Instant Messenger Software

See also: Instant Messenger | Encrypted Chat Clients

This list is not exhaustive.

Contents

• 1 Core Networks
• 2 Clients by operating system
  • 2.1 Multiple Operating Systems
    • 2.1.1 AIM Network
    • 2.1.2 ICQ Network
    • 2.1.3 Yahoo Network
    • 2.1.4 MSN Network
    • 2.1.5 Multi-Network
      • 2.1.5.1 Jabber
• 3 Windows Only
• 4 *nix Only
• 5 Mac OS X Only

Core Networks

Instant Messenger networks usually have their own specific client, often by the same name. These clients can only connect only to their specific network.

• AIM
• ICQ
• Jabber
• MSN Messenger
• Napster
• Gadu-Gadu
• Yahoo Messenger
• Yeemp

Clients by operating system

Multiple Operating Systems

AIM Network

• AIM – AOL‘s Instant Messenger – http://www.aol.com/aim – Windows, Mac, UNIX, Java, PalmOS, etc. Although AOL IM seems to be the most popular, if your chat partner goes offline, – even briefly – messages are often dropped and never seen.
• TiK – Tcl/Tk

ICQ Network

• ICQ – “I Seek You” – Windows, Mac OS 9, and any web browser Web Interface – A full feature-rich Instant Messaging client. Great for groupware and collaboration. Owned by AOL.
• YSM – A textmode client for Windows, most <code>*</code>Nix systems, and BeOS
• mICQ – A textmode client for many operating systems. One of the few that allows the use of multiple user accounts on the same network.

Yahoo Network

• Yahoo Messenger – http://messenger.yahoo.com – Windows, Mac, UNIX, Java – Tightly integrated with the Yahoo suite of online services, Messenger is a great alternative to ICQ, although not as feature-rich. Great videoconferencing capabilities.

MSN Network

• MSN Messenger – http://messenger.microsoft.com – Microsoft’s messaging client, comes by default with many flavors of Windows. Not available for Windows 95.

Multi-Network

• EveryBuddy
• GAIM http://sourceforge.net/projects/gaim/ – A popular open-source IM tool that supports the most IM services.
• Bitlbee – An IRC to IM gateway.
• Odigo – Windows and Java – supporting all the major services.

Jabber

clients using the Jabber system that claim support for multiple instant messaging networks.

• Jabber – One of the few clients integrating security and with an open-source core.
• Akeni – Windows and Linux
• Psi – Windows, OS X and Linux (QT) GPLed client.
• MyJabber – Windows (Visual Basic).
• Tkabber – Linux, BSD, Solaris and Windows (Tcl/Tk) – GPL
• Exodus – Windows only (Delphi) – GPL
• Gabber – Linux Gnome – GPL
• GreenThumb – Java http://greenthumb.jabberstudio.org

(see Jabber.org’s list for more clients)

Windows Only

• Miranda IM – Multi-Network (Jabber), Windows-only – Miranda IM uses very little memory and is extremely fast. Development hosted by Sourceforge.
• Trillian – Very similar to Odigo in user interface and capabilities.

*nix Only

• CenterICQ – Multi-Network, textmode.
• GnomeICU
• LICQ – a Unix alternative to the Mirabilis ICQ software – http://www.licq.org
• Kopete – KDE – Multi-Network.
• KXICQ – KDE – http://www.kxicq.org
• Yeemp – has both console and GTK interfaces; supports the Yeemp, ICQ, and AIM protocols – http://deekoo.net/technocracy/yeemp/

Mac OS X Only

• Adium – Smooth, simple, easy, and GPL‘d.
• Fire – Home Page – Multi-network – Can use GPG to encrypt IM‘s on AIM/ICQ. Text-to-Speech also available. GPL‘d.

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