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How to add someone to iChat
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You can't. iChat only plays with AIm and .Mac people.
Adium, on the other hand boasts a lot or IM clienets... gTalk, JAbber, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, etc.
Adium, on the other hand boasts a lot or IM clienets... gTalk, JAbber, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, etc.
Anonymous Freak
macrumors 603
That is correct. Yahoo and MSN IMs are not supported in iChat.
As of iChat 3.1.5 (the version on my Mac with OS 10.4.8,) there are three IM protocols available:
Yahoo and MSN IM are both rather obviously missing. Those two use their own separate protocols, which iChat cannot 'speak'. (On the server ends of each, they are now linked, so someone using Yahoo Instant Messenger can add MSN IM contacts, and vice versa.)
There are some REALLY hack-y workarounds that basically involve setting up your own Jabber server, along with software that 'translates' MSN IM or Yahoo IM into Jabber, so that you can then talk to your Yahoo or MSN IM buddies through iChat, but it's really goofy. This is called using a 'Jabber gateway'. Mac OS X Hints has an article about this.
As of iChat 3.1.5 (the version on my Mac with OS 10.4.8,) there are three IM protocols available:
- AIM: Uses the AIM protocol to connect to the AOL Instant Messenger service. Which includes people with AIM names, .Mac names, or ICQ numbers.
- Bonjour: Uses Apple's Bonjour/Rendezvous/ZeroConf (same thing, different names,) technology to automatically list people on the same local network as you. Only works (that I know of,) in iChat, although I would assume that there are some open-source Linux clients for it by now.
- Jabber: A protocol that is 'open', in that anyone can start up a server for it. Apple's iChat Server part of OS X Server uses this protocol and targets in-company use. The most well known 'big' network that uses this is Google's GTalk.
Yahoo and MSN IM are both rather obviously missing. Those two use their own separate protocols, which iChat cannot 'speak'. (On the server ends of each, they are now linked, so someone using Yahoo Instant Messenger can add MSN IM contacts, and vice versa.)
There are some REALLY hack-y workarounds that basically involve setting up your own Jabber server, along with software that 'translates' MSN IM or Yahoo IM into Jabber, so that you can then talk to your Yahoo or MSN IM buddies through iChat, but it's really goofy. This is called using a 'Jabber gateway'. Mac OS X Hints has an article about this.
Thanks katie ta achoo,
That was the one I was looking for I just forgot the name of it
dejo
Moderator emeritus
Yes, you need an account on each service you wish to use, except for those with "partners" that offer true interoperability (e.g. iChat-AIM or Yahoo-MSN). Some day, hopefully, all this will be for naught and you can just sign up for one service in order to IM users from any other service (just like you can with email).
You can set up any service with iChat, they're all talking ****
All you people who said this isn't possible need to do your homework
http://allforces.com/2005/05/06/ichat-to-msn-through-jabber/
Follow these instructions, maybe try a different Jabber server, although at time of writing njs.netlab.cz is not giving me any trouble. 😎
All you people who said this isn't possible need to do your homework
http://allforces.com/2005/05/06/ichat-to-msn-through-jabber/
Follow these instructions, maybe try a different Jabber server, although at time of writing njs.netlab.cz is not giving me any trouble. 😎
Anonymous Freak
macrumors 603
One: your post is a year and a half late, pointing to a three year old link.
Two: I posted a link on how to do the exact same thing. I never said "impossible", I said it was "really hacky". And in your case, you are having to trust your MSN and/or Yahoo login info with a third-party Jabber server of unknown repute.
Finally, the original poster was actually not asking how to use their existing Yahoo or MSN account in iChat, they were talking about how to add MSN or Yahoo friends to iChat. They later go on to ask if they have to create an MSN or Yahoo account. So they wanted to add friends without having to create a Yahoo or MSN account. Which iChat cannot do, no matter what kind of hacking you are doing. (Even with a Jabber gateway, you still need an MSN or Yahoo account.)
It will indeed be nice when AOL and Microsoft/Yahoo link their networks together, so you only really need one account to chat with friends on all three networks.