Analogues of the official ICQ. Choosing ICQ

Despite the fact that the famous Khryusha has not been supported by Microsoft itself for a long time, this operating system continues to be actively used by many people, and some of them are even looking for where they can download ICQ for freeWindows XP.

Download ICQ for Windows XP

First of all, it should be noted that some recent ICQ releases may not run on XP. Therefore, it is recommended:

• or download older versions of the program;
• or set compatibility with Windows XP in the application settings.

However, in the latter case, full support is not guaranteed for all the capabilities included in the new ICQ releases. However, ICQ in any case will allow users to communicate with each other in text mode. You can also share a variety of files and attach funny emoticons.

In the new releases, it has also become possible to make video calls to each other. Moreover, it is completely free - wherever in the world users are. This requires a webcam and microphone.

It belongs to one of the longest-lived applications on the modern software market. The first versions of it became available for free use back in 1996. Of course, since then ICQ has significantly increased its capabilities. And many users do not want to abandon its use, even taking into account the fact that today there are a large number of other instant messengers.

Download ICQ for Window XP

The program is quite easy to learn, even a novice user can quickly figure out its basic functionality without much effort. Sure, ICQ on Windows XP sometimes does not allow you to do some things available to users of newer operating systems. However, the good old ICQ is always available for use on this OS.

It should be agreed that official client Even today, not everyone can recognize ICQ as ideal. You always want something bigger or different - an alternative interface, more features, deeper customization, and so on. Fortunately, there are enough analogs, and they can be a good substitute for the original ICQ client.

It should be immediately noted that the phrase "Analogue ICQ" can be understood in two ways.

• Firstly, these are programs that work with the ICQ protocol. That is, the user can register here using his account of this communication system, and correspond. This article will talk about this type.
• Secondly, it can be alternative instant messengers, which are similar to ICQ in terms of use.

As already mentioned, ICQ is not only a messenger, but also the protocol that it uses. The name of this protocol is OSCAR. it functional system exchange of instant messages, which can include both text and various media files, and not only. Therefore, other programs can work with it.

It should be understood that even now the fashion for using messengers instead of social networks for communication is growing, ICQ is still far from regaining its former popularity. So the bulk of the analogs of the classic messaging program are almost the same age as the original, except that some of them have been improved in one way or another and have survived to this day in at least some current form.

QIP

QIP is one of the most popular ICQ analogs. The first version (QIP 2005) was released in 2005, the last update of the program took place in 2014.

Also for a certain time there was a branch - QIP Imfium, but in the end it was crossed with QIP 2012, which at the moment remained the only version. The messenger is considered to be working, but the development of updates is clearly not underway. The application is multifunctional and supports many different protocols - from ICQ to VKontakte, Twitter and so on.

Among the advantages are a wide variety of settings and flexibility in individualization, simplicity of the interface and low load on the system. Among the minuses, there is a desire to build search engine to all browsers on computers by default, coercion to register an @ qip.ru account and closed code, which gives little scope for creating custom upgrades.

Miranda

Miranda IM is one of the simplest, yet flexible messengers. The program has a support system for a wide list of plugins that can significantly expand functionality, customize the interface and much more.

Miranda is a client for working with a wide range of instant messaging protocols, including ICQ. It should be said that initially the program was called Miranda ICQ and worked only with OSCAR. Currently, there are two versions of this messenger - Miranda IM and Miranda NG.

• Miranda IM is historically the first, was released in 2000 and continues to develop to this day. True, all modern updates are little directed at large-scale improvement of the process, and most often are bug fixes. Often, developers release patches that generally fix one minor aspect of the technical part.
• Miranda NG is being developed by developers who split from the main team due to disagreements in the further course of the program's development. Their goal is to create a more flexible, open and functional messenger. At the moment, many users are recognized as a more perfect version of the original Miranda IM, and today the original messenger cannot surpass its descendant in anything.

Pidgin is an ancient messenger, the first version of which was released back in 1999. However, the program continues to actively develop and today it supports many modern functions. The most famous fact about Pidgin is that the program changed its name several times before settling on it.

The most important feature of the project is working with the widest list of communication protocols. This includes both quite ancient ICQ, Jingle and others, as well as quite modern - Telegram, VKontakte,.

The program is very well optimized for a variety of operating systems, has many deep settings.

R&Q

R&Q is the successor to & RQ, as the transformed name suggests. This messenger has not been updated since 2015, it is significantly outdated compared to other analogs.

But that doesn't change main feature client - this program was originally created exclusively portable and can be used directly from an external medium - for example, from a flash drive. The program does not require any installation, it is distributed immediately in the archive without the need for installation.

Also, among the main advantages, users have always noted a powerful anti-spam system with the ability to fine-tune, save contacts on the server and device separately, and much more. Although the messenger is a bit old, it is still functional, convenient, and most importantly - suitable for people who travel a lot.

The work of a domestic programmer, based on the & RQ client, and also in many ways resembling QIP. Now the program as such is dead, since its author stopped working with the project in 2012, preferring the development of a new messenger that will lean more towards QIP and will support a wide range of modern messaging protocols.

IMadering is open free program... So you can find both the original client and an endless number of custom versions on the net with different changes to the interface, functionality and technical part.

As for the original, it is still considered by many users to be one of the rather successful analogs to work with the same ICQ.

Additionally

Additionally, it should be said about other options for using the ICQ protocol, except on a computer in the form special program... It is worth making a reservation in advance that such areas are underdeveloped and many programs do not work now or work incorrectly.

ICQ in social networks

Various social networks (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and a number of foreign ones) have the ability to use the ICQ client built into the site system. As a rule, it is located in the applications or games section. Here you will also need data for authorization, a contact list, emoticons and other functions will be available.

The problem is that some of them have long ceased to be serviced and now either do not work at all, or work intermittently.

The function is of dubious usefulness, since you will have to keep the application in a separate browser tab in order to carry out correspondence in social network, and in ICQ. Although this option is very useful for a lot of people traveling.

2010. ICQ introduced IM client for Android

After the acquisition by the Russian company Digital Sky Technologies, the ICQ instant messaging system, apparently, begins to develop more actively and return its users who have switched to Jabber, VKontakte and Facebook. The official ICQ mobile client for the Android platform has recently been released. It is already available in the Android Market. The first version of the client turned out to be very simple - with almost no customization, but it has a pleasant appearance and is very convenient to use. Note the integration with Facebook chat. However, the problems with encodings when receiving messages from other messengers are frustrating.

2008. ICQ client for symbian smartphones 8 - Japp

Japp is a client for instant messaging networks. At the moment, beta testing of the project is underway. Symbian is the main testing platform. In the program, you can set the default mount point, enable / disable maintaining the connection (sending keep-alive packets), enable / disable reconnection, set the number of reconnection attempts. You can also set additional servers for connection (it will work with the one to which it is faster to connect). When talking with a contact, it is possible to copy cut paste text, cancel input, clear the field, add, paste, delete a template, load history (all, for today, for a week, the last 50, 100, 250).

2007. Rambler ICQ 6 - overview new version ICQ client

The rambler company has released a new version of its ICQ client - Rambler icq 6. This version of the program is completely in Russian. Previous version the program was rambler icq 5.1. This updated version of icq 6 rambler has many changes, ranging from appearance to functionality. Let's dwell on them in more detail. Let's start with the fact that the design of ICQ 6 has undergone fundamental changes: the program's appearance is made in the window vista style. The emergence of new animated emoticons also pleases the eyes of users. In terms of functionality, the changes affected: the introduction of a new format for the icq message history, you can send a message directly from the icq contact list, all icq users can be combined in one message window and communicate.

2007. Ultra-compact ICQ messenger

Less is more. Perhaps this saying most accurately characterizes the eleven-kilobyte Tiny ICQ messenger, created by an unknown Ukrainian developer in the Microsoft Visual C ++ 6.0 environment using WinAPI functions. The miniature size of the application is explained simply: it does not have all sorts of adornments and bells and whistles, it is devoid of the usual contact list, file transfer function and a host of other options inherent in modern ICQ clients. The program doesn't even have settings. The only thing that Tiny ICQ can do is send and receive text messages, keep a history of correspondence with various interlocutors and calculate the consumed network traffic. Communicating with Tiny ICQ is as easy as shelling pears. All you need to do is enter your own username and password, by pressing the Login key, register on the server (login.icq.com, port 5190) and start exchanging messages with the interlocutor whose ICQ number is indicated in the Recipient "s UIN field.

2007. PocketPC: Latest version of mChat ICQ client

The mGSLab software developer announced the release of a fresh version of the mChat program. Let us remind you that this is a free ICQ client with an interface in several languages, including Russian. The program also allows you to communicate with users of networks using Jabber and Mail.ru Agent protocols. The new version of mChat 2.3.0.0 announced: support for lists of the ICQ server, visibility, invisibility, ignoring, new x-statuses, search by history, loading the entire contact history, new interface languages. The program is compatible with pocket computers and communicators running the Pocket PC 2002 operating system, Windows Mobile 2003 and up. To work, you need the installed .NET Compact Framework 2.0 library.

2007. VmICQ - alternative ICQ pager for Symbian OS

A new version VmICQ 0.1.7b has been released. This alternative ICQ client for smartphones with symbian os was released relatively recently, but it is rapidly gaining popularity and is already loved by many users of the icq program. VmICQ has many advantages over similar ICQ software for smartphones. The capabilities of the VmICQ program include: changing the password on the icq server, obtaining complete information about the user of the icq network, the ability to select the encoding of sent messages, changing skins, antispam control, answering machine, working with private lists, adding your smiles and much more. In VmICQ 0.1.7b, add / rename / delete groups, add / rename / delete / move icq contacts, authorization request, the ability to allow adding yourself to another icq contact list are implemented.

2007. Talkonaut 3.0.0 - mobile client, with support for icq protocol

Talkonaut is a Jabber client for mobile phones. The program allows you to send instant messages to users of networks such as Jabber, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, AIM and Yahoo, or make voice calls google users Talk, MSN and Yahoo. Talkonaut will allow you to make calls to any SIP numbers and public network phone numbers at fairly low rates. Talkonaut operates on a wide range of Java-enabled mobile phones (J2ME), including Windows Mobile and Palm devices. The new version of the client supports the use of your SIP accounts and Dialing Plans. Allows you to make free calls through existing SIP accounts on any service. The user interface has been significantly improved and restructured. Registration for other IM transports and services has appeared.

2006. Multiservice messenger IM +

Agree, it's stupid in the era of modern digital technologies to waste your time on trifles. Perhaps the same opinion is shared by the developers from the German company SHAPE Services, who presented their multiservice product IM + Mobile Instant Messenger to the general public for a wide variety of mobile devices, including those supporting Java 2 Micro Edition technology. Zest at IM + is a dime a dozen. Firstly, using this messenger, you can simultaneously communicate with users of six popular Internet services at once: ICQ, AOL, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo! and Google Talk. Moreover, the functionality of working with each of the services provided by the program practically does not lag behind the original applications. That is, the history of online conversations is kept, sound notifications of events are supported and different types network connections (via TCP / IP- or HTTP-protocol), there is a mechanism for authorizing new users and status states, the function of downloading a contact list from a remote server and a lot of other "chips" inherent in this or that service are implemented.

2006. Update for Miranda

We used an Internet pager supporting the ICQ protocol Miranda IM in recent times may have encountered connection difficulties. Information appeared on the client's official website that this is due to the next changes in the ICQ protocol, in particular, in the authorization algorithm on the server. Clients who were not prepared for this began to display the error "ICQ Fatal. Connection failed. You were rejected by the server for an unknown reason. This can happen if the UIN is already connected". To fix the error, all Miranda IM users should download the update. After the download is complete, go to the C: ProgramMiranda IMPlugins directory (or by analogy, if Miranda IM was installed in a different directory) and replace the ICQ.dll file with the one you downloaded. detailed information on the official site is here.

2005. Colibry IM multiservice messenger

The free Colibry IM messenger for Java-compatible mobile phones uses the open Jabber protocol to work, thanks to its extensibility, the user is provided with the ability to interact with other systems - ICQ, AIM, MSN and Yahoo. Colibry IM copes with all the main tasks of an instant messenger: receiving / sending messages, receiving information about users, UTF-8 support and some other functions. A distinctive feature of Colibry IM is its incredible "vitality" and performance on many, even "antediluvian" phones - the main thing is that there is a Java interpreter. This is largely achieved due to the presence of two versions of the messenger - graphic and text. A fly in the ointment is added by the need to pre-register on the Jabber server, for which you will have to install the appropriate client on your computer. Without this procedure, alas, it will not be possible to enter the network, and the mobile client does not offer automatic account creation.

2005. Configuring ICQ clients to work behind NAT

When working with ICQ clients from a local network, many are faced with the fact that there is no possibility of transferring files between them. Let's try to figure out what the problem is. ICQ and numerous other alternative clients for file exchange require a direct connection between interlocutors, and in local networks, NAT (Network Address Translation) is usually used to access the Internet - and therefore, when you try to download a file, the connection is not established with your computer, but with the server on which NAT is running - as a result, the file transfer process hangs and is soon interrupted with an error. However, both in the capabilities of most NATs and in the capabilities of more than half of ICQ clients there are functions to solve this problem: Port Forwarding and Not using Proxy (Direct Connection).

2003. ICQ will work on mobile phones

Developers of the popular ICQ instant messaging service are working hard to create a special instant messenger for mobile phones. The ability to send and receive ICQ messages to mobile phones existed earlier. To do this, you can use a two-way SMS gateway, with the help of which ICQ messages are sent to a mobile phone in the form of SMS, and SMS replies to these messages are sent to the ICQ network. In addition, you can work with ICQ through several WAP and i-mode services. However, in terms of usability, these tools are seriously inferior to ICQ clients for personal computers and PDAs. Therefore, ICQ is currently actively cooperating with leading mobile operators in order to create more functional services for accessing the popular Internet pager. In addition to traditional SMS and WAP gateways, versions of ICQ client programs for smartphones are being actively developed. For their development, a mobile version of Java and software development tools for Symbian OS are used.

2017. ICQ launched group video calls in desktop versions of the messenger

The ICQ applications for Windows and Mac now have a group video calling function. Up to four people can take part in a collective audio or video call. Users of ICQ mobile applications can connect to the conversation, but they cannot create their own group calls yet.

2016. ICQ for Windows has updated video calls and chat

ICQ for Windows has new opportunities for chatting and sending multimedia files, as well as an updated VoIP engine. The call interface in ICQ has become simpler and lighter, and the new version of the VoIP engine provides even higher quality audio and video connections with an unstable Internet connection. Moreover, all calls are encrypted. The update will be especially appreciated by owners of low-power configurations, where the acceleration reaches 40%. In chats appeared new gallery, video player, as well as the ability to paste copied files directly into the input field. Unread messages have become more noticeable: they are highlighted in bold. In addition, now you can fit any number of pictures, website previews, audio messages or text into one message.

2016. ICQ for Windows has changed the interface, increased the speed of work 8 times

A new version of ICQ for Windows has been released, which has acquired a minimalistic interface and has become very similar to its mobile incarnation. It also provides the ability to rotate the image during a video conference (which will be appreciated by the owners of Windows tablets and transformers), the VoIP engine has been improved, which provides a higher quality of calls on weak channels. In the new version, the history of correspondence is now synchronized, and all kinds of emoticons, trollfaces, emoji and stickers are placed in a separate tab, where it is much easier to work with them. In addition, ICQ has been significantly accelerated, which is especially felt on accounts with a large number of friends. Application speed has increased 8 times, now ICQ starts instantly. Also, the new ICQ consumes significantly less memory. In addition, the developers opened the source code of the application, because they used the cross-platform Qt toolkit to create a new version.

How can ICQ lure back users from Viber, Whatsapp and Telegram? Perhaps advanced functions for processing the Russian language. For example, creating messages by converting voice to text. This function is now available in ICQ for iOS and Android. Moreover, the developers did not limit themselves to Russian and added recognition of 40 more languages. Initially, such messages are displayed in audio format (which you can listen to), but you can view the text with one touch. Owners of Android smartphones will now also be able to check if the recipient has read the message: a corresponding notification has appeared in the dialogs. ***

2015. ICQ for iOS now features fast video calls and the ability to delete history

ICQ for iOS has been updated: the speed and quality of the connection for calls has increased, and it is also possible to completely delete the conversation history. Thanks to the new version of the VoIP engine, the connection speed in video and audio calls has significantly increased, especially when responding to a push notification is noticeable. Also, the quality of video calls has been improved when the Internet is poor. In addition, the design of the call window has changed: the contact's avatar has become larger, a response button with video has appeared, and the connection status is displayed during a call. Also, iPhone and iPad owners can now permanently erase the entire history of correspondence with the selected contact.

2015. Mail.Ru Agent will give way to ICQ

Both popular Russian messengers Mail.ru Agent and iCQ are owned by the same owner - Mail.ru Group. However, both messengers are noticeably inferior in popularity to Western services such as WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Google Hangouts and Telegram. Therefore, Mail.ru Group decided to unite them under the ICQ brand. The technical unification of these messengers has been going on for 4 years. Moreover, it is interesting that the basis for the merger was the Mail.Ru Agent platform. Currently, users of both messengers can communicate with each other: add to friends, exchange messages, files, stickers, call up. While the Agent continues to work, there will be no forced transfer of its users to ICQ, the company explained.

2014. Video calls appeared in ICQ for iPhone and iPad

New ICQ for iPhone and iPad allows you to make video calls, create group chats, and also log in by phone number. Switching between audio and video occurs immediately during the call - by simply turning on the camera. In addition, at any time during a call, you can easily change the front camera to the main one by touching your image. In the new ICQ, it is easy to create a chat for a large number of participants by selecting the participants in the conversation immediately or add it to an existing dialogue. At any time, you can change the name of the group chat or invite new participants to it. In addition to the usual photos and videos, the new version has the ability to send files of any type - for example, DOC or PDF.

2014. Mail.Ru and ICQ agent for Windows Phone added video calls

Mail.Ru has released new versions of Mail.Ru and ICQ Agent for Windows Phone with support for free video and audio calls. Owners of phones with Windows Phone will now be able to call both among themselves and with owners of devices on iOS and Android, as well as to call desktop versions of messengers. A separate call button has been added to the dialog interface. By clicking on it, the user can choose an audio or video call. In addition, you can change the type of call during the conversation without interrupting the conversation: with one click, the conversation is transferred to video mode and vice versa. All the necessary functions are implemented in the calls: speakerphone, microphone lock, select main or front camera smartphone.

2011. Mail.ru combines Agent and ICQ

Mail.Ru Group announced that it has implemented the compatibility of the two largest messengers in Runet - Mail.Ru Agent and ICQ. Now users of Mail.Ru Agent can send messages to ICQ users and vice versa. Both messengers now work with a single contact database, so from any program you can search for counterparties, regardless of what they use - "Agent" or ICQ. It is important to note that the new functionality is implemented on the server side, so communication with users added from another network is possible in almost all versions of the Mail.Ru Agent and ICQ, including on mobile platforms. Today common base users of two messengers - about 50 million. The main competitor of Mail.ru Agent and ICQ on Runet is the free messenger QIP from RBC. Its audience is about 10 million people.

2011. ICQ opens its protocol to other messengers

The ICQ messenger (owned by Mail.ru Group), which is still popular in our country, has officially opened its protocol for alternative clients. As you know, many IM clients have used the protocol for a long time, but not officially. The new ICQ license agreement clarifies that alternative clients will be able to use the protocol without restrictions if they fulfill a number of conditions. First, it must be non-commercial programs. Mail.ru will give developers of monetized clients an opportunity to discuss the terms of partnership. There is already an example of such cooperation - an agreement signed in February on ICQ support by a Nimbuzz client.

2011. Nimbuzz made up with ICQ

Nimbuzz mobile IM / VoIP client will support ICQ again. Recall that earlier Nimbuzz refused to support this popular instant messaging service in our country due to ICQ's requirement to conclude a license agreement, which implies payment for each user using the popular protocol and contrary to the principles of Nimbuzz - everywhere, always and free. Now the conflict has been resolved, and moreover, Nimbuzz promises to offer users even more opportunities, we will offer - access to the full API from ICQ. This is especially convenient for Nokia Symbian and BlackBerry users, for whom ICQ does not provide a mobile version.

2010. ICQ introduced IM client for Android

After the acquisition by the Russian company Digital Sky Technologies, the ICQ instant messaging system, apparently, begins to develop more actively and return its users who have switched to Jabber, VKontakte and Facebook. The official ICQ mobile client for the Android platform has recently been released. It is already available in the Android Market. The first version of the client turned out to be very simple - with almost no customization, but it has a pleasant appearance and is very convenient to use. Note the integration with Facebook chat. However, the problems with encodings when receiving messages from other messengers are frustrating.

2010. AOL sold ICQ to Russian company DST

AOL sold the popular ICQ messenger to the Russian company Digital Sky Technologies (DST) for $ 187.5 million. AOL itself bought ICQ in 1998 for $ 287 million. Although ICQ was widely adopted as a business tool, the owners developed it mainly as social messenger... In particular, Facebook integration was recently added. This is also consistent with the area of \u200b\u200binterest of DST, which owns a stake in Facebook, Odnoklassniki, Vkontakte and other social projects. Let us remind you that ICQ supports group chat, voice, SMS, video communication, provides a web client and mobile clients for all popular platforms. Today the ICQ database has about 32 million users. About 25% of them are from Runet.

2008. Rambler Media and ICQ sign new partnership agreement

The Rambler Media group of companies and an instant messaging service provider ICQ, a subsidiary of AOL, have announced a new partnership agreement. According to the terms of the new agreement, Rambler and ICQ will continue to cooperate in providing users of the Network with the Russian-language Rambler-ICQ instant messaging service on a non-exclusive basis. “We are pleased to continue our cooperation with ICQ on new terms and are confident that it will be as productive as in previous years,” said Anna Znamenskaya, Rambler Commercial Director. Recall that Rambler and ICQ first entered into a partnership agreement in 2005.

2007. ICQ 6 released

Among the main innovations, in addition to the modernized appearance: Quick IM - the ability to send messages without calling a dialog box (directly from the contact list - the field for entering a message appears under the nickname) and fast access to skipped messages through the system tray. Also, the new version has improved the exchange of SMS-messages, completely redrawn emoticons, improved display of message history and search.

Kaspersky Lab invites companies to scan messages exchanged between their employees via ICQ for viruses. With the help of the new program, they will be able to control the communication of workers and protect themselves from virus attacks. Instant messaging systems are among the most vulnerable, experts say. Many security experts consider instant messaging systems (instant messengers) to be among the most vulnerable to hacker attacks, spam and viruses. Despite the fact that some companies fundamentally prohibit employees from using programs MSN, ICQ, AOL, etc. in the office, the number of people actively using them in business correspondence is growing. According to InfoWatch, an IT security company, 87% of Internet pager users in Russia communicate with each other at their workplaces. Of these, 78% use ICQ and 16% use MSN Messenger. According to the company Mirabilis, which created the ICQ network, about 6 million people use its services in Russia.

2006. The future of ICQ is instant messaging and local calls

Developers of ICQ, the most popular instant messenger in Russia, are testing new program called Compad. It allows you to exchange instant messages on your own network, as well as communicate with AIM and ICQ users (both of these instant messengers are owned by AOL). In addition, you can send messages to email addresses through Compad. But voice communication is not yet supported. The idea that guided ICQ when creating the program is to provide the user with the easiest way to communicate with friends and family. Ideally no need to worry about installation various programs, registering mailboxes, maintaining address books - just type the name in the search bar, and desired contact will be found. But the real state of affairs is far from ideal.

2005. Access to ICQ in the corporate network

When access to ICQ or LiveJournal is closed on the corporate network, and nothing seems to be done, there is an unexpected solution: use GPRS, and only for ICQ- or LiveJournal-traffic. To do this, you need to make sure that packets addressed to the ICQ server are sent via GPRS, and all others - to local area network... And this task is easily solved standard means Windows, namely by setting up TCP / IP routing. So. We connect the phone to the computer and create a GPRS connection in Windows. The name of the connection must contain the word "GPRS" (we will need it later, during automation). Now it is necessary to prohibit the transmission of traffic not intended for it through this connection. To do this, go to the properties of the created connection, to the "Network" tab. There we select the line "Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) and then click the" Properties "button. There we click the" Advanced ... "button and go to the" General "tab. Here you need to uncheck the" Use the default gateway on the remote network. "

2003. ICQ will work on mobile phones

Developers of the popular ICQ instant messaging service are working hard to create a special Internet pager for mobile phones. The ability to send and receive ICQ messages to mobile phones existed before. To do this, you can use a two-way SMS gateway, with the help of which ICQ messages are transmitted to a mobile phone in the form of SMS, and SMS replies to these messages are transmitted to the ICQ network. In addition, you can work with ICQ through several WAP and i-mode services. However, in terms of usability, these tools are seriously inferior to ICQ clients for personal computers and PDAs. Therefore, currently ICQ is actively cooperating with leading mobile operators in order to create more functional services for accessing the popular Internet pager. In addition to traditional SMS and WAP gateways, versions of ICQ client programs for smartphones are being actively developed. For their development, a mobile version of Java and software development tools for Symbian OS are used.

2001. ICQ has released the official Web version

The ICQ company (a subsidiary of America Online) has opened its own service with which you can work with the instant messaging system of the same name through web browser... The service is located at lite.icq.com. Among other things, the system allows you to access previously compiled contact lists and send SMS messages to mobile phones. A version of the ICQ client has also been released, designed for Mac OS starting from version 8.6 and for Mac OS X. Like latest version ICQ for Windows, Mac client allows you to store contact lists not only locally, but also on ICQ servers.

Alternative ICQ clients

In the previous section, when talking about ICQ, only the program of the same name was meant. Now let's talk about the fact that this standard ICQ client has competitors, many of which are not inferior to it in terms of capabilities and popularity. Let's consider such programs, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

The OSCAR protocol itself (which is used to exchange messages in the ICQ system) is closed, and the ICQ network belongs to the American company Time Warner, which does not welcome the use of alternative instant messaging programs. The fact is that the standard ICQ client provides for the display of advertising to end users, which, in turn, generates income for the named company. Alternative programs do not provide for viewing advertisements, which, naturally, is not welcomed by Time Warner.

However, despite this, there are several dozen alternative ICQ clients today. In order to combat their use, changes are regularly made to the OSCAR protocol, which do not in any way affect users of the ICQ program, but have a bad effect on the performance of alternative clients, which is their main drawback common to all such programs. However, all problems of this kind in alternative programs are quickly eliminated by their developers. As always, the choice is up to the reader, and in order to make it, you need to try everything yourself and work with different programs. I will briefly talk about some of them.

The QIP program (http://qip.ru) has recently become more and more popular, especially among Russian-speaking users (Fig. 8.4). It is noteworthy that in Russian the name of this application is read and pronounced as "kip", however, the erroneous pronunciation of "quip" has become widespread.

Figure: 8.4.Main window with a list of contacts in the QIP program

The program is compact, fairly fast and easy to work with. QIP's interface is not as colorful as ICQ's, but the program supports changing the appearance using skins. In addition, the client has some additional features, in particular, anti-spam protection, advanced user status management, and some others. Among the shortcomings of QIP are the lack of cross-platform and closed source code. Obviously, from the point of view of an ordinary user working in the Windows operating system, these disadvantages cannot be called significant.

QIP will be a good solution for both novice users who appreciate its simplicity and ease of use, and experienced users who may like the advanced features of the program.

Unlike the already considered ICQ clients, Miranda IM (http://miranda-im.org) is designed to work not only in the ICQ network, but also in other instant messaging networks (Fig. 8.5).

The functionality of the program can be changed through the use of extension modules - plugins. Using plugins, you can also change the interface language of Miranda IM. The ability to use plugins and support for a large number of protocols are the main advantages of this application.

Miranda IM, like many other alternative ICQ clients, is small in size and undemanding to computer resources. For novice users, the program may seem somewhat complicated, in view of the fact that you need to understand the plug-ins and configure them accordingly. In addition, not everyone may like the rather austere interface of Miranda IM.

Like the previous app, Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com) supports several different instant messaging services (there are more in the paid version). The program has quite beautiful interface (Figure 8.6). Russification of Trillian is possible using a separately downloadable module. Cases of incorrect work with Cyrillic fonts have been reported.

The program supports the possibility of multi-user work - a separate one is created for each user. account with settings for each of the supported communication protocols. From this client, you can even connect to the same network, but under different accounts. You can also import settings and contact list from other programs, which makes the transition to this application quite easy.

In terms of the richness of settings, Trillian, perhaps, can be called the leader among the programs under consideration, so it will be a good solution for experienced users who like to fine-tune programs "for themselves". Of course they will appreciate this application and those who have to communicate on several different networks or on the same network, but using multiple accounts.

Google Talk (http://www.google.com/talk) is an instant messenger from Google. Like all of the giant's products, Google Talk won over its users with Google's distinctive style, simplicity and functional excellence, despite the fact that it is only a beta version of the program (Figure 8.7).

The software product, like all IM programs, allows you to exchange text messages... In addition to them, it is possible to make free calls between users.

The service is inextricably linked with the postal service GMail. A prerequisite for using Google Talk is to have a mailbox with which the program has the same username and password. In addition, the program periodically checks the mailbox and displays notifications about received messages.

The contact list is generated based on the address book. In addition to the addresses entered by the user himself, the list, depending on the settings, may contain addresses from the lists of the most popular and suggested ones.

To carry out free call another user, you need to move the pointer over the address of the called subscriber and press the Call button in the window that appears. In the same window, when you click the Send voicemail button, you can send voice messageif you are too lazy to print it. Also, by pressing the button

you can call the menu. By selecting the appropriate item, you can start a chat with this user, send him a file, a message by mail, view previous conversations, or block the user altogether.

In Google Talk, you can watch videos from popular video services such as YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe, Soapbox, and more without even opening a browser window. To do this, you need to download the GT-Plug add-on (http://www.projetobms.net/gtplug) and install it. After restarting the program, in the settings of the GT-Plug extension, you must select the Preview videos inside chat windows checkbox. If your friends' messages contain a link to a video file, Google Talk will offer to view it either directly in the window or in your default browser.