Yahoo! blocks! third-party IM

ShortyShorty Manchester, UK Icrontian
edited September 2003 in Science & Tech
Yahoo! has followed Microsoft's lead and blocked access to its instant messaging service from third-party clients.

Yahoo! set a deadline earlier this month that the protocol would change. Like Microsoft it's happy to license the protocol for use in third-party software, although Redmond's plans are both more formal and advanced (its announced a certification program for third-party MSN IM clients).

The move affects many users of software such as Cerulean Trillian (Windows), Fire (Macintosh) or IM+ (Symbian phones, PocketPC) who want to consolidate the major instant messaging services - AOL, ICQ, Yahoo! and MSN - into one client program.

Cerulean, makers of Trillian, last week promised user a patch. Macintosh users will need to download the latest version of patch, released this morning, from SourceForge.

Whether we'll see a repeat of the cat and mouse games of four years ago remains to be seen. AOL made frequent modifications to its OSCAR protocol in a bid to prevent third-party AIM clients from using the service. It eventually abandoned the tactic, but not through lack of trying. A bootnote to the FTC's approval of the AOL/Time Warner merger requested that AOL ensure its IM services more accessible to third parties.

This time, there's no regulator in shining armour to remind Yahoo! or Microsoft of any such obligations.

Source : The Register

Wtg Yahoo! .. *grumble* :wtf: I use IM+ on my smartphone :ninja:

Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2003
    I told BH 5 days ago about this but he didn't believe me :rolleyes2:

    NS
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede
    just uninstalled, cleaned registry, threw away the yahoo account and spitted twice at yahoo

    There is still peeps that will make working plugins for Trillian anyway. There is always a sollution.
    Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited September 2003
    just uninstalled, cleaned registry, threw away the yahoo account and spitted twice at yahoo

    There is still peeps that will make working plugins for Trillian anyway. There is always a sollution.
  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited September 2003
    NightShade737 said
    I told BH 5 days ago about this but he didn't believe me :rolleyes2:

    NS
    I still have AIM, MSN and ICQ :p
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