RSSICQ Slims Down for 4.0 Release
By David Worthington | Published April 20, 2004, 5:21 AM
ICQ is promising to innovate its way back to the top of the nascent world of instant messaging. Today marks the release of ICQ 4.0, ICQ's next generation instant messaging client. ICQ is breaking from the past by shedding the software's bloated image in favor of a new open source plug-in architecture.
In addition to putting ICQ on a diet, the overall user interface has been streamlined and refreshed. Other improvements brought by the 4.0 milestone tackle portability and personalization.
To accomplish its goal of redefining ICQ, the company is seeking to crystallize the thinking of developers around a new concept called "ICQ Xtraz." ICQ Xtraz are new features and services that users can select without having to download client updates or install additional components. Xtraz are built on top of an open application programming interface (API) and submitted to ICQ for approval prior to being offered to customers.
Thus far, the API has only been available to developers including Oberon Media and Lavalife - not end users. This will change, however; in an interview with BetaNews, an ICQ spokesperson indicated that the API will soon be available to everyone.
The ICQ 4.0 client hides Xtraz by way of a collapsible menu that displays several default selections, as well as a user's most commonly requested features. Preferences are recorded locally within an XML document. These preferences do not carry over to other access points, but the services are still available should a user request them.
ICQ users can send shortcuts to one another to participate in a new feature. To make this happen in real time, Flash and DHTML fuse together to deliver Xtraz to users without adding any weight to the client. Xtraz are hosted exclusively on ICQ's servers and updated globally so that every ICQ user is always using the latest feature.
The design of the Xtraz platform -- included with ICQ Lite -- calls into question the viability of ICQ Pro. For the time being, ICQ will continue to ship its feature-rich Pro distribution, but the stripped-down ICQ Light is now capable of added functionality without actually downloading extra bits.
Other major features making their debut with ICQ 4.0 include "Follow Me" and "ICQ Devils." Like AOL Instant Messenger -- ICQ's corporate brethren -- Follow Me permits ICQ messages to be sent to user's cell phones if they are away from the PC. To curtail the influx of SMS messages, cell phone users can choose to turn the option off remotely.
ICQ Devils add a touch of personalization to the client. Comparative to AIM's Buddy Icon, a Devil personalizes the profiles of ICQ users and appears within new "Super Message" boxes and inside all incoming message notifications. ICQ's unique twist is the Devil's ability to respond to emotions; if a user sends a contact a smile, the ICQ Devil will return the favor and flash a wicked smile.
Photos uploaded as Devils can be manipulated with some rudimentary photo editing tools embedded in the client.
ICQ also launched its new ICQ Universe social networking service on the heels of the 4.0 release. One of the unannounced goals of ICQ 4.0 is to bridge the gap between the company's Web properties and the client software.
In March, a limited beta of the ICQ client was previewed by 30,000 customers outside of the United States, where ICQ usage remains strong. These same users had simultaneous access to ICQ Universe.
"ICQ definitely has quite a lead in a number of overseas markets – I think a main driver is to push forth its community and cater to the demand for social networking," Genelle Hung, a Market Analyst with the Radicati Group told BetaNews. "There is a great deal more that ICQ users can now do and share with friends, which is the trend with IM users these days. Music, gaming, file-sharing – all these are more must-haves than before, on top of just personalized instant messaging."
Mirabilis, the original creator of ICQ, was founded in 1996 and kick started the real time communications craze. AOL purchased Mirabilis in 1998 in an effort to dominate the IM marketplace. Since that time, the company has admittedly fallen off the wagon from its position as the market innovator. "We are bringing the innovation back to ICQ," said Orey Gilliam, general manager for the ICQ product group.
"ICQ is definitely innovating more now to make a bit of a come-back – not that it is lacking in users or growth, but it seems to have sat back on its laurels a little, being the first to market and all. However, it has realized the competition is picking up steam, and it has to keep on innovating and gearing to user demand to ensure continued loyalty and growth," remarked Radicati's Hung.
With 490 million people expected to use IM clients in 2004 and 642 million come 2005, ICQ and its competition have no shortage of potential customers to canvass with their wares.
I used to love icq before aol swallowed it. I knew they were either gonna let it die or turn it into a 3 ring circus and they did both. I moved on to other less bloated IM's and was happy to remain. My guild in a MMORPG refused to let me get away with not using it after I resisted for over a year...they should have switched but I broke and downloaded the trimmed version. Much better and easier and not as un appealing. One feature my family and I use is SMS via our IM and oddly my network (AT&T) isnt supported. So at this point its usefullness is limited to my guild.
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|In fact in this release they have made it easier to actually remove the banner ads (no resourcehacking needed) which personally I think is a better thing. Without ads it looks even slimmer...even nice ;) .....
What you need to do is change your hosts file and add this line: 80.190.244.8 cb.icq.com ..... and then follow the instructions on this page: http://www.icq-4u.com/fo...3c3ced89a&p=763#763
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|As has already been stated, most of the bigger chat programs do use advertising (ie MSN, Yahoo, etc). The real problem, IMO, was that ICQ was getting severely bloated as we all know. I was left using ICQ mainly for file transfers because I still believe ICQ is the only one who ever implemented it decently (ie resuming transfers, etc). The problem was the bloat and frankly they made changes that actually stopped me from being able to send files. I never figured out the problems, though, and ditched ICQ for the last few years with my old UIN collecting dust. I've installed this new ICQ version. I'm impressed... sort of. Could they make that banner at the top of the contact list any bigger? Why can't I turn off the Google search bar? Those were rhetorical questions. Anyway, my _issue_ is that okay, say ICQ has advertising... fine, make it the main contact list window and that's it. Don't put a stupid ad in every single window in the program. Wanna PM someone? There's another ad. SMS? Yep, another ad. It's not like ICQ is still the little Mirabilis company. They're AOL. They can get by without drowning us in ads and that's exactly what they are doing. ICQ was the first... ICQ was the best... then AOL let it die and went further by sticking a knife in and twisting it with all the ads. On the positive side functionally I see improvements and am quite impressed.
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|So they are going to streamline the client in favor of a less bloated utility... great. Also, the plugins people will eventually right for it should be good too. I'm thinking it won't take long for poeple to write plugins that will let you connect to other IM clients, but I guess that depends if ICQ will let you do that in the first place.
If I see plugins to connect to all the other IM's out there, I just might switch (for a while anyway) from Trillian.
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|i find easymessage also a very slim and nonintrusive client.
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|I dumped ICQ a while back once I disabled DCOM via registry... (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE..."EnableDCOM"="N"). DCOM is a security risk (and resource hog). ICQ demands that it be on. All the other IM's don't complain about it being off.
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|well.. its this simple.. a swarm of lame AD-based annoying and intrusive IM apps appeared, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, etc.. now.. I used to use ICQ with AD EXECUTIONERS cos ads are just F**ING annoying and I started to meet ppl on all 4 bloody networks.. so now I run Trillian.. its a bit bloated.. it aint perfect.. or great.. but pretty OK and dont have ads!!!!.. And it means that I dont need 4 friggin separate IM clients running at the same time.. I MIGHT switch back to ICQ if they do the 4 following things in ver 4..
1. DITCH THE ADS!!.. PERMANENTLY!!!
2. SLIM OFF ANNOYING FEATURES NOBODY USES
3. MAKE IT WORK WITH EVERY IM NETWORK ON THE PLANET
4. ENABLE SECURE ENCRYPTED MESSAGING WITHOUT ANY BACKDOORS!!!
if not.. im just gonna stick to trillian until I find something useful
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|Use Miranda IM. Just like trillian but less bloated, and uses a TON less of your system resources.
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|The hell are you talking about? Trillian is not bloated, nor does it take alot of system resources. Plus its more mature and less buggy than Miranda.
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|I said a BIT bloated.. not superbloatultradeluxe6800PRO... and then theres that secure encrypted msging issue as well, pretty good stabillity unlike miranda thats kept me on trillian instead of miranda that I used to use once upon a time..
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|I've not used ICQ's terrestrial software for years now, because of the bloat and advertising.
Here's a suggestion that could streamline the service further, and bring it back into the limelight; Google could buy ICQ and then integrate it with their Gmail service (should that ever be deemed safe for public release). You'd then, finally, have an open-access instant messaging system that could work with a freely available email system -- the best of both worlds, open source-based, and all for free*.
Maybe Google might announce a similar strategy next year, say, around the start of April...
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|Ain't gonna happen. AOL bought it from Mirablis, you honestly think AOL is gonna sell that userbase?
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