MSN-compatible IM clients : have I missed any ?

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-03-23 06:46am

I've been looking for a MSN-compatible IM app, since all the ones I've tried so far have in some way been...insufficient. I'd like to know if anyone knows of a client that would fit my requirements -

- Low resource usage
- No ads or banners
- Stable
- Supports file sharing
- Decent emoticon support
- Clear notifications (when a contact comes online or sends a message while the app isn't focused)
- Log function

So far I've tried

- MSN Live Messenger : Does everything I want it to do but the GUI is hideous and it's stuffed with tabs to various MSN services that I'll never use. Not to mention the unremoveable ads.

- Trillian : works great, but it won't display custom emoticons or "personal messages" (the ones under the username; some of my contacts use them as general messages)

- IM2 : crashes. Incessantly.

So, any recommendations ?

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2006-03-23 08:07am

Gaim is open source, and lightweight, it can be downloaded here, and theres a portable usb key version for dl here

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-03-23 08:36am

Looking good so far, thanks.

Manus Celer Dei · Post by **Manus Celer Dei** » 2006-03-23 09:13am

Gaim doesn't support Personal Messages AFAIK, although there may be plugin for them.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-03-23 12:19pm

Manus Celer Dei wrote:Gaim doesn't support Personal Messages AFAIK, although there may be plugin for them.

Meh, I can live without it.

Argosh · Post by **Argosh** » 2006-03-23 02:29pm

Bounty wrote: So, any recommendations ?

Miranda IM

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-03-23 04:09pm

Hmm... I use Gaim for an hour and for the first time since my botched graphics driver install last year, my computer BSOD's. Something to do with calihal.sys, which is supposed to be a 56k modem driver I don't use...

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2006-03-23 05:05pm

Why would the program access a modem driver(assuming you have broadband)? Try and see if you got any modem related stuff installed somewhere.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-03-23 05:12pm

His Divine Shadow wrote:Why would the program access a modem driver(assuming you have broadband)? Try and see if you got any modem related stuff installed somewhere.

Actually, I'm not sure it's Gaim's fault, I just noted the coincidence.

I've got a modem and driver preinstalled from HP (notebook, you see). I've never used it, though. Malware and virus scans come up clean, so it's probably not an intruder posing as calihal.sys. Very odd.

EDIT : HP's site says calihal.sys is an audio driver that's been known to get corrupted and trigger BSOD's over time. I reinstalled it, fingers crossed

grayfox · Post by **grayfox** » 2006-03-23 07:44pm

I also Highly recomend gaim

... Just avoid the beta of version 2 its very buggy and I personaly hate how it behaves.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-03-24 05:24am

Thats the one I've been using. What's wrong with how it behaves ?

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

MSN-compatible IM clients : have I missed any ?

MSN-compatible IM clients : have I missed any ?

Re: MSN-compatible IM clients : have I missed any ?