Windows 7: Instant Messaging

So a good sum of people have been asking me about how instant messaging in Windows 7 works. To be quite honest, there's a very simple answer to the question, "Is instant messaging in Windows 7 as easy and quick as it was before?": Yes. It is extremely simple and quick. Every messenger that I ever used for Windows XP and Vista works as well as it ever did, and in some cases even better.

Of course, I'm sure it would be much more helpful for me to go into detail rather than just blindly state that it works better and expect everyone to believe me. So let us begin with my most used instant messaging software.

AOL (America Online if you've never seen it before) Instant Messenger, or AIM as most of the huge community of people who use it so affectionately call it. I've been using it personally for about three years now; and to be honest I never really thought much of it. It's pretty basic compared to other messengers like Windows Live Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger. Although, after using it extensively this past year, it really has grown on me. Simplicity can be quite a nice thing if you can see the charm within it.

AIM offers the basic instant messaging components (Voice, video, and font customization along with basic contacts list customization), along with the useful feature of being able to list your contacts with their nicknames. My only real complaint about it is the fact that you simply cannot change your screen name. Considering the fact that if you want to change your AIM screen name, you would have to create a whole new account and re-add every friend on your contact list, it is most certainly annoying.

Aside from the very minor problems I have with it, it is a very good instant messaging client; and it runs very well on Windows 7, as anyone would expect. Sending and receiving messages is as quick, simple, and enjoyable as it ever was before. Unfortunately, as of right now AOL has yet to release and update for the client with Windows 7 like Microsoft did with Windows Live Messenger. It is not, however, a Microsoft product, so you can hardly expect such a proposition.


_{Nicknames are an excellent way to remember who's who on your contacts list.}


As you may be able to guess, my next instant messaging client to look over will be Windows Live Messenger. Being my second most used compared to AIM, of course I'm going to review it second. I've been using Windows Messenger and MSN messenger ever since I got connected to the internet. Being laden with features like chat logging, custom themes (if you knew how), complete integration with your Hotmail E-mail address, vibrant and large display pictures, and the infamous "Nudge!" feature, it was always more comfortable for me to use. To my fortune, it only got better and better with almost every release or two. Adding new features like sounds you could send back and forth to annoy your friends, custom emoticons, and backgrounds for your conversations, it definitely still remains the winner when it comes to fun and simple features without any third party intervention.

Coming out with a new release along with the Windows 7 beta builds, I was more than happy to try it out. When I saw the new layout for it, I was taken aback by the similarities to Yahoo! Instant Messenger; especially the contacts list. Getting used to it from the older releases takes at least a day of familiarization; but after doing so you'll find that it's actually more comfortable and has the same features from the old releases, along with some new ones. For example, themes for your conversations, which in my opinion are a nice replacement for the somewhat annoying backgrounds.

If you do a little research, you'll find that for a long while there has been a Plus! release for Windows Live Messenger. Windows Live Plus! adds a full variety of new features: Colored names, Messenger Lock, and deeper, easier to read chat logs to name only a view.


<sub>The new contacts list is large, well arranged, and colorful.


Well arranged chat logs have to be at least one of the coolest features to Windows Live Messenger.
(In the above screenshots, I'm using the latest version of Windows Live Messenger Plus!)</sub>

Now, we move onto the messengers that I rarely, if ever use. Yahoo! Instant Messenger, ICQ, and Trillian. Yahoo! and Triallian are instant messenger clients that I currently never use, and have only sparsely used throughtout my entire time on the internet. ICQ, on the other hand, I used until about four years ago; until I got bored with it because of MSN Messenger. All three of them have their own, unique features, and are very capable instant messaging clients. Given, all three are very different messengers. ICQ has it's simple number system, Yahoo! is a lot like Windows Live, and Trillian is an "all-in-one" instant messenger, supporting anything from Windows Live Messenger to ICQ. Trillian is the most convenient for me considering it holds all of my messengers into one, but it strictly limits the fun, eye candy features.

All three of them, predictably work flawlessly on Windows 7. I didn't have any issue installing, testing, and uninstalling these three messengers at all, and that's a praise that cannot go to Vista.

Note: I recommend turning the UAC either down or off as soon as you install Windows 7. If you leave it all the way up, it's still as obnoxious and intrusive as it was in Windows Vista.


<sub>ICQ's GUI is pretty colorful, even with a lack of friends.


Yahoo! Messenger's GUI is large and colorful. Somewhat Windows Live-esque.


Trillian is excellent if you don't want your space taken up by messengers, or your desktop covered in icons.</sub>


Would I ever use ICQ, Yahoo! or Trillian over AIM or Windows Live Messenger? To be honest, I probably would never choose any of those over my current selection. Why? ICQ is too simple, and just isn't as enjoyable for me; and Yahoo! is a lot like a perverted mixture of AIM and Windows Live Messenger. Trillian is somewhat convenient if you're trying to save a little bit of CPU usage by using one messenger, but the amount saved is so miniscule that I can't ever see myself actually needing to do that.


_{They're taking over!}


Every messenger you see here was installed, tested, and uninstalled (save for AIM and Windows Live Messenger) without a single hitch, or even any lag for that matter. Windows 7 runs each one smoothly, quickly, and efficiently, whereas Windows Vista lagged on all three of those occasions.

I hope this article answered some of your questions, and I hope that it helps you gain some insight as to what Windows 7 is like. Thanks for reading!

Final Note:One last thing: mIRC runs perfectly without any server lag or connection issues. File transfer is smooth and quick as if you were running Windows XP.