Tretakoff Musings

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? 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, y...

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!

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 i...

Two notes: - I have succumbed to Twitter . I'll try it for a while, and see what it yields. My Twitter status is on the right. - I found my best Xmas gift, thanks to Cameron. Now, I really can be Robocop, thanks to the U.S. military!

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.