AIM

[Edgar]

I have windows messenger, but I want to send an instant message to someone using AIM. If i can do this, how? Or can I only instant message someone with Windows Messenger? Thank you for your help.

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Edgar,

Windows Messenger only allows you to send to contacts either to the public .NET Messenger
network (meaning other Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger users) or a local server (Exchange,
SIP, etc.).

In order to contact uses on AIM, you'll need to use an AIM client like the official AIM
client from http://www.aim.com or something like Trillian (http://www.trillian.cc).
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2004 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.

"Edgar" > wrote in message
...
>I have windows messenger, but I want to send an instant message to someone using AIM. If i
>can do this, how? Or can I only instant message someone with Windows Messenger? Thank you
>for your help.

[Edgar]

Thank you both for your help. I guess Windows Messenger is useless to me, all my friends use AIM. Messenger would probably get more users if you could instant message someone using AIM. I think that with Yahoo messenger, you can instant message people u
sing AIM, same with a lot of other messenger services, like CompuServe. Thank you guys anyway.

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Hi Edgar,

Actually it's AOL that stops others from communicating with users on AIM. In fact, in the
very early Messenger versions, Microsoft did allow you to talk to people on AIM and AOL
constantly blocked them. It was similar to a chess game as one Messenger version would come
out, then AOL would find a way to block it, then Microsoft would release another version and
so on. However, the feature was soon dropped.

For the record, Yahoo Messenger can only communicate with users on Yahoo Messenger, it cannot
connect to any other network.

As far as I'm aware, the only real interoptable instant messaging network currently is AIM
and ICQ (which are both owned by AOL).
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2004 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.

"Edgar" > wrote in message
...
> Thank you both for your help. I guess Windows Messenger is useless to me, all my friends
> use AIM. Messenger would probably get more users if you could instant message someone
> using AIM. I think that with Yahoo messenger, you can instant message people using AIM,
> same with a lot of other messenger services, like CompuServe. Thank you guys anyway.