Instant Messaging

ListenSmart :Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging software allows two or more people to send short messages to each other in "real-time" over the Internet. With most applications, you can enter in a list of contacts and you will be notified by a sound or visual alert when one of those contacts is either online or sends you a message. Also, some of the instant messenger (IM) services allow file transfers back and forth, sending URLs to contacts and message forwarding, as well as "voice chats" using a microphone. All you need to get started is access to the Internet and your choice of Instant Messaging software!

Below is a list of recommended software packages.

Mirabilis ICQ Homepage | Download

As a pioneer of free real-time communications, ICQ is a revolutionary, user-friendly Internet tool that informs you who's on-line at any time, alerts you in real time when they log on, and enables you to contact them at will. Once you know who's on, all it takes is a click of an icon to initiate chat, send messages, files and URLs, play games, or launch any external peer-to-peer applications (such as Microsoft NetMeeting or Netscape CoolTalk) while still surfing the Net.

Regardless of the application, ICQ will get your entire message across in real time. It can also be used in a multiple-user mode, so groups can conduct conferences or just 'hang out' on-line.

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Homepage | Download AIM for Unix

AOL Instant Messenger 3.0 (AIM) is an easy-to-use, free software program that lets users send instant messages to each others' computers. You can send instant messages to anyone who has signed up for the AOL Instant Messenger service, or anyone who subscribes to America Online or Compuserve 2000.

AIM allows you to see who's online right now, send free, private instant messages, join group chat rooms, or make one of your own, personalize the colors and fonts in your messages, share pictures and documents with other users, and find your friends by name, e-mail address or interest.

Just as with Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ, you can send files to anyone on your Buddy List. AIM also lets you share folders with other users. AIM 3.5, currently in beta, will include voice conferencing.

Yahoo! Messenger Homepage | Download Messenger for Unix

Yahoo! Messenger offers e-mail integration, file transfer, group chat, voice conferencing, and message alerts, combining all the basic features you want in an IM client. You'll need a Yahoo! account (which is free) to download the 1MB file, available at Yahoo!'s site (and nearly all shareware sites on the Internet). One-on-one and group chats are easy to manage, and if you want other users to think you're off-line, simply work in invisible mode. Now you can send files, attachments, and images (up to 1MB) to friends. and peer-to-peer file transfer is coming soon.

Yahoo! Messenger alerts you to your Yahoo! Mail messages and calendar appointments, news, weather, stock quotes, and sports scores.

PeopleLink Homepage |

PeopleLink is the largest web-based community communications network connecting over 3 million members chatting about tens of thousands of subjects. Peoplelink is comprised of Interest Group Communities -- groups of people who share an interest in a specific issue. There are thousands of Interest Groups on a wide variety of topics including parenting, fashion, Kosovo, jokes, wrestling, alternative music, and fiction.

Interest Groups include a member directory where you can view the profiles of each member - - see who is online and talk to that person in real-time, using one-on-one or chat room technology. You can also participate in an email or bulletin board discussion with other members of the Interest Group.

Pow Wow Homepage | Download

Tribal Voice's PowWow 4.0 provides a unique blend of messaging features and user-hosted communities. It is interoperable with AIM and MSN Messenger and includes a proprietary browser. You can communicate in real time, collaborate using a whiteboard, transfer files, and take users on Web tours. As with ICQ, you can specify which IM events to permit and which to refuse. In Away or Do Not Disturb mode, an answering machine will take your messages.

PowWow lets you put AIM and MSN Messenger users on your Buddy List (if you have an account with each), giving the service a huge combined IM user base. Unlike AIM and ICQ, PowWow runs only on Windows. The most compelling feature of PowWow is the user-hosted community option ($49.95 a year per community). Any user can start and moderate an IM community, control who has access, enable profanity filtering, and maintain an access list. A voice messaging feature lets you conduct real-time voice chats without launching a third-party utility or plug-in, and a text-to-speech option lets you hear discussions in group chats and communities.

MSN Messenger Homepage |

MSN Messenger Service marked Microsoft's entrance into the competitive instant messenger field. Version 2 allows you to exchange messages with users on a contact list and is fully integrated with the Hotmail service to provide easy access to your web-based e-mail.

With a user-friendly interface, you can recruit friends from the Hotmail member directory and your address book. Like the Yahoo Messenger, version 2 displays news and headlines right on the interface. You can view the on-line status of friends on a customized MSN homepage and while operating, the automatic typing indicator detects when your friend is typing a message. The latest version includes new customization features for message formatting. MSN Messenger Service continues its integration with other Windows applications including Outlook Express and NetMeeting. Despite its solid Internet features, this program still doesn't offer the file transfer capabilities and other goodies that ICQ does and it still requires a Hotmail or Passport account.

Gooey Homepage |

Gooey is a unique program that combines Internet chat with web browsing. Gooey 2.0 enabling surfers to share the experience of specific Web sites. Gooey is based on the Dynamic Roving Community--rather than being limited to one topic, as most chat rooms are, you can roam from page to page and converse on a variety of subjects. Groups of people can travel the web together, thus becoming a Roving Community. By default, Gooey updates the Nicks window whenever you visit a new site, but by hitting the Spike button, you can keep your Gooey persona attached to one specific site and then surf at will. And a Gooey feature called Hitwave tells you where the action is, listing the top 100 sites frequented by other Gooey users. The newest version adds instant messaging, file swapping, webcasts and Reuters news feeds.

Excite Chat Homepage | Download

Your ticket to Excite's extensive, and quite impressive, chat community, this program offers access to dozens of special interest "communities" using your own graphical avatars if you choose. The software features a built-in browser, which you can use to surf the web and chat at the same time. This browser lets you perform searches and seamlessly migrate between the various chat rooms. You can also maintain a list of favorite rooms for faster access to them.

Excite Chat allows you to lead and join virtual tours including taking users to your favorite sites, or other sites that might be of interest to others. While you're in a chat room, you can apply your own gestures and emoticons, send instant messages, or create and join private rooms. Excite Chat gives you the ability to apply audio and video into the mix or if you've got a supported game, you can initiate and synchronize multi-player games over the Internet. .

iChat Pager Homepage | Download

iChat Pager is an Internet messaging utility that allowing you to page anyone who is listed on your friends list and online. iChat allows you to deliver instant NetPages to anyone on the Internet who also has the ichat Pager. The quick chat feature lets you chat with any number of people in a private room by sending a single message. iChat supports drag-and-drop file transfer that can either be accepted or declined by the receiving party. Links to audio or video files supported by Real Media can be sent, and iChat will automatically launch the Real Player to display them. You can even send URLs to web pages if you desire.

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