Adium vs. iChat??

[penguinman]

My friend swears to Adium. I tried using it but I don't think it is designed as efficiently as iChats beautiful integration

However I noticed that a lot of people are using adium (ref: February Desktop thread).

Why? Some of y'all had some really nice clean looking buddy lists that I didnt know you can do, some sort of plugin/skin??

 

[Eidorian]

- Multiple Chat Clients
- Plug-ins
- Skins
- Custom iCons
- Tabbed Chatting

The only thing I use iChat is for voice chat or file transfers. Adium works about 80% of the time for transfers.

 

[Le Big Mac]

- Multiple Chat Clients
- Tabbed Chatting

Those are the two biggest, and 90% of it is the first. Too many people have Yahoo or non-AOL accounts. It's just easier this way.

Tabbed chats are also great if you're using it a lot.

I expect a revised version of iChat will integrate tabbed chats eventually.

 

[stridey]

Eidorian pretty much covers it. Plus iChat's groups still suck. Do a search on the forums and you'll find a *lot* of discussion on this topic.

 

[Eidorian]

Eidorian pretty much covers it. Plus iChat's groups still suck. Do a search on the forums and you'll find a *lot* of discussion on this topic.

I forgot about groups. I love organizing my chat contacts that way. I can even group people with multiple screen names and chat clients under one name too.

 

[iGary]

Has Adium added anything for what's currently playing in iTunes yet?

 

[PlaceofDis]

Has Adium added anything for what's currently playing in iTunes yet?

i believe there is an applescript plugin for this. check out the adiumxtras.com site for it.

 

[realityisterror]

Has Adium added anything for what's currently playing in iTunes yet?

It's under Edit-->Insert Script...
They have all sorts of stuff for iTunes stats, and stuff like uptime, current app, Safari page, etc...
I'm pretty sure Adium had it all before iChat too

 

[stridey]

It's under Edit-->Insert Script...
They have all sorts of stuff for iTunes stats, and stuff like uptime, current app, Safari page, etc...
I'm pretty sure Adium had it all before iChat too

Additionally, there's a good All-in-one iTunes now playing script available here.

While we're on the topic, I realized recently that you can set hotkeys for Adium away messages. I wrote about it here

 

[2nyRiggz]

Adium looks better point blank and ready to reload.


Bless

 

[Diatribe]

Yep, not only does it look better it has more functionality too. As soon as version 1.0 comes out you'll have a complete chat client. If you need voice and video you might as well continue to use iChat too. (I use both)

As for making Adium look good: Adium xtras

You'll find everything you need there.

 

[Meyvn]

Another HUGE thing is the UI customization on Adium is just incredible. I've seen everything from a plain window to imitations of a dock, to my own completely windowless (my groups and contacts on a totally transparent background with only their shadows behind them) format.

 

[quigleybc]

Nice

I needed this thread, cuz when I would use Adium, I was confused as to why people thought it was better than iChat...but now I know...and knowing is half the battle....GO JOE!

 

[dolphin842]

I currently use iChat for AIM but Adium got its foot (...feather?) in the door when I needed a decent Yahoo IM client. Now with iChat refusing to do any sort of file transfers, I might just have to jump ship.

One question though... do any of the 3rd party styles emulate the 'motion effects' that iChat has (i.e. people logging in or out... or the IM text smoothly bumping up when a new message is incoming)?

 

[XNine]

Another vote for Adium here. I initially did not like it (this was back when the GUI customization was stilla pain in the ass, even with the downloaded templates). I re-downloaded it a couple of months ago and it is sexy!

 

[mikeyredk]

The only thing i don't like about adium is it mixes all your buddy lists. If you get more than one person using the application the accounts mixes up.

 

[bigbossbmb]

i just wish they fix aim transfers by v1.0....and hope that comes soon

 

[virus1]

The only thing I use iChat is for voice chat or file transfers. Adium works about 80% of the time for transfers.

unbelievably, that is my reason to use ichat.

 

[Rocksaurus]

Personally I can't stand iChat, I feel really confined in it. Pretty much zero customization. As far as IM clients go it's just excessively basic, especially if you don't use voice or video chat, which I don't. It's probably my least favorite Apple program. Maybe Pages is worse.

 

[Project]

Pages is already one of my favourite Apple applications!

As for the thread - AIM is used by like 0.5% of Europe, so I have no use for iChat. The Jabber workaround is just that, a workaround. Adium is much better for people not in the States. Its just a better client overall too.

 

[mcgarry]

I started on Adium, then got an iSight, so forced myself to start using iChat for all chatting (except in rare instances for Yahoo chats). I've come to accept it. For most stuff, iChat's not too bad, but in general I'd probably still recommend Adium unless like me you want to use your iSight.

 

[radiantm3]

I prefer iChat, but use both. I just wish iChat had tabs and multi-protocols.

 

[yankeefan24]

I love iChats buddy list system and better-than-windows interface. iChat is one of the things that windows users love about my computer. It looks alot better than triton, etc. I dont like the text style of AIM and adium is not my favorite either. I just think that iChat has a better overall interface than all other instant messangers. I like the bubbles the IMs are in, and the buddy icons being at the text level.

Just so you know, i am comparing to all other instant messangers i have used, not just adium, and i am using generalizations comparing between mac and windows applications.

 

[mongoos150]

Chock one up here for Adium. iChat indeed feels much too confining - although (correct me if I am wrong) Adium does not support video chatting?

 

[rccola70]

Ya, unfortunately Adium does not support voice or video chatting...yet. Hopefully soon ?