iChat, one man's meat ...
in [UK Mac]
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From: T i m on 7 Dec 2009 05:48 Hi All, Following on from the recent Skype thread I had the opportunity to try iChat. First point. I actually had to quickly download and install IAM for Mac first to re-establish contact with my test chatee (I had been talking to them on IAM for Win before rebooting). I had to go into IAM as I couldn't see how to start iChat (I clicked on the icon in the dock, it bounced, stopped but nothing actually happened). I could get menu bar to reflect iChat but there was no obvious way to sign in? Is this what normally happens on the first use or had something been set previously and changed that process (I can't remember playing with it previously but may well have done). So I had to ask my chatee for help re signing in and once I was pointed in the right direction (and how to do that didn't immediately appear 'obvious' to them either) I remembered the 'Mac way" (little + to add a new account or setting) and away we went. (FWIW I went on to install Pidgin, Trillian and SIP Communicator (on XP) and they all prompted me for account info on the first run.) Then we actually started the text chat and I predict I'll be the only one here who finds the speech bubble - alternate sides / colours format a bit 'silly' (I think I've since read they can be turned off but can that be done as a default please)? Again, I don't generally turn on (in fact often 'turn off') any frills, preferring plain simple text on a white background (and left justified). Also I found the need to look from the left then the right and mentally aligning the order of the text a bit clumsy. Reading the black text on the different coloured bubbles required more effort than any advantage it may have given. However, I was able to set an Avatar picture up fairly easily and I liked the way you could scale it 'live'. But, I don't generally use he same picture all the time, nor do many of the people I chat to so that would make knowing who I was talking to less defined than an IM client that (also) uses the nick (could be enabled on iChat?). This would be more confusing in a conference type chat (to me anyway). So, can I use it, of course. Do I like / prefer it to the other IM clients I have used, not really. Cheers, T i m
From: Woody on 7 Dec 2009 06:24 T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > Hi All, > > Following on from the recent Skype thread I had the opportunity to try > iChat. > > First point. I actually had to quickly download and install IAM for > Mac first to re-establish contact with my test chatee (I had been > talking to them on IAM for Win before rebooting). I had to go into IAM > as I couldn't see how to start iChat (I clicked on the icon in the > dock, it bounced, stopped but nothing actually happened). I could get > menu bar to reflect iChat but there was no obvious way to sign in? Is > this what normally happens on the first use or had something been set > previously and changed that process (I can't remember playing with it > previously but may well have done). Odd. What is IAM? > Then we actually started the text chat and I predict I'll be the only > one here who finds the speech bubble - alternate sides / colours > format a bit 'silly' (I think I've since read they can be turned off > but can that be done as a default please)? I am sure there must be something in preferences, I was never fussed either way. I have since got used to it on the iPhone for messages, where although I don't really like the bubble thing, I do like the sides > However, I was able to set an Avatar picture up fairly easily and I > liked the way you could scale it 'live'. But, I don't generally use he > same picture all the time, nor do many of the people I chat to so that > would make knowing who I was talking to less defined than an IM client > that (also) uses the nick (could be enabled on iChat?). That can be enabled on iChat, yes, try the prefs again. Luckily everyone I know keeps the same image, or changes it very irregulalrly (or in one case, changes it for related images, ie, pics of alice from alice in wonderland), whereas a few of the MSN people seem to change their nicks all the time (which seems odd, but I guess it is the way of the Yoof of today) > This would be > more confusing in a conference type chat (to me anyway). > > So, can I use it, of course. Do I like / prefer it to the other IM > clients I have used, not really. No, I never use it, it really is a poor relation to adium (but then to me, everything is a poor relation to adium!). -- Woody
From: T i m on 7 Dec 2009 07:12 On Mon, 7 Dec 2009 11:24:52 +0000, usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk (Woody) wrote: > >Odd. What is IAM? Institute of Advanced Motorists, they use AIM ...(doh) ;-) > >> Then we actually started the text chat and I predict I'll be the only >> one here who finds the speech bubble - alternate sides / colours >> format a bit 'silly' (I think I've since read they can be turned off >> but can that be done as a default please)? > >I am sure there must be something in preferences, I was never fussed >either way. I did look (all be it briefly). > I have since got used to it on the iPhone for messages, >where although I don't really like the bubble thing, I do like the sides On the desktop version I've read when you can right click in the chat box and turn it off. Not sure if that's only for that session / chat window though. > >> However, I was able to set an Avatar picture up fairly easily and I >> liked the way you could scale it 'live'. But, I don't generally use he >> same picture all the time, nor do many of the people I chat to so that >> would make knowing who I was talking to less defined than an IM client >> that (also) uses the nick (could be enabled on iChat?). > >That can be enabled on iChat, yes, try the prefs again. Luckily everyone >I know keeps the same image, or changes it very irregulalrly (or in one >case, changes it for related images, ie, pics of alice from alice in >wonderland), whereas a few of the MSN people seem to change their nicks >all the time (which seems odd, but I guess it is the way of the Yoof of >today) Indeed. Our daughter can change her pic several times during one convo. Something else I turned off in Skype (and MSN) is the mood thing .... and I don't have the bit where it shows people what music you are listening to (not that it would ever display much from me), oh, and nudges and other effects ..... "200 channels and all locked out" (Ned Flanders on his Satellite box). ;-) > >> This would be >> more confusing in a conference type chat (to me anyway). >> >> So, can I use it, of course. Do I like / prefer it to the other IM >> clients I have used, not really. > >No, I never use it, it really is a poor relation to adium (but then to >me, everything is a poor relation to adium!). I had a look at SIP Communicator / multi IM client (on XP) as I realised when I answered TOG elsewhere there isn't a Mac version of the Sipgate X-Lite softphone (that is pre-configured when you download it) and SipC was supported on OSX. Not managed to configure it to work on Sipgate yet but it does work with MSN and AIM though. Cheers, T i m
From: Peter Ceresole on 7 Dec 2009 07:26 T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > Then we actually started the text chat and I predict I'll be the only > one here who finds the speech bubble - alternate sides / colours > format a bit 'silly' (I think I've since read they can be turned off > but can that be done as a default please)? I hope not; it's by far the clearest visual indication of what's going on. The bubbles display the extent of the text, the colour separates it from the background of the window and the alternating sides instantly set up the flow of the dialogue. All of these things make it easier to follow. If you have trouble looking left and right, then just narrow the window until it all reads easily for you. -- Peter
From: T i m on 7 Dec 2009 07:48
On Mon, 7 Dec 2009 12:26:16 +0000, peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk (Peter Ceresole) wrote: >T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > >> Then we actually started the text chat and I predict I'll be the only >> one here who finds the speech bubble - alternate sides / colours >> format a bit 'silly' (I think I've since read they can be turned off >> but can that be done as a default please)? > >I hope not; it's by far the clearest visual indication of what's going >on. Not for everyone though. ;-) > The bubbles display the extent of the text, the colour separates it >from the background of the window You can have colour in all the other IM clients (text and sometimes background). > and the alternating sides instantly >set up the flow of the dialogue. One after the other also sets up the flow of the dialogue without needing the extra complexity. > All of these things make it easier to >follow. For some. > >If you have trouble looking left and right, then just narrow the window >until it all reads easily for you. But that's the point, I don't want to have to adjust the thing to make it easier to use, it should be easy 'as is' (and most of them are for me in comparison). Q, If that concept was so good, why isn't it implemented on more (any other?) IM clients? Cheers, T i m |