Chris Pirillo » google-talk

What All-in-one Instant Messenger Should You Use?

Chris — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:42:11 +0000

What All-in-one Instant Messenger Should You Use? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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What do you use for your default instant messenger? There are so many options out there, it’s hard to choose since everyone is on different clients. That’s when you should check out an all-in-one. There are several of them out there that work well. Some people prefer Trillian. I use Adium on OS X. There’s one for Windows called Digsby that I can’t stand… but hey, others like it!

There’s a new cross-platform all-in-one instant messaging client available though. Instantbird works quite well on all three main operating systems out there. Best of all, it runs off the Mozilla engine!! Nice, eh?

With Instantbird, you can chat on several different IM environments all at once: Yahoo, AIM, MSN, Google Talk, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ, IRC, QQ and XMPP! Yep… IRC. That means you can come chat with us in our live chat room right from within Instantbird!

Did I mention that this client is free as well? The interface is unobtrusive… and very clean. It’s there to let you instant message, and that’s about it. I like that. I get so tired of clients that try to make themselves “look good”… and see them fail miserably.

Download Instantbird and check it out for yourself today. You might just find yourself making a permanent switch.

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Google Talk (Gmail) Contacts and Friends Lost

Chris — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:18:51 +0000

Google Talk (Gmail) Contacts and Friends Lost is a post from Chris Pirillo

I screwed up a Gmail contacts import the other day, thinking that I could resolve the problem by deleting my contact list and then re-importing it… but that’s not the case.

When I deleted the contacts in my Gmail address book, my Google Talk connections to them also disappeared. There’s absolutely no way to get those back – at least, not without jumping through flaming hoops first. I either have to reauthorize each one of my known Google Talk contacts (even though there are people in my address book who aren’t on Google Talk / Jabber), or I have to sort through the list and remember the people who had Google Talk.

You can set Gmail to “Automatically allow people I communicate with often to chat with me and see when I’m online,” but that doesn’t work well if they were just added / re-added to your address book. The alternative is to set Gmail to “Only allow people that I’ve explicitly approved to chat with me and see when I’m online.” That’s not what I want.

Or, I have to “spam” my contacts and add them one-by-one – and if they don’t have a gmail address, Google Talk will force itself to send them an invite. This is maddening.

I want Gmail to either send reauthorizations to my Google Talk “open” contacts, or enable them to show up in my Google Talk contact list if they’ve already authorized me as a friend on their end. Until then, I’m stuck with “no friends” in Google Talk.

Google to Google, Dust to Dust

Chris — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:03:03 +0000

Google to Google, Dust to Dust is a post from Chris Pirillo

Does anybody out there use Google’s Hello? Hello!? Yeah, Hello – the photo-sharing IM service that integrates seamlessly with Picasa and Google’s Blogger service. Here’s the problem I have with Hello: none of my friends use it. My real question is: why isn’t Picasa pushing people to use Google Talk, instead – and why isn’t Google Talk incorporating Hello technology? Argh.

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.