Instant Messaging

1
Instant Messaging

• Nil Lakavivat
• Stanislav Goryachev
• Calle Spång

2
Content

• Introduction
• History
• Different protocols, clients
• Standardization attempts
• Additional features

3
Introduction

• Real time, text based communication between two
  or more people
• The messages are transfered over a network.
• Examples (active accounts)
• QQ (783 million)
• Skype (309 million)
• Windows Live Messenger (294 million)
• Yahoo! Messenger (248 million)

4
History

• Predecessors (mid 1960s)
• Quantum Link (late 80s- early 90s)
• IRC (late1980s)
• ICQ (1996)
• Jabber (2000)
• Instant messanger service mark

5
Protocols

• Standardization

Name Creator License Transport Layer Security Spam protection
MSNP Microsoft Proprietary No No
OSCAR AOL Proprietary Yes Client based
XMPP Jaramie Miller Open Yes Yes
QQ Tencent Inc Proprietary ? ?
Skype Skype Proprietary ? ?
6
Clients
Name Creator Released Type OS
Adium Adam Iser, Evan Schoenberg 2001 Multi protocol OSX
AOL Instant Messenger AOL 1997 Single protocol Windows, OSX, Linux
Google Talk Google Inc. 2005 Dual protocol Windows, Web based
ICQ Mirabilis 1996 Single protocol Windows
Skype Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis 2003 Single protocol Windows, OSX, Linux
QQ Tencent 1999 Single protocol Windows, OSX, Linux
Windows Live Messenger Microsoft 2001 Dual protocol Windows

7
Pros Cons

• Pros
• Easy and fast communication
• Distance
• Conference Meetings
• Cons
• Security risks
• Inappropriate use
• Privacy