How does ichat work?

Hi,

Welcome to the  Discussions

There is no getting around needing or getting a Screen Name for either logging in to the AIM Servers (AIM or Apple name ) or A Jabber ID (Screen Name for Jabber servers) to log in to a Jabber server.

I would start Here

This is what it can do (in Brief) but you will need a Screen Name.

After that read this on Chatrooms
http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/page5.html#_rooms

I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.




10:09 PM Thursday; May 14, 2009

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Hi,

Whether you use iChat or MSN or Yahoo or any Jabber Client app and a range of Jabber servers or any other IM app such as Skype or Gizmo5 you will need a Screen Name for the services that the app can join.

iChat can join AIM for which you will need either an AIM Name (Free) or An Apple Name - @mac.com (free when you click on the Get an iChat Account button) or a MobileMe (@me.com name) (Free fro 60 days but requires active discontinuation).
It can also join a Jabber server. You get a Jabber name from a server first and enter it into iChat.
A GoogleMail name is a valid ID as Google use Jabber to run their GoogleTalk service.

MSN (for Macs) needs a MSN screen name but the mac version does not do A/V chats.

The Yahoo beta 3 for Macs does live moving pics but not Audio.

Skype is a Stand alone service separate from all the others but can do free Video and Audio chats to Mac and PC users that also have Skype. The Basic package to IM and Video or Audio chat is free.

Gizmo5 is similar to Skype in that it also offers paid for telephone services.

Both the above apps will connect to ordinary phones (and IP/VoIP phones) if you pay for the service.

Jabber works slightly differently in that it is a collection of servers that are interconnected.
You join one server with a Jabber ID Login and it can connect you to a Jabber Buddy on another server.

Some Jabber Server offer what are called Transports.
These Transports allow that server to connect to other major Services like MSN or Yahoo or AIM.
Some of these are accessible from Jabber servers via their interconnectivity such as using a GoogleTalk ID but others require that you are specifically logged in to that server.

There are also several Web sites that do Video chatting using Flash to control your Camera to any other Buddy using a web browser.
MeBeam is prehaps the simplest. (No name required. You just enter a name for a "room" and it creates a Web page for your chat. You tell your fiend that Web page Address and both of you set the Allow dialogue box to allow access to your camera and mic.

With a bit of work iChat can be made to join a Jabber server and Transports to contact MSN or Yahoo Buddies (Doing AIM this way is a bit unreliable)

I hope this helps.



5:47 PM Friday; May 15, 2009

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Hi,

You are welcome.

Thanks for the points.



8:41 PM Sunday; May 17, 2009

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"