That’s Your AIM in My GTalk
Erick Schonfeld
36 comments »
It is amazing that we still have major instant messaging platforms that don’t talk to one another. Yahoo and Microsoft got their two systems to work with each other more than a year ago, but AOL is still working on interoperability issues with those two.
In the meantime, it looks like AIM will soon be working just fine with Google Talk, Google’s IM client. In fact, AIM and GTalk are already talking to each other in tests, reports Google Operating System (see screen shot).
If this gets rolled out to regular users, there will soon be two major IM camps: Yahoo-Microsoft and Google-AOL. It’s funny how a $1 billion investment gets things moving along.
Of course, you can always use Meebo, which has somehow figured out how translate between AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and GTalk (but not Skype).
Update: As has been pointed out in comments, it appears from this screen shot that you actually have to sign into AIM from GTalk, which isn’t as seamless an experience as you’d like (.i.e. not true interoperability) , but better than nothing. And, yes, Meebo works the same way.
now this is exciting and interesting, what if someone from google talk has aname from someone on aim.
Meebo doesn’t send messages between the two protocols, it merely allows you to use be signed on to both accounts at once.
From the looks of the screenshot, that’s also what’s going on here: notice that you have to sign on (and off) of AIM in order to connect with AIM users.
This is different that actually being able to send messages to an AIM user directly from a GMail account.
People still use instant messaging programs? I remember my days. Talk about addiction.
I think it might be a little late for this move now with the decline in instant messaging and increase in social networking websites.
Then again, there’s always text messaging
Your lack of understanding shows… comparing Meebo to cross-protocol IM.
(You are the same guy who compared Gmail’s storage space increase to Skydrive and then defended what you did was correct, right? Amazing that you get paid to do this…)
Note that MSN is currently also testing integration with Google Talk, and plans to talk to AIM and ICQ:
http://www.liveside.net/blogs/.....-whew.aspx
Jack Stahl’s right, I think. I guess this would consolidate my Trillian & Gmail open all the time strategy by a step. Still, seems like Google’s loosing some innocence by including anything related AOL in their toys.
In case MSN do allow integration of Google Talk and AIM/ICQ, that would be a revolution. A end of a long and dark era of misscommunication between the largest networks.
I would like to see that happening.
I use Yahoo, gtalk, ICQ, MSN through gtalk. It’s called jabber, and it’s been able to do it for years.
@ #3 Facebook junkie:
The DECLINE of IM? Are you kidding me? Corporations everywhere are starting to use IM more and more.
IM use is on the way up, not down….
Google Talk is already interoperable - it’s just Jabber. AIM, MSN, Yahoo, etc. are the problem, all using their own proprietary networks.
This will be great when Google opens up Gmail and Aim contacts to the OpenSocial API.
While Meebo is quite an amazing technical achievement, it isn’t that mysterious. The team began with the open source code for GAIM (Now called Pidgin) (a GTK based multi protocol IM client that is available for Linux and Windows), stripped out all of the UI and set it up to run as a server side process that can be communicated with from their JavaScript UI. Running Meebo is basically the same as running Trillian (except Meebo is actually running the binary for you and passing the messages back to you). Now this aspect of the the platform is only part of the puzzle, they have also done an incredible job building a scalable platform that can handle all of their phenomenal traffic.
Speaking of all this, I just installed adium, which is supposed to be able to use AIM and Gtalk, but I can’t get it to work with my Gtalk account. Do I need to get a Jabber account first?
@13,
Jabber is an IM protocol first, and not really an IM service+protocol like AIM, MSN, etc.
That means there are lots of Jabber servers out there, including GTalk. So, no, you don’t need an account at jabber.org — Adium already understands the Jabber protocol, so it can talk directly to Google’s servers (which use the Jabber protocol).
See http://www.google.com/support/.....swer=24075 for details about how to configure Adium for GTalk.
This isn’t really big news, is it? GTalk uses Jabber, and Jabber has the idea of “protocol transports” built in at the protocol level.
Plenty of other Jabber servers support things like AIM transports, MSN transports, etc.
They tend to be pretty spotty, so maybe this is more “Google has finally gotten AIM transports working to the extent they can be unleashed to the public at large.”
But the idea of using AIM+Jabber has existed for as long as Jabber itself.
Just some (like EFF) are figthing for freedom of information, we fight for freedom of communication.
Instant Messaging services are social networks on their own, with their bidirectional, or directional relationships, contact lists as your network, and the messaging itself instead of forums.
The difference of the interoperable and multi-protocol messaging is like opensocial versus FOAF/XFN (or any portable social network format). You cannot use your facebook network in myspace, for instance.
Jabber/XMPP systems - GTalk, LJTalk, jabber.ru, SAPO Messenger, jabber.org, and thousands of others - are interoperable by default. A GTalk user can add a jabber.org user as a contact, and it will seamlessly work.
By using a gateway, it’s possible to do such with MSN/WLM, AIM, ICQ, and some smaller services like Gadu-Gadu. But most of the gateways aren’t official ones, just external applications, which you have to provide your password.
If AOL would enable an official XMPP gateway, a much larger userbase than Google Accounts alone could benefit from such.
But by having only a multi-protocol messenger integrated into gmail, it’s just a presentational feature; in fact, every gmail user would have two clients in one frontend.
No pretty solution, only ugly ones, mainly because of Microsoft and Yahoo.
Glad to be for the Google-AOL side
Ouch…that is a LOT of Spam on that screenshot.
“Of course, you can always use Meebo, which has somehow figured out how translate between AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and GTalk”
Or you can use Trillian, which figured out how to do the same (they even have a Skype plugin) over NINE YEARS AGO.
“Of course, you can always use Meebo, which has somehow figured out how translate between AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and GTalk”
Do your homework man.
Awesome!
As somebody who does 99% of my communicating over aim, this will be an excellent way of being able to record conversations for later searchability.
This is the best tech news I have heard all month.
Can’t wait till it rolls out. Hope you guys or somebody blogs about it when it goes live.
Every major IM client, including AIM, has the option to record conversations for later searchability.
I vote Meebo.com.
+1 to everyone who pointed out the Meebo error. I don’t think anyone expects the TC writers to have ultra deep technical knowledge, but understanding the difference between multi-protocol support and simply being signed in to multiple IM services through a web client is basic, basic stuff.
Too bad the Yahoo MSN connection is faulty at best. I’ve often had to login to the other system, because the connection wasn’t good. It would tell me someone was there, but then would bounce the message back saying they couldn’t send it. Completely frustrating and has happened way to often to be just an odd occurrence.
I don’t really understand for who Gmail is targeted. Lack of group chat in Gmail in Windows client forced us to change to Skype so we can have group meetings. This is one very important feature for companies that is completely missing. There is no extensions either like having whiteboards etc.
For kids it isn’t either since it is missing gadgets.
I was waiting 2 years Google to put group chat on it but now we change our organization to Skype since it doesn’t look like Google really focuses on Gtalk.
I would use activeIM which besides doing all the IM stuff, has a video pluggin
to stream realtime video over a level 3 mobile network at over 2M.
I don’t think meebo will be able to add skype because the service offered by skype are little different which is internet-based phone calls and a chat system.
-Paul
Here’s a nice HOWTO covering the protocol transports Jesse mentioned above: http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2006-05-02-n79.html
gTalk is no f’ing protcoll. Jabber is a protocoll.
It’s amazing what kind of “features” people “discover” in gTalk all the time….
gTalk roughly translates to: Crappy but easy to use Jabber Client.
I use Trillian, love it!
Adium seems to read them all fine. Now I am just waiting for Skype compatibility.
From my Japan trip:
“Rhuggle is a bunch of boy scouts with no den-master! They are just a bunch of spoiled rich kids on a perpetual holiday, no order or discipline. They only exist in that I allow it, I find them amusing, it’s like watching a house on fire or some other tragedy, you know it’s repulsive but you just can’t look away!”
The reporters were taking in my words like Saki, they just couldn’t get enough! So I decided to throw them one more bone!
“I have to go now, but since I’m on Rhuggle, let me say this about this ‘Android” thing they announced: It is just like the rest of Google ..ahem, I mean Rhuggle, IT ONLY EXIST ON PAPER! Don’t fall for this vaporware, rumors, fake-half-baked hype that they peddle!”
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Yea, IM is def. not going anywhere. I’ve been using it since I was in middle school, and I’m 4 years out of college. I’m a social networking junkie, but nothing beats instant messaging’s… well… instant gratification. I’m just hoping that workplaces can get past the privacy issues… because I think in combination with email, it’s a huge advantage.
This is not interoperability, this is just using Google as a multi-protocol client. In short, it merely hides the problem under the rug and further legitimates the fragmentation of the instant messaging world. I expected something more ambitious from Google.