It seems Adium is quite popular and highly regarded by many.
MSN Messenger Substitute
Hi
I'm a recent mac convert (Windows Vista was the last straw). I'd like some suggestions of some program that can emulate MSN messenger on OS X, yet be more advanced than the rudimentary version of MSN messenger that Microsoft has written for Macs.
Alternatively, if there are other options (eg. running Parallel and having MSN there), I would be open to those solutions as well.
Thanks
I'm a recent mac convert (Windows Vista was the last straw). I'd like some suggestions of some program that can emulate MSN messenger on OS X, yet be more advanced than the rudimentary version of MSN messenger that Microsoft has written for Macs.
Alternatively, if there are other options (eg. running Parallel and having MSN there), I would be open to those solutions as well.
Thanks
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Adium is good if you are looking for the core features of MSN, and wish to use other IM services at the same time. Adium is indeed the multitasking king of IM programs. However, if you are interested only in a replacement for MSN, Adium may not cut it, for its lack of audio/visual components, and numerous MSN-specific features.
Mercury Messenger (www.mercury.to) is a closer alternative in terms of feature set, but its closed source, and written entirely in Java as far as I know, making it painfully slow at times.
aMSN is another alternative (www.amsn-project.net), which I haven't used in a few years. After looking at their website, they seem to have made some nice improvements, and it could be a fairly decent alternative. However, in the past I did find it a tad quirky, and crash-prone. Again, that was a few years ago.
As of late, I simply use Windows Live Messenger within [Windows XP in] Parallels. It isn't the best solution, but combined with VirtueDesktops for multiple workspaces, it seems to be the most compatible solution with my MSN buddies.
Mercury Messenger (www.mercury.to) is a closer alternative in terms of feature set, but its closed source, and written entirely in Java as far as I know, making it painfully slow at times.
aMSN is another alternative (www.amsn-project.net), which I haven't used in a few years. After looking at their website, they seem to have made some nice improvements, and it could be a fairly decent alternative. However, in the past I did find it a tad quirky, and crash-prone. Again, that was a few years ago.
As of late, I simply use Windows Live Messenger within [Windows XP in] Parallels. It isn't the best solution, but combined with VirtueDesktops for multiple workspaces, it seems to be the most compatible solution with my MSN buddies.
Great suggestions.Adium is good if you are looking for the core features of MSN, and wish to use other IM services at the same time. Adium is indeed the multitasking king of IM programs. However, if you are interested only in a replacement for MSN, Adium may not cut it, for its lack of audio/visual components, and numerous MSN-specific features.
Mercury Messenger (Mercury - News) is a closer alternative in terms of feature set, but its closed source, and written entirely in Java as far as I know, making it painfully slow at times.
aMSN is another alternative (Alvaro's Messenger), which I haven't used in a few years. After looking at their website, they seem to have made some nice improvements, and it could be a fairly decent alternative. However, in the past I did find it a tad quirky, and crash-prone. Again, that was a few years ago.
I currently use aMSN and find it a great alternative. I haven't had any substantial stability issues.
I find that aMSN is the best. I have tried several when I switched from PC to MAC. The only problem I have is once in a while, the display name part of it on the top of the main window will go blank, but I just have to re-open the window to get it back. Not a big deal but annoying sometimes.
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
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