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When is iChat getting support for MSN?

R

Ramius

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 2, 2008
492
197
I dont think we all should be ignoring this issue, or take it for granted that it never happens.

Here in Europe, we all use MSN. And many of us has started using Macs too, and the iChat application is completely useless. Sad, because it´s a nice messenger program, and dare I say even better than MSN.

Im tired of Apple doing absolutely NOTHING about it. I don´t exactly get it either. Is there some sort of feud between Microsoft and Apple about instant messaging services? Why cant Apple just start supporting MSN with their chat program? It seems like such a small problem to fix.

Does anyone know any news or developments on this issue? Anyone from the "inside" or that has good sources who knows anything?

It seems the subject is really dead. Googling gives you three year old guides on how to hack it through jabber servers etc, but that´s not what I am after. I want completely full support for MSN with my iChat, for both chatting, speaking and video communication. Infact, games too would be nice. It would be perfect to tie iChat together with something like Game Center, recently launched on iPhone.
 
I don't believe Apple have any interest in adding MSN support. They have never indicated that they would or that they are even looking at it. Use Adium instead. It supports pretty much everything.
 
Why don't you just download Microsoft Messenger for mac it works pretty well and there is video and voice support now.
 
babyjenniferLB said:
Why don't you just download Microsoft Messenger for mac it works pretty well and there is video and voice support now.
Click to expand...

It's just in the beta and it is reaaaally buggy I've got it to work just twice. If you want A/V use Skype instead.
 
First of all, the official MSN program for Mac completely SUCKS.
It´s still buggy indeed, and the video functionality is so untrustworthy and broken that I stopped using it all together.

People trying to videochat with me often disconnects before video can be established, sometimes I do. Sometimes you cant see the invite at all, some of the times it actually works, its sooooo laggy. And Microsofts team on this application is just awkwardly not interested. The MSN they have made for Mac now, is like MSN was for windows ten years ago.

I use Adium now yes, and even though its very pretty, all it does is text. No video or audio. And I really miss Photo Sharing from the Windows version of MSN. As well as voiceclips.

I almost can´t believe how old fashioned these other clients are compared to MSN. That goes for iChat too.

I absolutely think Apple are aware of this. Literally everyone I know of, who has converted to Mac in recent years, has commented on this issue. I think Apple have their emails FULL of complaints about this issue, but they are chosing to ignore it. And I don´t understand why.

I think its very wrong to go by what Apple show they are interested in or not, Robbieduncan. They are so secretive that you really don´t know what goes on with Apple, before they release something.

Bender O, I question your objectivity here. I tried AMSN, and it´s complete ****. So says everyone else. It promises videosupport, but that doesnt work at all.
 
Ramius said:
I absolutely think Apple are aware of this.
Click to expand...

No doubt they're aware of it, but they clearly think their time is better spent working on other projects. I happen to agree, you probably don't. There's no compelling reason for them to add MSN support- and until there is, they won't do it.

Literally everyone I know of, who has converted to Mac in recent years, has commented on this issue.
Click to expand...

Yay, customer testimonies! Always a great reason to make significant software changes.

I think Apple have their emails FULL of complaints about this issue, but they are chosing to ignore it. And I don´t understand why.
Click to expand...

Because they have no incentive. They already sold you a Mac. The number of people that refuse to switch because of lack of MSN is undoubtedly very small.

I think its very wrong to go by what Apple show they are interested in or not, Robbieduncan. They are so secretive that you really don´t know what goes on with Apple, before they release something.
Click to expand...

But as you pointed out, it's been several years without change. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you shouldn't hold your breath no matter how secret a company is.
 
Because they have no incentive. They already sold you a Mac. The number of people that refuse to switch because of lack of MSN is undoubtedly very small.
Click to expand...

Judging by your view, you are probably going to think I am naive here. But I don´t think Apple is so cynical.

If they only cared about selling me the Mac, I dont think they would be as big and successfull. Steve Jobs said during his last press conference, that he and Apple loves their customers. And they should! And to a certain degree, I believe them.

We are paying them alot of money, so they can do what they like best, and give us the best products they can deliver. And OSX is such a refined system, where almost every program are polished to perfection. There is no junk with OSX, like it is with Windows (Paint). All programs are heavy weight solid apps. And iChat really seems out of place in this context.

To most europeans, it is completely useless. Your friends just aren´t using iChat.

Now my impression of Apple is that they are a motivated company engadged in their work, and I think they should just listen to their customers. I dont think this would cost the biggest computer company in the world, too much money to prioritise. Jobs often says in speeches "alot of customers requested" this or that, when they add new features to OSX or iOS. Some of these features are way more niche than A/V support for iChat would be.
 
Ramius said:
Im tired of Apple doing absolutely NOTHING about it. I don´t exactly get it either. Is there some sort of feud between Microsoft and Apple about instant messaging services? Why cant Apple just start supporting MSN with their chat program? It seems like such a small problem to fix.
Click to expand...

As well ask why Microsoft aren't supporting XMPP/Jabber instead of .NET Messenger Service in WLM.

XMPP/Jabber is, after all, the standard for IM and iChat has (limited) support for it.
 
Ramius said:
Why cant Apple just start supporting MSN with their chat program? It seems like such a small problem to fix.
Click to expand...
And why can't they just start supporting Yahoo?
And why can't they just start supporting Skype?
And why can't they just start supporting ICQ?

What is the sense in adding just one of the other IM services out there? And why should it be MSN?

You say it's "such a small problem to fix". Looking at Adium's changelog, writing a IM client that supports multiple services doesn't make it look like a small problem at all, and they haven't even attempted to take on voice/video. :eek:
 
Not to a team of two people who works for free no. But to a company like Apple, it should be no problem.

Why not the other clients? Well, because nobody uses those here either. Everybody uses MSN, Out of regard for the european continent, they should add MSN support.

They already added Facebook and Google support, so obviously they are concerned with supporting popular services with this program.

I understand that perhaps most users on here are americans. So you ask these questions, why not Yahoo etc. But from my perspective, in europe, it´s only about one thing. I´m not fighting this battle for people in China who might want even another service supported, but I´m doing it for myself and my friends. Whatever it is that I´m doing of course :p

I just really don´t think theres a reason for Apple to be holding back. And it´s certainly not unfair of me to want MSN supported. If you look at Apples own discussion boards for iChat, almost half of all the topics are about this issue, or raises this issue. All of them asking for MSN, not the other networks. So I´m saying that when they are going to add new support, MSN is the first choice on the list.

I also will like to add, that iChat is obviously important to Apple. THIS IS THE program they included iSight for. What other apps are you gonna conference with in OSX? So in all Apple computers, they added a built in webcamera precisely to use with their program iChat. And they market the program in commercials for their computers. And when they do that here in Norway, it´s almost like a lie.

"Have a video conference with your friends" they say. Or something like that. And we buy their computers and say "How? Theres no msn support!". So we really cant make use of this advertised feature at all.
 
Ramius said:
They already added Facebook and Google support, so obviously they are concerned with supporting popular services with this program.
Click to expand...
No, iChat has pretty much always supported AIM and XMPP/Jabber.

Facebook and Google were smart and designed their services to work with XMPP/Jabber.

Apple did not specifically go out and code iChat just to work with them.
 
Another +1 for Adium & Skype

Interestingly though, I'm in the UK, and from what I can see MSN is rapidly reducing in popularity thanks to facebook chat. Haven't seen any statistics, but I'd be interested if they were around...
 
I live in europe too and everyone I know uses either Skype or (seldom) ICQ. I know exactly no one that uses MSN.
 
rolfbert said:
I live in europe too and everyone I know uses either Skype or (seldom) ICQ. I know exactly no one that uses MSN.
Click to expand...

Interesting to hear.
ICQ is probably the least known client here. Where in Europe are you from?

Here MSN really was THE program that paved the way for instant messaging back in the nineties.

I remember I was one of the first people starting with it, and it got me in touch with people from all over what I considered to be the world then. But now, it was mostly europeans. I remember americans talking about ICQ on early forums, and also AOL. I remember you had to have codes and **** to add people, which to me was wierd.

When kids got internet at home, it was the coolest new toy, and it was important for us to communicate what we found and did with the net back then. So everybody downloaded MSN. Nothing else. It just kicked off like crazy, and now I believe every person under 30 uses MSN in my country.

It really spread out to become the default standard for chatting here. I only know some nerds that used other clients, but that was on the side of MSN. And they had an agenda with it. I think one vietnamese classmate used ICQ to get porn from his friends in america or something. We also used Ventrillo fairly early, but mostly for gaming and chatting. Always next to MSN though. MSN was always the foundation.

Facebook has indeed taken alot of the chatting away from msn and into the cloud. Problem is, chatting sucks on facebook. So they won´t win the battle yet. I dont think they will win ever. Because their concern for privacy is so retarded, that MSN feels safer to use. Whats being said on msn, stays on msn. Cant say the same for facebook.
 
I find iChat particularly useful for integrating Facebook Chat through Jabber.
I've had people using ICQ, MSN, even AIM (it's not popular in Europe) but they are online mostly on Facebook nowadays..
 
Thing is, alot of the people I have on MSN, I don´t want on my Facebook.
Nerds I met in online games or on forums etc. I dont want them directly in my real life circle of friends on Facebook.
 
I use Adium for MSN but apparently I keep getting disconnected every few minutes and/or my contacts do not receive my messages/I can't receive theirs:( Anybody knows how to solve this problem? I am currently using a macbook pro with the newest OS version. I have tried googling this problem but apparently not many people have it and hence it's not v helpful..Really appreciate if someone could give me advice on what to do!
 
The new office for mac 2011 has a new msn with it. I am hoping that that will be good :)
 
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