Tretakoff Musings
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hush Hush
I do like Google's IM venture, Google Talk, for a number of reasons: it's built on open standards platforms (Jabber), it allows clever integration with Gmail, and it allows VOIP in a straightfoward, no nonsense fashion that Yahoo, MSN, and AOL seem to eschew. However, I don't use the Google Talk client; instead, I use Trillian, a multi-IM application, allowing me to be on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, and Google Talk all at once (disclosure: I am actually beta testing Trillian Astra, the next version.)
Today, I noticed in a chat with my buddy Tim a new line that appeared in our chat log:
Intriguing! I investigated further, and found this link, and it's explanation:
Smart. Very smart.
I do like Google's IM venture, Google Talk, for a number of reasons: it's built on open standards platforms (Jabber), it allows clever integration with Gmail, and it allows VOIP in a straightfoward, no nonsense fashion that Yahoo, MSN, and AOL seem to eschew. However, I don't use the Google Talk client; instead, I use Trillian, a multi-IM application, allowing me to be on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, and Google Talk all at once (disclosure: I am actually beta testing Trillian Astra, the next version.)Today, I noticed in a chat with my buddy Tim a new line that appeared in our chat log:
Intriguing! I investigated further, and found this link, and it's explanation:"What does it mean to go off the record?This is fascinating. I archive all of my IM chats, allowing for easy searches within Trillian for recall later; this becomes extremely important with conversations with employees, clients, and partners. But to be able to integrate this into Google search results? Wow, who needs Google Desktop?
We know that sometimes, we don't want a particular chat, or chats with a specific person, to be saved. Most existing IM services give no indication of whether the person you're chatting with is saving your conversation. But when chatting in Google Talk or Gmail, you can go "off the record," so that nothing typed from that point forward gets automatically saved in anyone's Gmail account.
Going off the record applies to individual people, and is persistent across chats. That means once you go off the record with a particular person, you will always be off the record with him or her, even if you close the chat window, and the two of you don't chat again until several months later. You will not need to go off the record each time you chat with the same person, but you will need to make this decision for each person you chat with. We've designed this to be a socially-negotiated setting because we want to give users full disclosure and control over whether the person they're talking to can save their chat."
Smart. Very smart.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Could I be happier? Trillian gets Widgets!
Well, installation of Trillian Astra was a breeze. So far, nice skins (and you can change them without restarting!), great layout view, and smooth operation. But...wait...what's that I see, buried in my Astra profile? I can add...widgets? I have died and gone to Trillian heaven. They are elegant, very nice to look at, and useful as all hell! Weather is sweet, the Flickr widget is so cool (compared to the Yahoo Widget Engine one, which I expected FAR more from), and the Twitter one makes following tweets easy!I'm looking for the RSS feed one to come out NOW...then we're talking!
Well, installation of Trillian Astra was a breeze. So far, nice skins (and you can change them without restarting!), great layout view, and smooth operation. But...wait...what's that I see, buried in my Astra profile? I can add...widgets? I have died and gone to Trillian heaven. They are elegant, very nice to look at, and useful as all hell! Weather is sweet, the Flickr widget is so cool (compared to the Yahoo Widget Engine one, which I expected FAR more from), and the Twitter one makes following tweets easy!I'm looking for the RSS feed one to come out NOW...then we're talking!
Woo-HOO! I'm a Trillian Astra Beta tester!
Remember when you used to actually enjoy getting emails? Well, I just had that feeling, as my Gmail let me know that I was just accepted as a Trillian Astra beta tester! Yep, I've just downloaded the ecstasy that is the next generation of unified instant messaging, so I'll be reporting on my impressions as they happen.
Look out, world: I'm on the future of IM. ;-)
Just a side note: over 4 years ago, I started converting a page of my website to a series of random ramblings and impressions of cool gadgets, things in my world, and more, for my family and friends to enjoy. Since then, blogging has gone mainstream, and many of my friends have started their own blogs, which are a blast to read. It's something I could not have envisioned, nor was I sure how long I'd keep up with it, but, despite several false starts, different blogging platforms, and long absences that my work enforces, I'm proud to celebrate my 500th post in this blog. I've enjoyed every bit of it, and have recently expanded the distribution to my Plaxo network, so that my co-workers and business contacts can see there is a very passionate Dallas Cowboys loving, mobile and travel bitching gadget and widget freak who just won't shut up.
Thanks to all of you who provide feedback, and read; it's quite a ride.
Remember when you used to actually enjoy getting emails? Well, I just had that feeling, as my Gmail let me know that I was just accepted as a Trillian Astra beta tester! Yep, I've just downloaded the ecstasy that is the next generation of unified instant messaging, so I'll be reporting on my impressions as they happen.Look out, world: I'm on the future of IM. ;-)
Just a side note: over 4 years ago, I started converting a page of my website to a series of random ramblings and impressions of cool gadgets, things in my world, and more, for my family and friends to enjoy. Since then, blogging has gone mainstream, and many of my friends have started their own blogs, which are a blast to read. It's something I could not have envisioned, nor was I sure how long I'd keep up with it, but, despite several false starts, different blogging platforms, and long absences that my work enforces, I'm proud to celebrate my 500th post in this blog. I've enjoyed every bit of it, and have recently expanded the distribution to my Plaxo network, so that my co-workers and business contacts can see there is a very passionate Dallas Cowboys loving, mobile and travel bitching gadget and widget freak who just won't shut up.
Thanks to all of you who provide feedback, and read; it's quite a ride.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Astra is almost here
Trillian is my IM lifesaver. I'm on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, Skype...the list goes on. It's an invaluable tool for communicating with my clients, co-workers, and friends. The only downside of IM is that everyone is on different networks. Trillian has always filled that need, with an incredibly powerful, sexy, and ultimately great muti-service IM client. I'm an addict.
So, what's the next best thing to Trillian? How about Trillian Astra, the next generation client. All of what is good about Trillian, with fixes for the slight bad things...and a passel of new features. Suffice it to say, this is one of the few pieces of software I look forward to paying for.
Before you get on me about the other IM clients, I've tried them all; trust me, none compare to Trillian. And web based IM? Forget it; I live in the real world. Astra will be my new favorite application. Count on it.
So, what's the next best thing to Trillian? How about Trillian Astra, the next generation client. All of what is good about Trillian, with fixes for the slight bad things...and a passel of new features. Suffice it to say, this is one of the few pieces of software I look forward to paying for.Before you get on me about the other IM clients, I've tried them all; trust me, none compare to Trillian. And web based IM? Forget it; I live in the real world. Astra will be my new favorite application. Count on it.
