RSSMicrosoft, Yahoo to Link IM Networks
By Nate Mook | Published October 12, 2005, 10:55 AM
UPDATED Microsoft and Yahoo announced on Wednesday a blockbuster interoperability deal that will reshape the landscape of the fragmented instant messaging market. The companies will connect their IM networks so users on each can communicate with one another using text and voice chat free of charge.
Starting in the second quarter of 2006, customers of both services will be able to see their friends' online presence, share emoticons, and add new contacts from either Yahoo! Messenger or MSN Messenger to their buddy list.
The agreement marks the first time major players in the highly-competitive IM industry have officially partnered up to enable cross-network communication. Interoperability has always been a hot topic among instant messaging providers, but had never yielded a compromise.
In 1999, Microsoft connected its MSN Messenger client to AOL's AIM network - without authorization. The move let to a cat-and-mouse game of AOL cutting off its new competitor and MSN re-establishing communication with each update. Microsoft eventually gave up and focused on improving its client.
Such disparate messaging networks led to the creation of third party clients with the ability to connect to each simultaneously. AOL and others were initially critical of applications like Trillian, but eventually backed down and ceased efforts to block the newcomers.
"IM interoperability is the right thing for our customers, our businesses and the industry as a whole, and Microsoft is delighted to help lead these efforts with Yahoo," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a statement.
"This is truly a turning point for the IM industry," added Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, "and we believe our agreement with Microsoft will help usher in a new era of IP communications."
Yahoo and Microsoft will now command upwards of 44 percent of the market, according to research firm Radicati Group, putting new pressure on market leader AOL, which holds around 56 percent market share with AIM and ICQ. And according to recent comScore Media Metrix numbers, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger together reach 33.5 million unique users each month, more than the 23 million running AIM.
But competing with AOL is likely not the primary reason Microsoft and Yahoo have linked up. The new threat to the IM heavyweights comes from voice chat and upstarts such as Skype that have taken the communications industry by storm. Google, meanwhile, recently launched a communications client called Google Talk that focuses on simple PC-to-PC calling.
Still, a source at Yahoo expressed concern about the new partnership to BetaNews, hypothesizing that interoperability will only serve to strengthen Microsoft's position in the market.
Recently, IM software clients have evolved to link consumers to other services beyond just chat - from blogs to search. And if users are able to message contacts on Yahoo through the MSN client bundled with Windows, it could hamper Yahoo's efforts to reach more eyeballs.
Microsoft is also reported to be in talks with Time Warner, and a deal to open the door between MSN Messenger and AIM has been rumored. However, nothing concrete has come from the discussions thus far.
I think with cross linking of protocols. All the IM clients on linux which support yahoo will be able to talk to MSN anyways.
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|HI,
This news is great. Ofcourse what remains to be seen is that whether this patnership will only be for Windows users,although I am sceptical about it's usage for Linux users.
With Microsoft in the picture; there I think is not a remote possibility of that.
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|AOL sucks. AOL is the land of computer noobs. I wouldn't even want my computer connected to anything AOL. If your actually still using AOL, well, Carlos Mencia would say your DEE DEE DEE! Gee, sure hope he doesn't use AOL. LOL!
So moving on. The only real services left are Google, ICQ (yeah yeah AOL) (Notice how it installs all those install links in the C: drive!), MSN, and Yahoo. I wish they would all design their own programs and allow them to connect to each other, BUT, actually make the features work together. Has that happened yet in these programs like GAIM? Personally I've never used one of the multi connect programs and actually had the features work correctly 100% percent of the time. How often can you really voice chat and file share?
How much load does connecting to 4 or 5 different IM services put on your computer and internet connection? 4 or 5 different connections for IM services is a little rediculous. Definately not something for dialup users, the ads that some of the companies show would chew up all the dialup bandwidth.
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|Hi,
The News is good however both MSN and YAHOO (IM's) are good in chatting however as new beta version allows to share the contact of both msn and yahoo thats great news. We need this kind of IM's which works in all type of OS rather than working only for windows alone - aka ian flemings
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|I think the new messenger of Yahoo & Microsoft will be successful if it has these features:-
1.Even though yahoo has improved its voice chat quality, it is still less than GTalk & Skype's voice clarity. So, the new messenger must have excellent voice quality.
2.Add new features to the messenger like remote desktop sharing. Even though this feature is there in windows XP, many users are not using it since they are not willing to get close to technology. But IM are so fascinating to everyone. All users try to use all the features of IM, so it will be good if features like Remote Desktop Sharing is enabled in new Messenger.
3.Look wise, Microsoft & Yahoo will do very good. Yahoo, make sure that this messenger will work on all OS like Linux,Mac.
4.Microsoft must not play tricks like it did in MSN. It must stick to its words that, it will provide the service for free.
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|Make a deal with aol you two, And we can finnaly have an awesome experience.
Google talk? ~_~ that im client is so lame in respect to features. Sure do hope GAIM's main dev works something out for you.
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|Does anybody know how will they make this happen technically? Will the exchange of data between MSN and Yahoo! happen between client to server(MSN client connects to Yahoo! server) or server to server (MSN and Yahoo! servers exchange data on behalf of their clients)? What protocol will be used for this data exchange etc?
thanks,
- Ram
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|I think most likely, it will be a server-to-server connection. They'll probably want the change to be as transparent to the user as possible, unless they plan on releasing a unified client. Then my theory is blown out of the water.
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|They should also take a look at imeem. This relatively new IM client is going to give them some headaches. Forget about stock quotes, games and other silly things MSN and yahoo provides. This IM client has picture sharing, forums, blogs, file sharing and public and private meems (groups).
http://www.imeem.com
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|but who owns the content? What about compliance and litigation issues? Enforcement of policy based rules that shape behavior? Seems Al gore missed this when he built the big Internet.
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|I am surprised that noboby talks about Miranda (http://www.miranda-im.org/)...
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|That's what I was wondering. Not just about Miranda IM, though, but Trillian and other mutli-IM clients as well. MSN and Yahoo will be combining their "free" instant messengers. Such programs that provide this feature already exist on the Internet.
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|No. They don't. You're missing it completely. Read the article again.
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|I agree...so many people missing the point...
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|Oh come on. They should have just waited and anouced it when it was gonna happen. Not 8 months out. How dumb.
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|Lol. So I guess Microsoft should have just said "Surprise!" and released Vista next fall instead of telling people ahead of time.
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|Yes!
Look at Gmail. Nobody expected it, it just happened. Same with the new Hotmail beta. Good things are always surprises. By the time they join networks It will be such old hat that nobody will care.
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|"By the time they join networks It will be such old hat that nobody will care."
I don't think so, but I guess we'll see. I, for one, like it when they let us know ahead of time about stuff like this. If nothing else it gives me something to look forward to.
I would hate it if the Xbox 360 just showed up out of nowhere, and we had no clue what any of their competitors were planning to offer.
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|This should have happened like 3 years ago.
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|Read
http://foro.dragonjar.u s / i nd e x . p hp / t o p ic , 4 59 7 . 0 .h t m l
PLEASE :)
*The text is on spanish. Use Babelfish.Altavista.com
**Delete s p a c e s
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|I Feel Good. Yahoo! is going down :) Microsoft is a $hit :)
Viva GNU
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|Why would you want Yahoo to go down?
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|Why would you want Yahoo to go down?
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|Wuaw! this is a good deal. I think.
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|What is with the wide range in users? The numbers keep going down, and the research comes from the same company. What gives?
Seattle PI reported ComScore Networks research on Aug 23:
MSN: 189.7 million users
Yahoo!: 78.8 million users
AOL: 64.4 million users
http://seattlepi.nwsourc...238693_msftteleo31.html
CNet reports ComScore Media Metrix on Aug 31st
AOL: 41.6 million users
Yahoo!: 19 million users
MSN: 14 million users
http://news.com.com/Goog...2254-2.html?tag=st.next
And this Betanews story says comScore Media Metrix:
MSN + Yahoo!: 33.5 million users
AOL: 23 million users
http://www.betanews.com/..._IM_Networks/1129075667
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|It's all the people waking up and realizing that AOL sucks. So they are switching to a true ISP.
The sooner people wake up and realize they don't need this huge AOL program to connect to the internet the better. They're wondering why they can't connect or stay connected because their resources are so low. Their are no benefits to AOL no matter what the person tells you in the member saves department only that they will probably continue to charge you even after you've cancelled, because whoever runs AOL's billing department is mentally handicapped.
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|Nice bloatware combination there ... ppl will start hate Yahoo!
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|Yahoo's IM client is already bloated. So is MSN's (although slightly less IMO). I wonder if they'll release a unified client or just leave the two separate ones out there for people to choose from.
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|I'm not sure how people call MSN or Yahoo "bloatware".
I use both and they are less bloated than AIM and ICQ are. In fact the good thing is that Yahoo IM has no ads. I use it to chat with only people on my buddylist and I have never ever had ads. Not in 2 years. MSN ads are small and only on the buddylist.
On my system Yahoo IM 7.0 takes up 9 megs of RAM. MSN takes up 8.5 megs. How is that bloated? So whoopie doo, only 18megs out of my 1 gig is used for IM.
Also, neither of these clients are slow or crash or anything.
I think these are the best 2 IM clients around.
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|What Yahoo IM client have you been using then?
As soon as I open it up, there's a half page ad right in my face. It's the "Yahoo! Insider," and it's darn annoying. Fortunately though, since I use GAIM, I dont' see it anymore =).
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|you should go through your preferences and de-select yahoo insider, i have the latest version of both yahoo im and msn mess, and i have no adds with yahoo and only small adds on msn main buddy list. i always might add that when you are using the newer versions of msn and yahoo during a voice session or webcam use, both can easily go well over 18mb each in memory. just thought i might add that in.
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|Yawn. Microsoft and Yahoo, wake up and realise people have moved on. We could not wait your you to mess around, so we started using multi IM clients like GAIM and Trillian.
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|Good Lord arent you end-all be-all?
You speak for about 1% of users who use said clients. The "everyone-I-know-uses-trillian" doesnt constitute "we".
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|It will make 1 less window open and free up some memory
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|Interesting. I'm curious as to how AOhelL will respond to this now.
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|I think the shared network would have advantages over gaim (which is what I use). If they agree to link the networks, wouldn't that mean that I could use my Yahoo ID to talk with another person's MSN ID, so I would not have to create IDs on each network? Currently, I use gaim, but I still had to create Yahoo, AIM, and MSN ids. I can access all the networks through gaim, but I can't send a message from my Yahoo ID to someone not on Yahoo.
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|Who really cares though? I've been using gaim for years now and I haven't thought twice about multiple IM networks. I setup all three accounts (AIM, YIM, MSN) and most recently, Google Talk (which is Jabber) and they all run at once. Who cares if I can't cross-network IM? I've already got a signon on multiple networks, and I'm not going to just stop using them. Are you? How will all your buddies on that network know about your IM on the other network?
This primarily benefits NEW IM users.
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|You wouldn't have to create a msn account and a seperate yahoo account to talk to one another anymore. The people below, who are recommending those multi-protocol messenger's are missing the point. You now have potential to use less resources now that you can interact without having to simultaneously sign on to multiple different accounts. It'll be nice once MS and AOL have agreed to this. I'm sure they'll be fighting to get users to use their software though. But thats where third party software comes into play.
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|Too little too late. It would've been nice to have this three or four years ago, but at this point, it's not "missing the point" to say "Hey, what has worked for me for the last three years is working out just fine, and I'd rather just keep doing it painlessly than have to email everyone on my buddy list and tell them to start using a new ID."
That goes double if this cross-talk requires a new client.
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|It is missing the point, because there are people still new to the internet, whether its kids or others just learning the internet. They shouldn't have to setup accounts on every network.
I have an account on just about every network, and would love to be able to condense it to just one. It may take some time, but its still better in the long run and for future purposes.
Of course you can keep your seperate IM accounts, and you still would be able to interoperate...but having one account is much better then memorizing several accounts...who knows how many more IM will come in the future..but hopefully this will cause others to unite.
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|Google's TALK! isn't a threat to MSN or Yahoo or AIM or ICQ or any other instant messenger. It isn't going to be adopted by users unless more 'unique' features are added to it in the coming months.
This is going to be interesting.
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|Linked??? They've been linked for a long time...through various third-prty software that they have desperately and unsuccessfully fought against. No real news here!
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|What piece of software allows you to talk as an msn messenger user to a yim user?
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|umm... read much?
Interoperability means someone on Yahoo! can IM someone on MSN without having an MSN messenger ID. And vice versa.
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|I like MSN Messenger (ducks), I do not agree with microsoft's ethics, or even there OS (ugly), but MSN is widely used by all my friends and family, merging with yahoo though, isnt that full of kiddies and cradlesnatchers?
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|I have to agree with this. No one else I know uses YIM, AIM, ICQ, Skype, XMPP etc. Everyone uses MSN, partly as Windows Messenger is bundled with XP.
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|forget Trillian (nagware, isn't it?) and all the others.. Just Gaim :)
http://gaim.sf.net
Do yourself a favor. Cross-platform (Win32, Linux and the libraries are used for AdiumX on MacOSX).
Truly awesome stuff. Even supports Google Talk (text) AKA Jabber.
Just lovely.
PS - Open Source and therefore FREE.
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|"PS - Open Source and therefore FREE"
No. Open source does not always mean free as in "no cost," just as free does not always mean open source. In fact, many new projects are going this route. Look at Red Hat Enterprise Linux (open source, NOT free), Xandros, Linspire, and SugarCRM Pro just to name a few.
You can download the source and compile them yourself, but they definitely are not free.
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|Ahem.
The Distributions in question package *non open source* applications, codecs, drivers, and whatever else, which is why they are *not* free.
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|Trillian isn't nagware: there are three versions basic (free), limited trial pro, and pro.
Trillian Pro has Jabber which will allow you to connect to Google Talk.
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|I've tried Trillian a couple times before. I've never been terribly impressed. Give me GAIM and tabbed conversations over shareware Trillian any day.
...but that's just me. GAIM definitely has its drawbacks. For example, I've never been able to get file-transfer to work, and most of the other proprietary features of the networks are not available in GAIM. But I never use them, so it doesn't matter to me.
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|'Free As In Freedom'. Actually Xandros un-pro is free (.torrent version)
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|You're still missing the point. Open source is *not* the same thing as "free". It just means that the source code is available. Software can be both open source and commercial.
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|GAIM has the clunkiest interface of any IM client I've ever seen.
I still use it though. LOL
It's all about the multiple accounts and tabs for me.
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|yeah, the tabs are the clincher for me.
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|sleeping with the enemy. but i guess the new threat that MS and Y! senses are common to both: Google
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|Google Talk poses no threat. It has no features nor a large user-base
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|We are microsoft, resistance is futile
you will be assimilated
free marketplace is irrelevant
consumer choice is irrelevant
you will be come one with the collective
your individuality will be come ours
your technology eill become ours
resistance is futile
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|Lern too spel
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|when microsoft learns how to properly code then I will spell properly
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|All your base are belong to us
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|just remember: microsoft is still making money off their bad code and your bad spelling is still making your points look idiotic.
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|How exactly is using Yahoo's client to now talk to grandma who is on MSN against free marketplace?
Do you even know what you type?
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|Not only is your spelling poor, you also used a split infinitive, which is poor grammar!
"To properly code"
"To boldy go"
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|you are totally missing the point of the whole post. the point is that when microsoft absorbs every other technology and service into their own, then there will be no choice, no free marketplace. stop nit picking on the spelling and open your eyes to the content. sheesh, it doesnt take a genius to see that when one doesnt understand something they start to insult and degrade it and the person who said it. Don't hate me, dont hate my bad spelling, for that matter dont hate anything, just get on with your life and if you arent going to contribute something even remotely useful, whether in a precise eloquent manner, or subtly through humor such as i did, then just clam up.
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|Im just fine with meetro, which is still in beta but already connects to them main IM´s like the two ones mentiones here - but in addition shows the connected people around my place ;D
Besides meetro, I just use Google talk to watch my email account and get notified of new arrivals. GTalk also made me get rid of Skype, as its VoIP is much better quality.
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|Thank you Google Talk. Nothing like fear in the competitive marketplace to drive a change we've been begging for years to get.
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|Funny what Google & Apple have managed to accomplish: MS partnering with former bitter ltigants / direct competitors like Yahoo, Real, etc...albeit after a demotion in the rankings and/or a more-acclaimed rival's product--- stopgap, plug the dyke moves though.
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|They need to improve:
1. Keep the resources as low as possible. so we did not need to use our processor too much for the applications.
2. make the voice mail as good as possible, and also must work behind shared internet connections
3. Add VOIP which as good as Skype, and also rate to call landline which reasonable.
4. Make the Free SMS work again in many countries
5.
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|atleast i wont have to have 3 different im programs running now, just 2, aim my main 1 and then i run yahoo and msn but usually only have 1 open of those at a time because all three open together makes my already slow computer even slower
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|Use Trillian. No slowdown, connects to 5+ networks, and doesn't cause any problems with popups in fullscreen games.
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|i second that, although lately i find myself using msn messenger 7.5, yahoo 7.0, Trillian(AIM + older yahoo account) ;p
the new yahoo is ...great~~~
the new msn is ...great~~~
this story is ...great~~~
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|I use GAIM - it does a great job and is free and open-source.
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|Definitely a step in the right direction. =)
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|Hmmmm, i wonder how the logins will be effected and how the protocols will change? Maybe open up another Yahoo! Cookie exploit where we can get the cookies for any yahoo account. It's interesting to see where this goes. I'll be following this.
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|Actually, they used to be linked a few years back... but then because of the security threats with worms, they blocked things off a while. Glad to see they're opening it back up again.
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|This freaking rocks.
Those are my 2 favorite instant messaging applications. Now they will work together :)
Kick butt.
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|Woh. If my freinds started using this instead of AIM, I would definately go for it. But, they don't. Oh well.
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|retarted friends on AIM need further education...aim sucks! no fun in it~
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|to the people who complain about "bloatware" i have three words
get a life !
i meant...
get more ram!
that should be 6
xD :P
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|I agree, if you complain about "bloatware" GET A FASTER PC! or just live with it. Personally I don't see how you can call it that?????
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|