Share via

Microsoft Instant Messenger, which client to use?

  • Article

<originally posted on MSN Spaces blog on April 27, 2005>

I have been playing with Office Communicator, which is really cool with the integration to other office products.  I especially like the way it shows Out of Office messages, and the integrated phone stuff.  Here are a couple deal breaker complaints that make me not use it as my primary IM:

  • Won't log my conversations so that I can refer to them later.  Sure you can have the LCS (Live Communication Server) server email them to you, but you have to remember to do that and Desktop Search will put them in the email section rather than the IM section
  • Can't order users by offline/online, it always does groups
  • Federated users (AOL, MSN IM) can't add me to their IM.  I can add them, but because it is not a true passport or AIM name, I never get the popup to join their IM
  • Doesn't have the cool avatars and spaces integration like MSN IM

I wish Microsoft's IM client teams could all meet and decide on key features that should go across all IM clients.