Lab

Instant Messengers

The internet has had an enormous impact on how we shop, how we look for information and how we communicate with each other. One of the most notable developments in this revolution in communications is instant messaging. As its name suggests, this provides a real-time exchange of messages via the internet that allows you to chat with other users on your PC. In this article we've looked at eight instant messengers (IMs) to see what features each product offers.

MAKING CONTACT

Messenger services are useful only once you have established contacts with the other people you want to interact with. The program resides in the System Tray, running unobtrusively in the background ready for you to contact your friends and co-workers or allowing you to respond when they contact you.

When exchanging messages you'll be able to see clearly which person contributed which line in the dialogue. You can also see when the other person is typing a message, which is helpful if you want to conduct a linear conversation rather than both parties contributing simultaneously, which can result in a disjointed flow of information.

Information on who is online, offline, away or busy is also usually displayed. This is called 'presence' information and it can be as valuable as the ability to communicate with the user.

Most instant messaging clients also have voice-messaging capabilities - that is, as long as the PCs involved have working microphones and speakers - video-sending facilities if you have a working webcam, and most also have the ability to allow you to send files or photos to your contacts as well.