Get on Skype! Why haven't you switched?
 

I've been using Skype for 5 years.

And over the past few months I've seen an explosion in the amount of clients and webmasters using Skype. There's a reason for that. And there's no reason anyone should be using ICQ, AIM or anything else.

Wether ICQ is down for the count or not. Who cares? Why would you continue to use such an outdated and unreliable IM?

And, despite popular webmaster belief (haha). You can actually get a lot of shit done over a voice call, Skype screen sharing, file sharing, etc...

Not living in the 20th Century ftw...

offline messaging...

Skype sucks, that's why... :pimp

Skype is the best IM client out there, period. Which one is better?

Google chat is FAR better than skype or icq, you can use it in email directly or a client and combined clients support it. It forward convo's to your phone or email when you shut your email/client, it does voice, video, screens, etc... and it's super fast.

I turn skype on when I need it, like a client needs it, family chat, then it goes right back off.

It's one serious bloated bit of software, far too much crap going on with it, can't strip out the garbage you don't need, can't run it combined with other services (one app), and it has downtime as well.

Offline messaging? When someone is offline why would you message them, they are offline. That's what email is for. Would you try calling someones telephone if you knew their phone was off? No you'd leave a voicemail though maybe.


Anyway, I think Skype's offline messaging works fine.

Offline messaging has never worked perfectly well for any IM clients.

GChat is cool for sure. But not for Mac or Linux, I don't want to have to keeping tabbing to a different window to chat. http://www.google.com/talk/otherclients.html

skype rocks

Works on our Mac and Ubuntu machines perfectly fine, been using it on both for a couple years now.

If you open different software (Skype) then make your tab a unique browser, it's the same thing.

I use Digsby on my PC. Several other clients support it, it also works on the ipad, itouch, smart phones, desktop & mobile apps, and..... you can make your own.

If you had to deliver an important message to someone who is OFFLINE, why would you trust ANY Instant Messaging client with it. Wouldn't you EMAIL or CALL them?

Ah got ya, nice.

How do you know the person isn't online and not just invisible? I'm inv 95% of the time, but people still message me, all day long.

If it's 'actually' important, you're already talking over email or the person is waiting for one, nobody does "important" business over icq.... that's where the details happen.

Exactly. That's why I am saying, who cares about "offline messaging" it's a joke on any platform. ICQ offline messaging, hahahaha....

Offline messaging is very important to me....that's why I like google chat more, the second it's not active it sends to whatever you like. Where ICQ, if your PC crashes and you're talking to someone, you may not get the next msg or two. But I always ask in those cases either way, even on g-chat - if my pc crashed - either way, I've never seen it miss.

Carrier pigeon, or are you using those new fangled 'postcard' things?

Yup skype is way cool:) Sometimes we get a group of guys and shoot the shit:)

Feel free to add me.

it's a huge memory leak....

skype and google chat rock, I would quit ICQ if I could

i've yet to hear skype hacked, but we know gmail/gtalk has been.

Also, google has all your conversations spiderable. I'd rather not have that.

Skype gets hacked exactly the same way as google, icq or them all do.

If you delete your chat from your pc, the history goes with it. At that, with google privacy settings you can customize that so nothing is kept, if you like.

I do not agree with what you are saying here...

Why not use both and leave poreference at the door since they are virtually the same. They both have their ups n downs but I certainly wouldnt say skype is better.

Skype's calling features blow ICQ out of the water. Also screen sharing, file sharing, etc. It's just an all around better application.

at least you can choose the client you want to use to connect to the icq network. No such freedom when it comes to skype....

More features does not "an all around better application" make. *insert yoda pic*

skype = leaks more memory than a zombie with Alzheimer's who just got shot in the back of the head.

Using more memory isn't a concern, It's been running just fine alongside all my other applications with no issues for 5+ years.

I'm not saying "more features" makes it better, I'm saying the way Skype does it is better. Again, never had any issues using Skype. But with ICQ, AIM, or others, way to many issues over the past years.

Why dont people use AIM anymore? It is still a great IM client and now has video and voice chat and the video is always better for me then skype is.

Yep, nothing beats handing a piece of paper over during a handshake.