[JDEV] What does een IM system need to reach the end user (Was: Re: [JDEV] Poll about who will use Jabber when Trillian comes out)

[Mattias Campe]

Adrian Rapa wrote:
>>-) Multiprotocol:
>>*client-side* support for AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, Jabber
> 
> server side is better.. no need for upgrading each client protocol
> support when the other is changing the protocol

But on the other hand, implementing file transfer, video-chat,... looks 
hard to me to support that on the server (isn't that peer-to-peer?)

>>-) Good looking:
>>most of the users are interested in how a client *looks*, not what it 
>>*does*: skins, avatars, emoticons,...
> 
> good looking is an relative issue but is an important one... not all
> people are agree that somenthing looks good... anyway we need a new set
> of emoticons... not the standard msn/yahoo ones

Indeed, it's relative, but that's why a lot of programs allow to skin 
you client the way you really want it, like the skins of Winamp3 and 
Trillian.

>>-) Localized:
>>they want the client in their *native language*, by downloading *1*
>>file to have it all
> 
> this is relative too... for example here, in romania the translated
> words from windows/office etc sounds bad... most of the peple prefer the
> english version... because if they are looking for somenthing it is more
> easy to find the english equivalent than the romanian one... the ideea
> with translation site is very good.

Hmm, haven't considered that... but then, the English version can't be 
that hard to find :).