# Universal IM client?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 26, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761 "2008-12-26T19:10:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761/1 "2008-12-26T19:10:30Z")

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I am looking for an IM client that allows crosstalk. I have been using Trillian, which logs on several of my IM accounts at once. But my Yahoo account can talk only to other Yahoo accounts, and so on.

Is there a client that will allow my AIM account to talk to someone else’s Yahoo account? Is there a client that will allow my AIM account to talk to someone else’s ICQ account even if I don’t have an ICQ account myself? Is there any third-party client that can work with Google’s IM?  
Unive **rs** al :smack:

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**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761/2 "2008-12-26T19:23:11Z")

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Well, I use [meebo](http://www.meebo.com/) which is all online, no download necessary. I don’t know about crosstalk, but I think you can pretty much pick up any IM client for free and once you run them through trillian or meebo, never have to worry about them again.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761/3 "2008-12-26T20:21:20Z")

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I’m pretty sure the server for an IM service won’t accept a message unless it comes from an account that’s been signed in with a password. So, no.

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**Author:** ![StarsApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761/4 "2008-12-26T20:30:41Z")

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I use[Pidgin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgin_(software)) (their site is down, so that will take you to the wikipedia entry). It works for everything I have tried so far, including Google Talk. I sign in to my AIM and Google Talk accounts and can talk to anyone on either of those from either account. Most of the time I don’t even pay attention to which one I am talking to someone with.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-im-client/478761/5 "2008-12-26T20:53:33Z")

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Yeah, for a client to send a message to a user on a particular network, it’s going to have have an account and be logged into that network.