Discussion
poxy Instant Messengers?? Grrr .. No!
Bunch of insecure, irritating, corporate sludge funnels the lot of em.. Aha, rational comment here we go. What d'ya mean CZ? You lost me.
If you want to have the option of knowing who is online, with the option of staying anonymous and the option not to instant message, along with the option to file share, chat etc then, optionally (being an option at the discretion of the user)it would seem to me to be quite good!
quote:
poxy Instant Messengers?? Grrr .. No!
Aha, rational comment here we go. What d'ya mean CZ? You lost me.
If you want to have the option of knowing who is online, with the option of staying anonymous and the option not to instant message, along with the option to file share, chat etc then, optionally (being an option at the discretion of the user)it would seem to me to be quite good!
Of course if you don't like them, you have the option of not using instant messaging software. That's modern society for you! Freedom of choice!
Options. Don't you love 'em?
once was the time where I used ICQ - it's a pretty good bit of software in itself, but not only are there now half a dozen different messenger systems, they all have their own security problems.. I also have a problem with the fact that both Microsoft and AOL-Time-Warner (two very consumer oriented, friendly and fluffy companies if ever I saw their grizzly teeth) use their IM client as a method by which to deliver unsolicited advertising in whatever new bandwidth guzzling format this week's compulsory upgrade has enabled.
Also, they're no use of 90% of people looking at the site from work where IM software is either unavailable on PCs or blocked at the firewall anyway.
But I couldn't be arsed to type all that last night. Mkay?
>> Edited by CarZee on Thursday 18th July 10:41
Also, they're no use of 90% of people looking at the site from work where IM software is either unavailable on PCs or blocked at the firewall anyway.
But I couldn't be arsed to type all that last night. Mkay?
>> Edited by CarZee on Thursday 18th July 10:41
Use Trillian... www.trillian.cc
It hooks into AIM, ICQ, IRC (pah!), MSN and Yahoo. Few wrinkles, but just one window with everyone in it. Class.
It hooks into AIM, ICQ, IRC (pah!), MSN and Yahoo. Few wrinkles, but just one window with everyone in it. Class.
quote:
once was the time where I used ICQ - it's a pretty good bit of software in itself, but not only are there now half a dozen different messenger systems, they all have their own security problems.. I also have a problem with the fact that both Microsoft and AOL-Time-Warner (two very consumer oriented, friendly and fluffy companies if ever I saw their grizzly teeth) use their IM client as a method by which to deliver unsolicited advertising in whatever new bandwidth guzzling format this week's compulsory upgrade has enabled.
Also, they're no use of 90% of people looking at the site from work where IM software is either unavailable on PCs or blocked at the firewall anyway.
But I couldn't be arsed to type all that last night. Mkay?
/quote]
Ah. Now you explain I agree! If you're stuck behind a firewall (and even a domestic one like ZoneAlarm has its problems) then IMs stink. But for us lucky folks who work from home with two broadband lines, (one work and one play) it's worth a bit of advertising to know when Uncle Bert just came online and he still owes me a fiver.
quote:
I am obviously missing a trick here.
Without installing any software on my PC how exactly can any web site know that I am still staring at their content, and haven't clicked off into somewhere else?
I'd guess it's assumed you're about if you've been "active" (clicking a link, gassing, etc) in the last five minutes or so... There's probably a better way of doing it, mind.
Dan
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Without installing any software on my PC how exactly can any web site know that I am still staring at their content, and haven't clicked off into somewhere else?
Session cookies can to some degreee do this.
You go to a web page, a session cookie is set on your web browser. The page can then be refreshed (in client-side code) and code on the server can check if your cookie still exists.
If you've left the site to go somewhere else the page doesn't refresh therefore the server can assume your not there anymore.
This is not "real-time" and has to be done by the refreshing of the web page, as HTTP is (currently) stateless.
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