It's an old cry now - to get out of Google's claws. Mail, calendar and everything.
However, I always find one thing missing.
Chat is never talked about. As a matter of fact this one is the difficult most. You need to have added all those chat contacts and they in turn have had to added you(approved) you back, unlike email where you just need to fine an email and the receiver gets it unless you were specifically blocked.
So, let's discuss how to release our chatting app/service free from the claws of Google/Facebook/Skype &c and still be able to:
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posted by amar
on Mar 15, 2013 -
5 answers
I want to know why in Google Hangout it no longer says "Theirname is typing..." when the other person in the hangout is typing in the chat window (or "Theirname has entered text" when they've written something but haven't sent it). It's gone, and I miss it and want an explanation so I can move on with my life.
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posted by guster4lovers
on Feb 14, 2013 -
4 answers
I've recently started using AOL Instant Messenger very frequently at work. (FOR work! I swear!) My username is my email address. AOL now frequently (though not always) sends my IM conversations to my email, which is filling up my inbox. How do make this stop?
posted by lewedswiver
on Apr 11, 2012 -
6 answers
I just started using Pidgin, and I like it, but I don't like the default sound when I receive a message. Previously, I IMed using gchat within my gmail account and really liked the little "dink" sounds that it made. Is there a way to import those sounds into Pidgin? Google is less than helpful on this front.
posted by Fuego
on Nov 30, 2010 -
4 answers
Is there any way whatsoever to stop those annoying gray semi-transparent status updates ("John Smith went idle" "Karen Black became available") in Ichat?
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posted by rileyray3000
on Jul 1, 2010 -
2 answers
Is there a web based app I can use to IM with members of my department without having to install anything on our computers?
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posted by orville sash
on Apr 19, 2010 -
12 answers
Where can I find a high-resolution (ideally scalable) version of the Yahoo IM :x (
love struck) emoticon?
posted by deeper red
on Dec 14, 2009 -
4 answers
Hello.. I need to receive notifications about new Email's on my IM app.
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posted by nagalr
on Aug 25, 2009 -
9 answers
My boyfriend Skype-IMed his mother a very dirty greeting that was meant for me. It still shows the circling icon that I think happens when you try to send a user a message when the user does not have Skype running at the time. Is there any way to delete this before she gets it? He's freaking out, as you would too, if I told you what he just told his mother.
posted by anthropomorphic
on Jun 30, 2009 -
12 answers
I'm on a Mac and I use the program Adium to access my AOL IM account. I also have a Blackberry Bold....At some point, I decided to try the feature of connecting my AOL IM account to my cell phone which would allow me to receive IM's on my phone even when I am logged off from the service...Now I don't know how to make it stop..
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posted by TwilightKid
on Apr 29, 2009 -
2 answers
Is it possible to send (and receive) IMs to cell phones, using AIM?
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posted by Flood
on Jan 30, 2009 -
5 answers
I'm looking to set up an XMPP/Jabber server with minimum hassle, with one major requirement: I want to run the service for 2 domains across two servers, each acting as backup/redundancy for the other.
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posted by d7415
on Jan 17, 2009 -
6 answers
I had a very deep relationship with a woman a couple of years ago. She ended it and my reaction, to say the least. was not the best (no violence or threats).
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posted by Carbolic
on Jan 1, 2009 -
30 answers
Need an iPhone app that can fully replace texting. My phone bill was WAY too high this month.
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posted by spicynuts
on Dec 1, 2008 -
19 answers
I'm a playa. Well, not really. But how do I keep track of people I talk to from dating sites - what IM client do I need?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 12, 2008 -
8 answers
Is there a way (with any IM client) to force a persistent logon for an AIM account, even when one doesn't have the sustained internet connection that would actually let one stay logged on? (In order to accept messages that will be "held" and displayed the next time one's IM client starts up?)
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posted by kalapierson
on Oct 7, 2008 -
6 answers
Where can I find statistics on the number of users for different instant messaging networks (aim, yahoo, google talk, icq, msn and so on) over time?
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posted by nolnar
on May 7, 2008 -
1 answer
Looking for a relatively simple mobile IM device, that will allow me to be connected regardless of wifi availability. A bit confused about options - it seems a Blackberry is the most perfect fit. Or is it?
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posted by Bakuun
on May 4, 2008 -
9 answers
Why does iChat send URLs twice? Whenever I send a URL to someone, it shows up twice on the recipient's side. Is there a way to stop this annoying repetition?
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posted by bjork24
on Mar 30, 2008 -
10 answers
AOL IM clients no longer working, but only at home. Could it be my router?
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posted by kdern
on Dec 24, 2007 -
5 answers
I am considering giving out my instant messenger in my work email signature. The question is "Which IM account is most appropriate for business use?"
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posted by Argyle
on Aug 13, 2007 -
20 answers
What happened to character-by-character chat? I miss the intimacy, subtle nuances of meaning, and most of all the ability to interrupt one another and complete one another's sentences that was inherent in old-school unix 'talk'. How can I replicate this nowadays?
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posted by dmd
on May 21, 2007 -
21 answers
Are there any Windows utilities that manage the status information for multiple IM clients? Skype, MSN, Yahoo...
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posted by fsmontenegro
on Apr 24, 2007 -
2 answers
What are the implications of and best response to unsolicited Yahoo Messenger pop-up messages?
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posted by kapec
on Apr 15, 2007 -
8 answers
Is there a website that people can use to chat and IM without actually using the the IM software? I thought I had read about such a site in an article about teens outsmarting the filters on their school computers, but I cannot remember what the site was called. Does this ring a bell with anyone?
posted by foxinthesnow
on Jan 3, 2007 -
22 answers
Chat-at-Work-Filter: In my line of consulting I end up working at a number of client sites where the client's IT department has succeeded in convincing management that Instant Messaging is the devil...
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 28, 2006 -
25 answers
I am trying to create a brief weekly calendar for work of upcoming events that will be posted as an AOL IM away message that people can check throughout the week. How can I create a longer AIM away message than the default allows?
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posted by andoatnp
on Nov 28, 2006 -
7 answers
Do any of the major Instant Messaging services still provide a free email address that simply turns an incoming email address into an instant message like the old @pager.icq.com addresses used to?
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posted by krisjohn
on Nov 5, 2006 -
5 answers
Some folks in our office have shown the desire to use IM to communicate with other companies we do business with, pretty much at the urging of the external companies. I have some concerns.
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posted by SteveInMaine
on Sep 21, 2006 -
25 answers
If a friend ignored your instant messages all day when you knew that they were online the entire time, would you consider that rude?
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posted by bbrown
on Sep 20, 2006 -
92 answers
Is there a way to maintain the online status of multiple accounts with one instance of ICQ? It's simple to switch to a different account, but can it be done without logging the current user out?
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posted by davebush
on Feb 14, 2006 -
4 answers
Having lain dormant for years, my old (seven digit!) ICQ account has, this weekend, suddenly become a magnet for random botherers. How do I make them go away?
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posted by armoured-ant
on Feb 11, 2006 -
7 answers
I need to begin to secure a network against IP "theft" liability and security breaches. Please help me compile a list of every known IM and P2P/filesharing protocol and/or client.
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posted by loquacious
on Nov 22, 2005 -
22 answers
Is there a way to use Yahoo! Messenger with its webcam viewing component enabled
without installing the actual Messenger software?
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posted by Jaie
on Oct 19, 2005 -
1 answer
Someone posted a link to a browser based IM client that did AIM, Yahoo, MSN and ICQ on MeFi, and I've searched but can't find.
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posted by twiggy
on Oct 13, 2005 -
9 answers
I read an article a year or so ago about free IM services. One of the ones mentioned included the ability to use webcams and get video. I have a three year old, and live 1000 miles from her grandparents, so I'd love to get this service and have them be able to see each other while they talk. You know - the good old Jetson's-style videophone stuff.
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posted by robhuddles
on Aug 21, 2005 -
16 answers
I've been using an IRC bouncer (more
info for the uninitiated) for a bit now to allow me to connect from whichever computer I happen to be using - or even more at the same time. I'd like to do the same for the AOL and MSIM accounts I use. Googling AIM bouncer and AIM proxy don't seem to provide much direction though.
posted by Auz
on Aug 13, 2005 -
8 answers
Why does my MSN Messenger for Mac 4.0.1 on my ibook keep signing me off every bloody five minutes? And are there any better IM programs I can use?
posted by stray
on Jul 21, 2005 -
16 answers
