trillian

i think now i understand why google talk/gmail chat is so funky -- it's all because of trillian. i have to say that this time google makes me uncomfortable. maybe more in the future?

the free trillian basic collects all major chat/IM tools and puts them in one interface. however, google chat service is an exception; it is only available in trillian pro, a paid service.

what an evilly smart idea! trillian will win chatters from all vendors by luring them into its one-stop shop, and then easily roll this success over to google's chat, which is too young to compete with the major players like msn and yahoo!; and what's more, trillian pro charges!

i am not spoiled by all the free services that google fed us before. i wouldn't mind if they charge for whatever they solidly developed. however, trillian pro is not technically sophisticated enough to be a charging service, compared to many other free products google holds. it is just a brilliant idea built upon other players' yearly efforts. of course, it is perfectly legitimate to make profits out of pure smart ideas. it is just...this is not google.

anyhow, trillian is the master of the domain/king of the county/queen of the castle/lord of the manor. i really enjoy the detailed control it offers. i'm not the chat type of person, but i may even buy the trillian pro in the future. who knows? it's only 25 bucks.