Forum Subjects

If you are on a board that has multiple forums, each with its own description of what kind of stuff should go into that forum, read the blasted descriptions before you post! Nothing pisses moderators off faster than having to police your poorly aimed topics, and even if they let you be, your fellow posters will probably chew you out for wasting their time.

Subject Lines

Folks, these are there for a reason. They let other people know what you want to talk about. Don't make them impossible to figure out, with meaningless drivel like "Wanted to know", or "My Opinion". Put real, useful clues in them to explain the post topic. This gets the attention of people who have an interest in the subject, rather than either a)being ignored, which gets you no responses/help, or b) annoying people who open your message just in case, because they don't want to miss anything, and find their time wasted.

Please consider. If you are reading the posts on a board, and see a subject like "A Question...", what does this tell you about the post inside? Absolutely nothing! What does it tell you about the poster? Probably that they can't organize their thoughts well enough to be worth reading in the first place!

Language Skills

Look, no one expects a PhD in literature on a forum, but if you write as though you were an idiot, people will think you are an idiot. The basics of spelling, punctuation, and grammar are not beyond the grasp of an 8-year-old, so you should probably do OK, if you at least try. And don't give me any crap about how you never went to school, have a learning disability, or no one on your MMORPG has any trouble understanding you! All we're asking is that you try, just a little. This isn't just about people being anal, we don't understand what you are saying! The harder people have to work to read your post, the more negatively inclined they will be toward you and your subject.

Spelling's a big one. It's really a no-brainer. If you have spelling issues, use a spell checker. You don't even have to do any of the work yourself, for Pete's sake! Also, if you choose to use an unfamiliar word, make sure it's the right one. Many words sound the same, but are spelled differently, and mean completely different things. Picking the wrong one makes you look like an uneducated boob. If I write a post about taking the sun to school this morning, you'll probably figure out what I really meant, but you'll think I'm a dumb-ass...

Punctuation is also a huge deal, despite what you might think. Again, we don't need thesis-level work on the correct usage of semicolons in the case of multiple adjectival clauses here, just follow three simple rules:

1. Wherever you would pause while saying the sentence out loud, put in a comma. This way we know what parts of a sentence are linked together.
   
2. When you've put together a bunch of sentences that relate to a common point, and are going to move on to a new point, you have completed a paragraph. In honor of this rare and joyous event, skip a line before you start the next one.
   

Grammar's a tough one, I'll admit it. Even the most anal board posters will sometimes disagree on what's the right way to say something. Just give it your best shot, and know that of the three language skills, this is the one most people will give you a pass on, as long as you get the others right.

Message Length

Throw us a bone here, folks, if you've answered a post with a one or two word response, you are wasting all our time and resources at the very least, and are risking banishment for trying to boost you post count at the worst. This will not make you any friends.

Likewise, give our eyeballs a break on the long ones, people! This is a tough one. How do you find the line between a well reasoned, detailed response versus a droning, endless lecture/sermon? Well, here's a simple guideline. If your logic to describe a single point requires more than one paragraph, and you have more than one point to make, you are writing a lecture. I refer you to my basic point from the language skills section: "The harder people have to work to read your post, the more negatively inclined they will be toward you and your subject." If you find yourself writing a lecture, consider a) putting it in multiple posts, if you only have two or three points, b) assuming your audience can think rationally and only writing a couple of sentences per point (this has risks, including the need to re-explain misunderstood points later), or c) summarizing your essay in your post, and then putting in links to one or more articles (like this one) which give your detailed rationales for those invested enough in the topic to go read them.

Discussions vs. Arguments

You will *NEVER* win a debate by attacking your opponent individually. Period. You can pick apart their logic. You can even quote their own previous statements back to them. However, as soon as you use a phrase like "You always do this", "The problem with people like you is", or "You don't seem to be capable of understanding my simple logic", you have crossed the line. In fact, if you even say something that implies a personal attack, you have crossed the line. From that point on, barring well orchestrated outside intervention and/or mediation, your exchange will no longer bear any fruit, because an attacked mind is on the defensive, and closed to anything further you have to say. All you can do from there is gather supporters and let the flame war begin.

So before you let your frustration, however understandable or warranted, be expressed in your message, consider that a) you may have misunderstood them, b) they may have misunderstood you, and c) even if neither of the previous are true, the moment you click the send button on an attacking message, you've already conceded defeat.

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Sometimes you really, really want to see that page - it sounded so interesting, after all!  Then you get the 404 message and your head starts to ache.  Why on earth create the page just to take it away again?  It's so not fair!  The message is, put simply, a standard response code.  It indicates to the user that they were able to get through to the server of the site they are attempting to access but said server could not find what they had requested.

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Why have a computer generated graphic when you can turn the 404 in to something approaching art.  There isn't even an expletive in sight as this generous minded techie takes us through the various reasons we may have got the message.  It is strange that an artist such as Banksy has not taken the 404 to heart, considering its penetration of our collective mindset!

404s can also occur when a server is configured not to carry out the request for the page and does not reveal why.  The message "Server Not Found", however, is completely different.  It means that no connection could be made in any way, shape or form to the destination server.

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Zivity is a slightly risqué website.  Why its 404 page is so coy is a mystery, but at least it doesn't accuse you of inbred stupidity, like many websites!  404 being the area code for Southern Alberta in the United States of America is quite enough already, thank you!

When a request is made from a web browser for a web page (HTML document) then a server is required to respond.  What you see, instead of your requested page, is an email-like message with a numeric response.  The first 4 indicates a client error (that's you!). This could be as simple as a mistyped URL.

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The failboat indicates that the page you have requested is not found.  This is a combination of the 404 message and the "Fail" culture, similar to Lolcats, that has over or underwhelmed (depending on your sense of humor and appetite for repetition) the internet recently.  While on the subject of transport, 404 is also the name of a route which traverses Maryland in the USA.  There might be a slight frisson of amusement for any computer (il)literate person who gets on to this particular route. 

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German books are as sensible as the German people.  It would be great to see a real book with this message on the four hundred and fourth page, though it could be imagined that after a very short time it might become a little tedious!  Incidentally, talking of books, it was in 404 AD that the Buddhist monk Huiyan wrote the book "On Why Monks Do Not Bow Down Before Kings".  It was one of the first written arguments about why the state and religion should be separate.  This was in China, which has certainly succeeded in that in the last century or so, but perhaps not in the way that Huiyan was imagining!

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The dead duck of dead ducks has had the rise taken out of him so systematically on the internet that it is almost possible to feel a little sorry for him.  Perhaps not, but this Mister President will certainly not be left holding the baby.  Perhaps, though, history will be a kinder judge than his contemporaries?  Or perhaps not!

After the first 4 of the 404, the next two digits indicate to you tat there is a specific error encountered.  This three digit coding echoes similar usage in earlier protocols, such as NNTP and FTP.

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This was no doubt irresistible to the weary traveler who had to lay his head down in room 404 of an hotel somewhere in the world.  This is one of about a zillion pictures on the same theme that can be found out there, but the cheekiness of the message left on the board is such that it cannot fail to raise a smile.  However weak and feeble the smile, a small one at least.  No? 

Image Source - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jzawodn/492734133/

The marketing people at this stadium may have thought it would be a hoot to put the advertisement for which Yahoo had probably paid thousands of dollars next to the empty advertizing space listed as 404.  No doubt the smile was on the other side of their face when Yahoo demanded its money back!  Whether a knowing attempt at a sly dig or a completely innocent mistake, this one would have had raised a few eyebrows!

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Darth Vader gets his own take on the 404 with a broken light saber.  The combination of Star Wars and the internet is difficult to resist!  However, the 404 message can often be a little extreme - blaming the user in no uncertain terms and calling them names that would make even politicians and bankers blush.  It is often not the user who is responsible for the error.  It is interesting to note, then, that the last gladiatorial combat took place in the Roman coliseum in the year 404.  The pesky went from being fed to the lions to changing the rules altogether, the spoilsports!

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This Mailbox has seen much better days!  Perhaps it hasn't been found by its owners for a few years.  Meanwhile at the HTTP level, 404s are usually followed by a reason that can be read by you.  Many web servers issue an HTML page (a web page) that simply states that the page cannot be found.  Although this phrase is customized rarely, is sometimes misleading as the user thinks that they have mistyped the URL and try again.  And again and again.  This often results in the manual removal of a PC through a window, known as defenestration to many.

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The Times online got a little more honest with its 404.  The page isn't ready to be seen (even though it probably exists) so they put up a message instead which says that they have all gone to the pub.  This is terribly British humor but was, quite likely, true.

It has to be noted here that it is not always the poor computer user's fault that they have received a 404.  The URL they have requested could be completely accurately typed in to their browser.  Often, pages have been moved or deleted altogether.  In the case of the former, then a 301 response would have been far more appropriate.  In the latter, a 410 ("gone") response would have been much better.  However, these responses need the website's servers to be specially configured and out of sheer laziness the 404 has become the prevalent, if somewhat sloppy, response.

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The Failwhale takes a variation on the current trend for "FAIL" memes and adds its own twist with a little rhyming.

The British Telecom Group in 2004 deployed a locking system known as "Cleanfeed" and incorrectly used the 404 message.  This blocked any pages that had been deemed or identified as illegal by Big Brother, sorry, the Internet Watch Foundation.  So, the pages were there but the user was not allowed to view them because they contained material that was, if bought on printed paper, liable to get the reader more than just a slapped wrist.

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From Whales to Wales!  This beautiful country, just to the left of England (both politically and geographically!) has more mammals of an ovine nature than those classified as sapiens.  A place, as the saying goes, where women are women, men are men and the sheep are afraid.  This 404 was found in the country's middle region, near the small town of Aberystwyth.  Perhaps this is the herbivore's attempt to make herself "not found" before she can be used and abused!  Perhaps it worked, but it is expected that this lamb was still for the chop pretty soon afterwards!

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The Computer Technicians may well have arranged their lab to be situated in room 404.  With tongues fairly firmly rooted in their cheeks, of course!  You may also receive a 404 message if you try to access what is known as a dead link.  It can also be called a broken link or - rather provocatively - a dangling link.  The link may also be dead because of firewalls or content filters not allowing access to the page.

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The Twitter guys took the concept of the internet meme of lolcats, which continues to be irrationally popular to produce a number of its incredibly popular 404 messages.  People would actually type in the wrong URL in order to see one of the various 404 pussy messages that were produced over the space of a few years.  Of dear!  It is akin to the advertisements being better than the shows on the television!

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Such is the incursion in to our culture of the 404 that it is even appearing on clothing.  What it actually says about the person who wears 404 on their chest is another thing entirely.  Perhaps a great T shirt to buy just before you start college if your intention is to ingest substances both natural and man made that may render you "Not found" in terms of your general level of consciousness, cognition and presence in class!

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While most people say that they couldn't live without the internet once they have been exposed to it for a year or two and succumb to its charms, many public libraries must rue the day that a certain Mr Berners-Lee had his bright idea.  Chelmsford library, however, have kept up with the times and when their users attempt to get to a book which they do not have in stock, then they get this message.  So, it's not your traditional 404, but it certainly indicates that librarians have a sense of humor too!

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Ontario International airport, like many others, has its own 404.  One would be a little unsettled to go through this gate.  Have any film makers, doing an airport disaster movie, had the notion to make the departure gate 404?  Answers on a postcard, please!  Perhaps the passengers on the TV series "Lost" made their way on to their fatal flight through gate 404!

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A list wouldn't be a list these days with at least one Photoshop fan's take on the subject.  Here, the road is not found.  Ah, the path less travelled and so on!  Perhaps this is not unlike link rot, which is when the links on a page gradually lead nowhere.  This is when the sites to which they link change content, disappear altogether or go to new locations.  The road to nowhere, indeed!

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A final, fresh take on the 404 by Heinz, appropriate that a company with so many varieties should offer its own on the page not found message!

ATM Distinguished Service Record

To do this I will present a short summary style review of ATM as a protocol and then discuss the implications of this technology as it applies to the end-user (consumer).

The reason I have elected to use ATM to demonstrate and illustrate these contentious issues is that most consumer ADSL2+ implementations offer PPPoE or PPPoA as their transport protocols (at least here in Australia). PPPoA stands for Point-to-Point Protocol over Asynchronous Transfer Mode while PPPoE means Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet.

ATM has a long and distinguished service record for voice communications, is ideally suited to multiplexing environments and can be readily configured to carry VoIP traffic streams. Now for a little background about ATM and all will become clear.

Introducing Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)

Originally intended to be a unified networking strategy Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a connection-oriented, circuit-switched, cell relay “Jack-of-all-trades” transport protocol that uses small uniform fixed-sized cells to redress Quality of Service (QoS) issues so important to voice/video communications and the multitude of streaming applications upon which we are all so dependant.

ATM Origins and Development

During development of the standards for the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), in the mid 1980s, the goals were to create a unified networking strategy that could act as an all-round transport system for real-time video and audio as well as for image, text and email. ATM is pretty much a “Jack-of-all-trades” transport system.

The two groups primarily responsible for the development of the ATM standards were the International Telecommunications Union [ITU 2004] and the ATM Forum [ATM 2004].

Over time we have seen that the majority of implementations and uses that ATM has fulfilled have been primary concerned with telephony and IP networks. Ethernet and the Internet Protocol (IP) are packet-switched network technologies that use packets of variable size referred to as frames.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Protocol Basics

In marked contrast to packet-switched networking technologies; ATM is a connection-oriented, Data Link Layer (OSI Reference Model Layer 2), circuit-switched, cell relay protocol that runs over Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) Physical Layer links (OSI Reference Model Layer 1) using cells of identical and never varying size. Consistent predictability is the underlying ethos here.

Being a connection-oriented channel-based technology means that ATM must always establish a “logical” connection between the two endpoints prior to commencement of data exchange. Significantly, ATM encodes data traffic into small uniform fixed-sized cells. ATM cells are always 53 bytes in size and are comprised of 48 bytes of data and 5 bytes of header information.

ATM Cell Structure

Regardless of the original size of the packets to be transmitted ATM breaks all packets, data, and voice streams into 48-byte chunks and then adds a 5-byte routing header to each one thereby making a total of 53-bytes for each and every cell. The 5-byte header is essential for later reassembly. During development of ATM it was considered that 10% (5 bytes) of each cell (payload) being dedicated to the header for routing information was more than sufficient.

ATM multiplexes these 53-byte cells instead of the larger packets and in so doing reduces the worst-case queuing jitter by a factor of almost 30, thereby removing the need for echo cancellers.

ATM defines two different cell formats: the Network-Network Interface (NNI) and the User-Network Interface (UNI). Most ATM links use the UNI cell format.

ATM Adaption Layers (AAL)

ATM Adaptation Layers (AAL) are the rules for segmenting and reassembling packets and streams into cells. It is the AALs that provide the support for the various services delivered by ATM. AALs may provide constant bit rate services, circuit emulation, variable bit rate services or general data transport services.

Currently, there are five different AALs and the information concerning which one is being used for each cell on a cell-by-cell basis is not contained within the cell or in the cell header. Rather, this information is negotiated by or configured at the endpoints on a per-virtual-connection basis.

ATM Connectivity

Because ATM is a connection-oriented channel-based technology it must establish a “logical” connection between the two endpoints prior to commencement of data exchange. ATM does this by implementing Virtual Circuits, Channels, Paths and Identifiers as follows:

• Virtual Circuits (VC) - Virtual Circuits (VC) are admirably suited to multiplexing scenarios. Simply by including an 8-bit or 12-bit Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) and a 16-bit Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI) pair in every ATM frame's header each Virtual Circuit (VC) is uniquely identifiable.
• Virtual Channel - An ATM Virtual Channel represents the basic means of communication between two end-points. Cells are given a unique identifier called the Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI) which is placed into the ATM cells' header. All ATM cells containing identical VCIs are transported in the same Virtual Channel.
• Virtual Path (VP) - A Virtual Path (VP) denotes the transport of ATM cells belonging to virtual channels which share a common identifier called a Virtual Path Identifier (VPI). The VPI is included in the header of every ATM frame. In other words a Virtual Path (VP) is a bunch of Virtual Channels (VC) connecting the same end-points. These will also have a common traffic allocation.
• Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) - The Virtual Path Identifier's (VPI) length varies depending on the interface it is sent on (inside the network or on the edge of the network).

ATM Traffic Contracts

When an ATM circuit is set up each ATM switch is informed of the traffic class of the connection. These ATM contracts constitute part of ATM's Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms. There are four basic types of contracts: constant bit rate, variable bit rate, available bit rate and unspecified bit rate.

ATM Traffic Shaping and Policing

Now we get to a couple of the basic underpinning capabilities of ATM that ISPs can use at their “godly” discretion to put the brakes on your Internet Surfing and downloading pleasures.

Firstly however; I must point out that when ATM was being developed the developers may have been viewing the world through rose-colored glasses as their primary reasons for incorporating these particular aspects in the ATM protocol were all about network service, performance and quality of service. High ideals indeed but none-the-less crucial for real-time voice and video communications along with many of today's streaming media applications.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case, many a good intention/idea has been later subverted. Let us have a quick look at them here:

Traffic Shaping - The intended objective of traffic shaping is to ensure that cell flow will meet its traffic contract and is usually done at the entry point to an ATM network.

Traffic Policing - To maintain network performance it is possible to “police” virtual circuits against their traffic contracts. Basic policing works on a cell by cell basis, but this is sub-optimal for encapsulated packet traffic.

Remember traffic contracts are negotiated between customer and service provider on a service-by-service basis. The customer requires a certain amount of bandwidth and pays the service provider accordingly. The service provider for their part agrees to make available and deliver that agreed minimum bandwidth.

For example if a customer required a certain minimum data bandwidth the service provider could ensure that this was met by electing to implement a set specific constant bit rate traffic contract. The ATM switches at either end are configured appropriately and the automatic traffic policing should ensure that this is the way things are.

Service level delivery guarantees are thus monitored automatically and any undesired anomalies or variations can be dealt with by the ATM switches logic. No prizes for guessing that this is not a labor-intensive activity and hence is a favorite with ISPs.

If a circuit is exceeding its traffic contract, the network can either drop the cells or mark the Cell Loss Priority (CLP) bit (to identify a cell as being discardable farther down the line). In instances where that part of the ISP's network carrying the traffic contract bandwidth exceeding traffic is not very busy the ISP can elect not to drop those cells with the CLP bit marked on. Similarly if network traffic is high the ISP can elect to drop said cells.

The problem here is that basic policing works on a cell-by-cell basis. When transferring most data packets ATM will as discussed above chop the frames into 48 byte size chunks, add its 5 byte header and then multiplex them all as a stream. This means that large frames will be carried as a very large number of uniformly-sized 53 byte cells.

Failure of any one of these cells to arrive at the destination will be interpreted as a corrupt frame upon analysis or reassembly at the recipient end and hence the entire frame will be automatically dropped. Simple CRC checking mechanism at the Data Link layer will pick up these errors and automatically drop the frame, even before the entire frame has been received by the Layer 2 device (switches for example).

Thus discarding a single cell will invalidate the whole packet of which the single cell is but one component. The implications are enormous. Traffic policing of the bandwidth constricting type can be effectively and efficiently enforced with a minimum of processing and filtering overheads on the part of those performing the traffic policing (ISP). It also means that cells can be marked as droppable by many different organizations at various points as it travels the Internet.

If you are into conspiracy theories then there is considerable food for thought here.

Another point worthy of consideration here is that ATM uses ATM switches and once the virtual circuits and traffic contracts have been established and configured by the service provider it is pretty much auto-pilot from there on. This means that network traffic policing; from the ISP's point of view, occurs automatically as part of the normal functional processes of the hardware (the ATM switch). This is most definitely a cost-effective minimal labor required solution.

Your problems start when errors occur in the administrative functionalities particularly between ISP peers. For example, you may decide to upgrade your service traffic contract or are experiencing data transfer corruption problems. Some of these data transfer issues can be the result of a Denial-of-Service attack (DoS) that is not necessarily directed against you specifically. You are just being caught in the backwash.

Unfortunately, another scenario that may adversely be affecting you is if an ATM switch on another network is marking some of the cells comprising your packets as droppable by turning on the CLP bit as they pass through that carrier's network.

This could arise from one of their customers exceeding their specific traffic contracts and since you are trying to upload or download from that customer traffic intended for you that was initiated by you is adversely affected. Keep in mind that it only takes one cell to be dropped to invalidate the entire frame.

Final Thoughts

One final word is that if you are in the situation of implementing a VoIP solution using a broadband modem router with inbuilt LAN switch via an ADSL2+ service that offers both PPPoE and PPPoA you may be best advised to implement a traffic segmentation solution by using PPPoE for standard data traffic and PPPoA for voice.

My home D-Link DSL-504 ADSL modem/router has been doing precisely this without any troubles for neigh on six months now. I guess just sometimes the world was meant to be easy. I will present another article shortly showing precisely how this is done. Screen shots will be included as I have just decided that I will make it a walk-through style presentation.

An application called Instant Messenger (IM) has attracted more and more attentions from the internet users around the world lately. It is said that IM has provided them a brilliant platform to communicate using PC with a relatively lower cost as compared to other medium of communications. Anyone can use IM regardless where he or she came from. The borderless form of communication has enabled a close relationship emerging between friend, relative, family member, and even entrepreneur to deliver their messages instantly and effectively. Some of the IM platforms even allow for using video and sound instead of the text itself.

Below I listed some of the services provided by the IM that are used extensively anywhere and anytime by the internet users.

AOL Instant Messenger

AOL became the most well-known IM ten years ago. Its popularity particularly dealing with its excellent services has successfully attracted many users which later leading the company to release stand-alone official AIM client called AOL Instant Messenger or AIM. AIM uses TOC protocol and OSCAR instant messaging protocol which was released by AOL on May, 1997 and it permits registered users to communicate in real time. The new version was specifically designed for WindowXP to enable the internet users to use video and sound, sharing files and other attractive features which are added from time to time.

AIM is always regarded as the most popular method of sending instant message as it has the largest group of registered users as compared to other IM interfaces listed here. Indeed, it is a user-friendly tool that is easily manipulated by the users to communicate with each other. AOL also offers an AIM client software which can be used for Mac OS X, Mac Os, and Linus.

Yahoo Messenger

The application of Yahoo Messenger enables its users to communicate each other by using the provided current Yahoo ID to sign in. It comes with an attractive emoticon, direct communication via video, fail transfer and so forth. Its front page appears to be more attractive as compared to other IM platforms but its users are lesser than AOL. It is a user-friendly communication tool and thus it is more appropriate to be recommended for a newbie who wishes to communicate friends, relative and family members.

The interesting feature of Yahoo Messenger is that the users are allowed to share photos easily and effectively. Instead, you can choose the theme to indicate your mood or feeling via its excellent feature called IMVironments. Indeed, it is the best IM client and hence it is worth using it. Its new version, Version 8, comes with the added Voice to make the communication sounds more attractive and impressive. This version also enables the users to include “Widgets” into the new messenger. With this added feature, you can exchange message with other users who use MSN Messenger and Window Live.

Google Talk

Google is the search engine favored by the most internet users as compared to Yahoo, Ask, Netscape and other search engine sites. Google provides its web-based application for instant messaging and voice over internet (VOIP) called Google Talk or simply known as Gtalk. Gtalk enables its users to make calls instantly and effectively without paying a single cent. It also allows the communication of other XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) clients with Google Talk users with its open protocol, XMPP. Now, BlackBerry is available to use within Google Talk which can be downloaded at Google Talk's blackberry. There is also an Add Friend button, a “Search all contacts” field to enable searches in both Google Talk and Gmail contacts.

Google has made the communication more convenient by introducing Google Apps Team addition to enable talks among co-workers or classmates taken place in a friendly environment. With this add-in application, anyone can obtain Google Docs to create and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations. As Google Apps Team addition recognizes the connections to co-worker or classmates effectively, their contacts will automatically be added in your contact list. To try this, try visit Google Apps Team Addition Homepage.

Google Talk is a good platform to choose for an instant messaging and open communication as it can be used for many languages. To do this, you just add any of the 23 other translation bots. They are all named by two-letter language abbreviations as "[from language]2[to language]@bot.talk.google.com", and the supported language pairs are: ar2en, de2en, de2fr, el2en, en2ar, en2de, en2el, en2es, en2fr, en2it, en2ja, en2ko, en2nl, en2ru, en2zh, es2en, fr2de, fr2en, it2en, ja2en, ko2en, nl2en, ru2en, zh2en. So, French to German translation, talk to fr2de@bot.talk.google.com.

On June 4, 2008, Google has added many other languages with the aims to reduce the language barriers with automated chat translations many people have been experiencing. The new bots speak Bulgarian (bg), Croatian (hr), Czech (cs), Danish (da), Finnish (fi), Hindi (hi), Norwegian (no), Polish (pl), Portuguese (pt), Romanian (ro), Swedish (sv) and Traditional Chinese (zh-hant). Basically, there are 26 new bots: bg2en, cs2en, da2en, en2bg, en2cs, en2da, en2fi, en2hi, en2hr, en2no, en2pl, en2pt, en2ro, en2sv, en2zh-hant, fi2en, hi2en, hr2en, no2en, pl2en, pt2en, ro2en, sv2en, zh-hant2en, zh-hant2zh, and zh2zh-hant. To check out the full list of supported languages, simply log in to supported language combinations.

ICQ

ICQ is an instant messaging commonly called “I seek you” which is regarded as a stand-alone IM client since it was first released in November, 1996. It was also the first to have features like “Buddy” and an interactive communication platform. This application has become portion of family AOL Time Warner, but unfortunately it is not advertised extensively like AIM. It is an application compatible with the PC operation of OS which includes cell phone and Symbian OS. That is why it is not surprising to find that its usage is growing.

ICQ provides many excellent features which make it stands firmly among other IM platforms. It has marvelous features include spelling checker, file transfer, “Push to talk” (PTT) service, video messaging and e-mail integration. Not only ICQ let you communicate with friends and colleagues in real time, but also you can play many online games to entertain yourself. ICQ is definitely the best choice for anyone who wishes to search for an attractive and entertaining IM platform.

MSN

Like other leading websites, Microsoft provides its excellent IM plug-in known as MSN Messenger. If you wish to use the services provided by MSN Messenger, you should first have a registered Hotmail to access this type of IM platform. It offers many interesting features such as video messaging, voice communication, emotion icons and many more.

MSN Messenger also comes with a facility to enable you to search via IM to obtain your desired findings. That means you can use it as a web search without opening another window. This feature is very unique as it is not available at other IM clients. MSN is an ideal web-search and IM interface for entrepreneurs, organizations, institutions, administrative and the home users as well. The other amazing feature is that you can leave a message or send a note even you are offline. Despite a large number of people are engaging with PC Windows every day, it is undeniably that this platform has improved the searches, instant messaging and real-time communication in a wide coverage.

Jabber

Jabber is an excellent XML-based protocol to enable real-time instant messaging for e-business. The protocol is added to include Voice over IP and file transfer signaling. It is unique that it integrates the existing e-business into a more personal and dynamic environment. Despite of this excellent feature, Jabber has enabled the communication with other IM platforms to be taken place at the same time with AIM and MSN. Nevertheless, it is not suitable for a newbie who is not familiar with the interface of IM. Once you have familiar with Jabber, it could be a marvelous tool used specifically for an extensible messaging and presence information (buddy lists). Unlike other IM clients, Jabber is an open system that requires its users to use their domain name and a suitable Internet connection to access the server and to talk to users from other IM platforms like Google Talk, Pidgin, Miranda IM, Gizmo Project, Psi and iChat as well.

iChat

iChat is an AIM client by Apple Inc. that allows users to integrate MSN, Yahoo and Google Talk contacts into the Jabber pane. This client provides an excellent facility to enable its users to communicate with either users from Mac, AIM or Jabber. With its new features of video backdrops, Photo Booth effects, Keynote presentation and photo slideshows making iChat a fun and live on-line messaging tool to connect people around the world.

The most unique feature of iChat is that it enables a full-screen personal video conference over thousand miles away via any type of broadband connections. Besides that, an application of iChat provides an interesting client to be integrated with OS X. Therefore, Mac users who are using AIM should give iChat a try.