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Is iChat dead?
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I finally downloaded and installed Skype 2. It's really fabulous. I haven't tried videoconferencing yet, but it really exceeds my expectations... it's such an outstanding piece of software. Which makes you wonder why everyone can't be writing stuff this nicely?
Yeah, subjectively it seems to have the better audio and video quality. Even Mac to Mac. I don't like the looks compared to iChat but oh well.
The only thing that makes me wary about it is that eBay owns it.
Great, at this rate, the Russian Mafia has my credit card number already!
On the other hand, I'm sure I'll receive a few pairs of counterfit Seven jeans and maybe a fake DS Lite if I'm lucky. i am looking forward to ichat in 10.5. I used to use ichat all the time, but adium takes the cake with the tabbed chats and the customization.
i dont currently have a camera so the video conferencing isnt all that great of a feature to me, but i suppose i will like it more when i get the macbook i plan on buying.
i dont currently have a camera so the video conferencing isnt all that great of a feature to me, but i suppose i will like it more when i get the macbook i plan on buying.
iChat is a great little app, me and my granddad video conference regularly every person in my family who has a mac uses it, it's great for those who don't need advanced things such as adium offers, and i belive it odes support other chat protocols through jabber
iChat is hardly dead. Apple doesn't put a mint into developing a client to run on someone else's network. The iChat client on Windows is known as AIM. If anyone is a real friend, they'll be using AIM over Y! or MSN any day. The video and audio things are hardly important. If I want to talk to someone, they can go ahead and call me. If I want to video chat with someone, they're smart enough to already have a Mac. Maybe I just have things together.
Well, Leopard iChat is going to add in new features such as backgrounds (both still picture and movies), tabbed browsing, screen sharing, and a host of presentation tools. While some of these (tabbed browsing) may be a little late, the built-in presentation tools have some people very excited.
Yeah, I understand that. But the point is that features don't really matter if you don't have the user base to support it.
With nobody using it, it won't matter how nice the features are. It's kind of like the first person with a cell phone...
Very true. I use iChat to connect with my family when I am away and with one other Mac user. It is incredibly difficult to get it working correctly with non-Mac users, requiring them to download an outdated version of AIM. I recently just gave up with them and started using Skype, which worked straight away with no hassle, although the quality was pretty bad compared to iChat, and nowhere close to iChat between two Macs.
Also, the amount of fooling around with Firewall and port settings on my Mac and router took literally about a full week, and required purchasing a new modem and router. Even then, I still have to reset everything nearly every time to get iChat to work correctly. I am sure that most of us has experienced the "User did not respond" message in iChat, that really should read "there is a communcation error" or "your settings are wrong" instead. Very frustrating.
Funny stuff is, whenever I get the did not respond error, restarting on one side (either you or the other person) ALWAYS solved the problem for me.
Still an annoying error that should be explained further.
I use iChat, but Adium is really the way to go. I don't use video conferencing, my buddies all use AIM, and I prefer iChat... but the buddy list bugs me, as does a lack of tabs.
But no, if iChat is being billed as a major part of Leopard, I seriously doubt it's anywhere near dead. In fact, right now all it needs to compete is multi-protocol support and tabs.
But no, if iChat is being billed as a major part of Leopard, I seriously doubt it's anywhere near dead. In fact, right now all it needs to compete is multi-protocol support and tabs.
I LOVE iChat.
I've used Adium - and it's just not "me" - I use file transfers WAY to often with people (screen shots, etc) and when I did that with Adium, it just didn't work (and yes, I used the beta - beta 16 I might add).
We'll see what happens with the new iChat - Apple might add the functionality of different services, hence the reason they said other features, etc, but, I'll never leave iChat.
We'll see.
PS - thejadedmonkey - google Chax, adds tabs and other miscellaneous things that make iChat a better app. here's a screenie:
I've used Adium - and it's just not "me" - I use file transfers WAY to often with people (screen shots, etc) and when I did that with Adium, it just didn't work (and yes, I used the beta - beta 16 I might add).
We'll see what happens with the new iChat - Apple might add the functionality of different services, hence the reason they said other features, etc, but, I'll never leave iChat.
We'll see.
PS - thejadedmonkey - google Chax, adds tabs and other miscellaneous things that make iChat a better app. here's a screenie:
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I use iChat for my .mac buddies and an american. MSN - 120 contacts and slowly getting into skype for cross platform video chat.
iChat needs to be able to use MSN in the UK. For example, no one here uses AIM. AMERICA online. Not UK online. We all use MSN as it was bundled into windows and also everyone uses free hotmail here.
Does my head in having three programs open.
iChat needs to be able to use MSN in the UK. For example, no one here uses AIM. AMERICA online. Not UK online. We all use MSN as it was bundled into windows and also everyone uses free hotmail here.
Does my head in having three programs open.
I think the question at hand should be the AIM style of messaging vs. others. AIM is still well alive and kicking. AIM is being pushed on cell phones etc.. so applications like iChat will be around for some time. Users of AIM like the fact that they can pick up their cell and keep their buddy list active. I use AIM as well as all of my friends. I also use iChat, as do all of my Mac friends. We are all aware of Skype and have tested it out too but personally I find iChat with it's voice, video conferencing and text messaging to be the best package.
So is iChat and other AIM based applications dead? No.
So is iChat and other AIM based applications dead? No.