StarDestroyer.Net BBS

My Trillian can't get to AIM, been trying since 7p. It's now 7:35p

*** Reconnecting to AIM as "teamhairtahal".
*** Will attempt 10 connections with 60 second intervals.
*** Connecting to AIM as "teamhairtahal", attempt #1.
*** Error while connecting (Error Code: 0). Disconnecting.
*** Connecting to AIM as "teamhairtahal", attempt #2.
*** Error while connecting (Error Code: 0). Disconnecting.

WTF is Error Code: 0?

Error Code 0 means AIM hates you, and everyone you love. I get that a lot.

AIM is working for me right now, did you get through?

Actually, I think 'error code 0' is the 'Trillian sucks' error code. Phanty and I are using Pidgin, and we're not having problems.

I agree with Stark...Pidgin pwns Trillian. I used Trillian intermittently from 2004 through 2006, and frankly, I preferred using AIM, in spite of the latter's adware qualities. Trillian has a bizarre user interface, would repeatedly fail to connect for no apparent reason, and was generally...really...annoying.

Pidgin on the other hand has a visually elegant interface (with nice artwork), runs on nearly every desktop OS that I use (which says something...the only OSes I have that it won't run on are OS/2 and Plan 9), and is fairly reliable. Its also fully open source. As I see it, there is simply no good reason to continue using Trillian.

Note that Pidgin supports AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Jabber, and others.

My problem is I can't get MSN-like 'flashing toolbars' with audio cues etc for message notification. I've missed messages for hours, because the only notification I seem to get is the orange thing on the system tray icon. I've tried various plugins, but they make the toolbar thing flash once, stay lit, and eventually go back to normal - which isn't very useful.

Ill throw my vote in with pidgin as well, though Stark is definitely right; its far too easy to miss messages.

In my case, the ease with which messages can be missed is a feature. I disable all sounds on my Pidgin installs, and I frequently let it to continue to display away messages even when inaccurate. There are a handful of people who communicate with me via AIM, and they know the protocol. That's not to say I'm hostile if someone who I don't know IMs me, quite the contrary, but they, along with everyone else, will not receive a reply until I have a chance to both see their message, and think of an appropriate response.

If someone wants a truly real-time chat with me, they're welcome to call my mobile phone. For me, IM is express e-mail, basically.

RThurmont wrote:In my case, the ease with which messages can be missed is a feature. I disable all sounds on my Pidgin installs, and I frequently let it to continue to display away messages even when inaccurate. There are a handful of people who communicate with me via AIM, and they know the protocol. That's not to say I'm hostile if someone who I don't know IMs me, quite the contrary, but they, along with everyone else, will not receive a reply until I have a chance to both see their message, and think of an appropriate response.

If someone wants a truly real-time chat with me, they're welcome to call my mobile phone. For me, IM is express e-mail, basically.

Brilliant! You've managed to turn an instant communications method into E-Mail 2.0! You, sir, are a marvel of modern hackers. Show the man that you won't be held in by his definition of instant! Instant can mean two minutes! Two hours! Two days!

Stark, JSF, I've figured out how to fix that, and I don't have that problem anymore. Update to the latest version, get the plugin pack and install that, it will beep and flash just like MSN if you like.

I believe Error Code 0 is a "server rejected connection" error - most likely for Destructionator XIII's reason.

Brilliant! You've managed to turn an instant communications method into E-Mail 2.0! You, sir, are a marvel of modern hackers. Show the man that you won't be held in by his definition of instant! Instant can mean two minutes! Two hours! Two days!

Once I get involved in an IM conversation with someone, the response time averages about 15-30 seconds, as Ace and Destructionator can doubtless attest. Only if I'm there, however, and have time to answer. Otherwise, it is basically express e-mail. I certainly am not going to enable sounds on the IM client to let some random doucher distract me and derail my train of thought.

Have you heard of IM programs, that when away, just don't run sounds? Or is that too complex?

Trillian manages to be fairly quiet in the background(defined as completly quiet) when set to away.

Any IM program worth it's hard drive space has an option to run completely quietly.

And Stark, Pidgin should be able to use MSN-style flashing task bar windows; it took me some time to get it working, but it's definitely possible. I just conveniently forgot how.

ETA: sorry, it's Linux where it worked. The lack of persistent task bar flashing is a known bug in the Windows version.

I consider any incoming IM to be something deserving immediate response to avoid keeping people wating, so I enable noises and whatever to grab my attention.