New chat-service from Google called Google Talk
Google has new launched a new chat-service called Google Talk which uses the open XMPP format to communicate between clients. Linux users can use Google Talk using existing open-source applications like PSI and Gaim even though only a Windows-version of their official client is available.
There has long been various loose rumors that Google would release their own web browser and their own chat-service. The chat-service is now launched under the name Google Talk.
Geniusly, is uses the open source XMPP standard which ensures that existing Jabber-capable IM clients like GAIM and PSI. The competing commercial IM solutions like AOL?s AIM, iCQ, Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger all use their own, closed and almost secret ways to communicate between the services users. This ensures that it is very hard for open source IM client developers to implement proper support for all the protocols features, and it also ensures that such third party support inevitable breaks from time to time on big protocol changes. XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), on the other hand, is a well-documented, open and well-defined standard which makes it extremely simple to make IM programs compatible with Google Talk.
In short: Google Talk will get huge support from the Open Source community because the XMPP standard encourages the development of third party IM clients, while all the other commercial solutions discourages development of third party programs.
Pushing gmail..
Google talk uses login information from Google gmail to authenticate on the Google Talk network. This means that you will have to signup and get a gmail account to use the service.
Voice Over IP supported
Google Talk supports live audio chat (like Skype) with other Google Talk users, but this is sadly not supported by Linux-compatible IM program.
**IM is everything but secure=
Instant messaging is inherently insecure because it involves relaying messages through third party servers which can be monitored so easily by the server owner. Google Talk does not support encryption, but those who use PSI and other GnuPG supported programs can encrypt messages using Google Talk as well as Jabber.
- Google Talk
- How to use Google talk with GAIM
- How to use Google talk with PSI
- The Google instructions fail to point out that PSI must have these settings applied under "Connection":
- Use "Use SSL encryption (to server)"
- Use "Allow plaintext login"
- Manually specify host/port (talk.google.com , 5223)
- You may also want to apply "Ignore SSL warnings" under "Preferences".
Linux IM-programs compatible with Google Talk:
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