such as file transfer in Yahoo (they plan to add in near future) * Must upgrade to Pro version to utilize audio & video in Yahoo (and I was told it is not as good as Yahoo's audio and video) Obviously, my pro list outweighs my con list. And I'm still fiddling with it. There are updates in the works and skins galore for those of you who like them. I believe this is the IM of the future. If you want to check it out please visit the site at http://ceruleanstudios.com/trillian/index.html  |
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by texas-swede
