Unite the clans
January 18th, 2006
When Google announced their IM service, they also announced that it was their intention to connect their IM service to all the other popular services. This intent was further solidified when they made a large equity acquisition of AOL. A little blurb in the press release about the AOL deal mention that Google and AOL would link their IM services sometime this summer.
This idealistic goal to unite the IM services took another step forward today when Google linked their service to the open network of Jabber servers. They also give instructions on how anyone can connect their local Jabber based server to Google’s
So now I can IM myself from my google talk to my jabber.org account.
As soon as AOL and Google are linked up, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before AOL releases Apple of their assumed exclusivity agreement and .mac and Google Talk will be linked up. Unless Microsoft try’s to bully this alliance, they will be forced to join in. Hopefully .mac, AOL, and Google Talk can all agree on some VOIP protoccol that will emerge as a standard. Hey Skype, are you listening? Is anyone listening?
Eh, it’s only a matter of times before things get a lot better and we’re part of one big happy IM family.
I posted this last night, and this morning they put another notch in their bedpost. Looks like things happen quickly.
This article offers some great insight. It really illustrates how this is a small step for IMs, but a giant leap for IMkind.[I know, sometimes I try Too hard.]