hitherto:
posted on 2005/08/24 07:39
not-surprises include single-login integration with other Google services, Jabber as the protocol, silly "beta" tag which will still be on the product 5 years from now.
mild interestingness in the Jabber-based VOIP stuff they claim to have built for the VOIP part.
possibly-to-be-regretted decision-of-the-day...
we want to encourage the developer community to create new and innovative applications that leverage our service.
(from the developer FAQ)
Those new and innovative applications will primarily comprise (a) phishing programs and (b) spambots.
But the non-evil sentiment is nice.
blech:
Of course, Google is a Windows company, so no Mac client.
On the other hand, Google themselves say that iChat users can connect.
They don't say that that's almost certainly 10.4 only.
jerakeen:
Well, they have a page for it, but there's not 'almost' here - the 10.4 iChat does Jabber. the 10.3 doesn't.
blech:
I wonder if DJ will notice any new sales of Programming Jabber?
hitherto:
Despite being a foregone conclusion, the Jabber direction is interesting for the industry.
If the big three of messaging (Yahoo!, MSN, AOL) decided to jump on the bandwagon, it could finally end the mutual protocol-standoff and make the IM market entirely about client program preference.
In which case it's much of a muchness.
The very longshot possibility makes Google Sidebar (and the closeness of the two launches) interesting though.
Sidebar, after all, is effectively a version of the bells-and-whistles (stock, search, weather etc) which the big-three clients carry.
Divorcing the two allows Google to claim the "uncluttered client" high-ground.
On the other hand, it may be more in the big-three's interests to stick with their own protocols and their entrenched customer-bases who don't want to have to move to a different system.
We hate you all. Yes, especially you. Sod off and DIE