Decent Instant Messenger Systems

[Emissary Laito]

Earlier today, MSN started forcing people to update. Currently people cannot log in unless they update to the latest version, which is somewhat of an annoyance among part of my social group. We'd been using the older version because it was actually better and allowed settings to be more freely adjusted, while the new version is effectively just a rehashed version of Skype.

While it may seem rather pedantic, it's something we have grown used to, and this recent change has resulted in us wishing to swap to a different IM system. We all have Skype, but it doesn't look as good and is more limited in terms of settings.

SO

Does anyone have any suggestions for an IM system that can be customised in terms of layout, fonts, and display name?

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Ebuddy is good, it lets you use your MSN, Facebook chat, and other stuff.

 

[Esotera]

Get Pidgin, it supports about every IM protocol (and other protocols like IRC and VOIP) under the sun, is cross-platform, and is pretty customisable. It's far better than MSN ever was.

 

[Emissary Laito]

Ebuddy is good, it lets you use your MSN, Facebook chat, and other stuff.

lulz, I've used ebuddy before and it's not great tbh, especially in group chats. You get kicked too often.

Get Pidgin, it supports about every IM protocol (and other protocols like IRC and VOIP) under the sun, is cross-platform, and is pretty customisable. It's far better than MSN ever was.

ty, trying this one out now.

 

[evilneko]

Get Pidgin, it supports about every IM protocol (and other protocols like IRC and VOIP) under the sun, is cross-platform, and is pretty customisable. It's far better than MSN ever was.

Not to mention it stores your account data locally rather than online like other clients. Also comes in a portable version.

 

[Vuliev]

If you use Skype, Trillian is another excellent option--I switched to it about a year ago when I finally realized that Digsby had been abandoned by its devs.

 

[sillyweezy]

If you want to stick with ye olden msn, here's how to stop the force update:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120619143820AAamFXG

hope that helps ^^

 

[Quaxar]

If you use Skype, Trillian is another excellent option--I switched to it about a year ago when I finally realized that Digsby had been abandoned by its devs.

I used Trillian for years and always loved it... but lately I find it a bit annoying that they discovered they could every half or full hour put an ad for their Pro version right into the damn chat windows.
Of course I'd still recommend Trillian but I think it's just fair to warm of that beforehand.

 

[Z of the Na'vi]

Adium is a good alternative. I use it to talk to my Dad all the time. It lets you use your MSN, AIM, Facebook, etc.

http://adium.im/

 

[=y]

Sky-

*reads OP*

Well, I'm out of suggestions.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Adium is a good alternative. I use it to talk to my Dad all the time. It lets you use your MSN, AIM, Facebook, etc.

http://adium.im/

Adium is by far the best I've ever used (and I've been using it since it was new a decade ago), and a lot of people I know who've used it agree and miss it when they're stuck using something else. However, it's OS X-only. It uses the same network code as Pidgin, but it has a completely different UI. Pidgin is probably the easiest and most straightforward alternative to use on Windows/Linux, and I definitely prefer it over Trillian (which I absolutely can't stand with some of the crap they insist on throwing into it), but at the moment I'm using Miranda on Windows instead. It's more customizable, and I can get it closer to how I had Adium set up compared to Pidgin or Trillian, but the defaults are completely retarded, so unless people enjoy digging through 40 pages of horribly organized preferences, it might not be the best choice. Heh.

 

[BENZOOKA]

I just use Facebook chat now. and Facebook Messenger on mobile.

 

[sky14kemea]

Sky-

*reads OP*

Well, I'm out of suggestions.

You rang?

I'm gonna say Skype anyway, despite you're very specific needs. =P You can easily change your name on their. That's about it though...

It's much easier to have a group chat though, and it doesn't close when you all leave for the night, so you don't have to arse around making it again next time!

 

[Smertnik]

Hasn't MSN been turned to Windows Live Messenger years ago? Or did it get changed back again in the meantime?

I never cared for customisation, so I can't really suggest anything. I've been using Pidgin for WLM/ICQ contacts for ages but I don't think it's customisable in the way you wish for.

 

[ChildishLegacy]

If you all have steam then use steam, and something like Skype/Teamspeak for voice stuff. Steam messaging also doubles up as something that allows you to invite/join your friends games in the same chat window.

 

[zefiris]

Just use Facebook. Instant messengers have become unnecessary, unless they're tied to other uses like Steam or Xfire.

This says everything about you that needs to be known.

 

[Vuliev]

If you use Skype, Trillian is another excellent option--I switched to it about a year ago when I finally realized that Digsby had been abandoned by its devs.

I used Trillian for years and always loved it... but lately I find it a bit annoying that they discovered they could every half or full hour put an ad for their Pro version right into the damn chat windows.
Of course I'd still recommend Trillian but I think it's just fair to warm of that beforehand.

To be perfectly honest, they're really not bad at all. Small, minimal, and as non-intrusive as an in-chat ad can possibly be. I barely even notice them.