The latest poll says we have reached almost one hundred and fifty million
Internet users.
The odds are that when you are surfing the net a few people you know
are doing it at the same time.
If you want to reach them immediately you can't call them (their phone
line may be tied up by their modem connection !) and unless they check
their email very frequently you might miss them.
The solution - Instant Messaging.
There are loads of "buddy systems" on the Internet which let you know when your Inter-friends have connected to the Net. These systems notify you - with a bell or pop up window - when anyone in you "buddy list" connects to the Internet. The systems let you add and delete entries in your buddy list at any time and immediately see if someone is using the Internet - whether they are connected in Maadi or ... Hong Kong.
When one of you Messaging "buddies" shows up online, you mouse click on their name and the two (or more) of you are "chatting". Internet chatting normally means that you both see a copy of a window on your monitor where both of you can type. Sort of like a whiteboard and you both get a pen. If you can't visualise it don't worry, after using it for 30 seconds it's very easy.
Instant Messaging systems have been around for a while but they are
getting very easy to use and
their popularity is exploding. Not a few business cards now sport a
notation something like (ICQ #25834220) at the bottom.
First of all in the spirit of the Internet - and this column - everything is free. Almost all of the Instant Messaging systems require the same two steps to set them up and get started:
1. Download the free software
2. Register for a USERNAME
The USERNAME can be anything - so you can fulfill those secret dreams and become ... SUPERGUY or WONDERCHICK - as long as no one else claimed it first.
Editors Choice: AOL Instant Messenger
http://www.aol.com/aim/
America Online has provided its own users with built in instant messaging for several years. then they did something very impressive - and surprising. They gave away their instant messaging software to everyone. AOL Instant Messenger is great software, it is simple and it works. 35 millions users can't be wrong.
AOL Instant Messenger is a stand-alone program that can be used by anyone connected to the Net. AOL Instant Messenger is available for all versions of Windows starting with 3.1 through 95 and NT and also for the Mac and UNIX. Download the appropriate version, register a screen name and off you go.
Editors Choice: ICQ
http://www.icq.com/
ICQ (pronounced 'I seek you') from Mirabiis is the grand daddy of Instant
Messaging and probably the most popular IM of the Net. ICQ is a bit more
invasive but packs many more features than AOL Instant Messenger, including
the ability to play games, dedicated ICQ chat rooms, which can hold dozens
- or hundreds - of ICQ users, a web paging service and integrated Web searching.
New features are added all the time. This is a class act.
ICQ is also one of the most versatile messaging system with versions available for all Windows 3.x,9x and NT, Mac and even the Palm Pilot. Further, a JAVA version is available that can be added to any web page.
ICQ Requirements:
Yahoo! Pager
http://pager.yahoo.com/pager/
Yahoo Pager provides the same basic features as ICQ and AOL-IM plus adds a few goodies from their vast web site stores. The Yahoo Pager can be set up to display stock prices and send out the latest breaking news headlines while it waits there for your "buddies" to connect to the Net.
Yahoo pager has a neat "offline" messaging function for sending quasi-Instant Messages to people when they are not on the Net. It also works well frombehind corporate firewall systems.
Yahoo Pager is for Windows 9x and NT and also in a Java version that can run from your browser without any downloading required.
Excite PAL
http://talk.excite.com/communities/excite/pal/
Excite provides a nice little (under 1 megabyte) Instant Messenger
client called PAL with the most basic features including firewall support.
Versions are available for both Mac and Windows platforms.
Feedback
Hate this column? Love this column? Have ideas for what should be covered
- Send suggestions for Internet Basics topics by email to basics@y2kegypt.com.
The best suggestion gets a PC World-Egypt T-shirt! Kilen Matthews (kilenm@bigfoot.com)
is an Internet and Year 2000 Consultant for Y2KEgypt LLC (http://ww.y2kegypt.com).
