MSN all the way: ICQ is now suck.

[StageLeft]

I've been an avid ICQ use for a few years and when my friends started using MSN I shunned them for it but had to use it. Now I find that when I go back to ICQ its like a pain in the ass. Not only is it far too big and bloated for it's own good but whats with all of the bloody options?! I mean come on - you can spend longer configuring ICQ than you can configuring a web server. They just keep throwing code on, more and more and more...

 

[TSDible]

I'm also an avid ICQ user... I mean... look how low my UIN is... I've been around...

I agree that it is getting bloated from it's original release. It seems they are just trying to do too much now. I wish they would come out with an ICQlite or something. Just messaging, chat, and file transfer. How hard can it be?

 

[StageLeft]

although MSN is a fraction of the size the only thing I think it lacks is a message history, other than that the rest of the features in ICQ at totally useless to me!

 

[OhmHazzard]

ICQ was in it's best shape when it was owned by that little group of folks in Israel.

Then when they sold out, ICQ decided to become "All things to all people", and it all went downhill from there.

So instead of it being the handy little communication system, it's now ICQ: The Software that ate my desktop.

*Sigh*
I long for the simpler times....

 

[StageLeft]

Yep, thats ICQ in a nutshell. Unwieldly is being kind - and on a fresh install there are so many "don't show me this again" its enough to make a sane person insane.

 

[chemos]

I still use ICQ99a. Compact and simple--as an IM app should be. I've played with ICQ2000 and found that it was using nearly 20% of my system resources. Sorry, but I won't be adding a stick of memory for a freakin IM program.

Anyhow, for those of you still wanting to use ICQ but without as much bloat, feel free to email/prvt message me here and I can send ICQ99a to you. I understand it's a bit difficult to find nowadays.

 

[duragezic]

Yeah I don't bother with any new icq releases. I tried ICQ99 before and even found that to bloated so switched back to good ol' icq98. Works like a charm...

 

[StageLeft]

Its kinda like winamp. Upgrade after upgrade, but eventually I found that it was still the same!

 

[pen^2]

the only thing MSN is lackin IMO is the history feature... it seems to be much ligher weight compare to icq and has cooler sound effects... personally i am sick of those ghey uh-oh sounds! :|
another reason to like MSN is i much prefer its interface to that of icq..last but not least, i was never able to share files between the best buddy of mine... always says 'cannot make a direct connection'. even if it had worked, it wont nearly match the transfer rate of MSN messanger i am sure

 

[ArkAoss]

yeah, i had one sys with icq 99a and another with 2000, and then another with like the latest, and well I'm stickin with my old one, if only i remebered the pw, i'd load it up at work, the 98 ver i have of it

 

[randomlinh]

i used to be an ICQ user... heh, i even still got my UIN listed here... i really should take it off..

But when all my friends use AIM... i was forced to switch. And the lack of a message history is all AIM needs... but lately, it's been very unaccurate when ppl come online... sometimes it doesn't show em. GRRR.

 

[montanafan]

While you're kind of on the subject, I just downloaded MSN and noticed that when I sign in, my status is "Online" even though I chose "Appear Offline" before. With Yahoo, if I choose "Invisible" as my status, it stays as invisible whenever I logon and doesn't change unless I change it. Is there any way to make my status remain "Appear Offline" in MSN?

 

[Buddha Bart]

I gave up ICQ for AIM a long time ago.

AIM's a great program. Practically replaces the phone system in my dorm.

bart

 

[prontospyder]

Still using ICQ 98...works great for me.

 

[Ausm]

I use both MSN and ICQ ...in my opinion MSN is a much more stable program..

Ausm

 

[Adul]

I got all three running now. :Q

Am I crazy or what

 

[urbantechie]

ICQ Owns.