The Techno-peasant speaks: What is Instant Message, and how do I get me some?

So I vaguely know that there’s something called instant message, like e-mails only it’s automatic or sumfin.

That’s it - the sum total of my knowledge.

What is it? how does it work? how do I sign up for it? (I’m running OS 9 on a first-run iMac, if that’s relevant.)

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Fir AIM, go to www.aim.com. For MSN, go to http://join.msn.com/messenger/overview2000.

Basically, it’s a small program that tells you if your friends (who also run the program) are online and active, and then you can type messages to them that pop up instantly on their screen. It’s like halfway between talking with somebody, and sending email. More instant than email, but not as instant as talking.

The first step might be to talk to people you might want to chat with via IM, like friends and family, and see which system they use. The big ones are AOL IM (AIM), Microsoft MSN, and Yahoo.

If they are all on the same system (unlikely, but possible), you should go with that system. If not, you can use a program like GAIM to connect to multiple systems at once.

silenius has basically covered the last question for the two most popular services out there. Now for the first two questions:

Basically, you download a piece of software for your computer. While you’re connected to the internet, you can then use this software to sign in to a central server somewhere. People with the same software can then see that you are online, and can send you messages that will appear instantaneously on your own machine. You can then carry on protracted conversations this way.

As always, Wikipedia explains things in painstaking detail, if you’re interested.

If you think you might want to IM fellow Dopers, look under their “Location” for a little symbol. The little yellow man shows that I have AIM. A red “Y!” means Yahoo. A little blue bust means MSN.

And if you don’t want to clutter your machine with 4 IM programs, you can download Trillian.

Combines AOL IM, MSN, Yahoo and ICQ in one program. I’ve been using it for a couple of years now.

Is this what they show in movies like “As Good as it Gets” and “You’ve Got Mail”, showing the romantic principals typing in real time to each other?

Haven’t seen either of those movies. Most of the time with instant messaging you don’t see the actual typing, but your message is sent when you hit enter, and pops up immediately on the messagee’s screen. ICQ at least has a format where you can see each other typing too, but that’s not the ordinary operational mode.

Yes. It can be very fast-moving and intense sometimes. I got to know my wife initially through AIM.

Though, IIRC, the latter movie cited had the principals communicating entirely through e-mail. IM is instant.

If I may offer an opnion – get Yahoo, not AIM – AIM comes with all sorts of miscellaneous crap that you then have to take off your machine a program at a time.

Another recommendation for Trillian. All my friends are on different chat programs. With Trillian, I can chat with any of them.

Another all-in-one alternative is Miranda IM. It can handle ICQ, IRC, MSN and Jabber. I use it for MSN, primarily, because it’s bare-bones. No software bloat whatsoever. It actually looks a lot like the original versions of ICQ (which I still maintain was a better system, at least back before it got all popular and fat!)

The coolest “all in one IM” is http://www.meebo.com It’s completely web based and one of the slickest examples of Web 2.0. You install nothing.

For those with Gmail accounts, Google chat seems pretty good.

For AIM users, watch out for worms.

The Register

Another nod toward Trillian. :slight_smile:

IM is halfway between email and something called “IRC” (Internet Relay Chat).

The difference?

With email, you compose a message and send it. Later, the recipient (or recipients–there can be more than one) opens it and reads it. Sender and receiver do not need to be online at the same time.

IRC is something where you and the recipient (or recipients) are online at the same time. You start an IRC program, and it lets you know whether your contacts are online, and lets them know that you are online. (You join a “channel”, like a conference call, that gives you a list of whoever else is present.)

When you type in IRC, everyone else sees every keystroke you make, including all errors, as you type. It is very like a phone call or conference call, in text; there is no facility to edit or review your message (to correct errors or change your mind) before sending. Every line of text you type is interleaved with those that others type.

IM combines the immediate connectivity of IRC with the chance for review of email.

You’re still online with your contacts; the IM program still lets them know you’re there and vice versa. The lines of text you type still appear interleaved with what others type. But you get a chance to create and check your entire message before sending it. I honestly think this is why IM is so much more popular than IRC.

I don’t type that well. I much prefer IM to IRC.

I use Trillian too. Get Trillian.

Yahoo does have one advantage. If you send an IM to a person offline, when they sign on, it will pop up for them, so it’s like you’ve sent an email via IM.