The Download Blog

A variety of multiclient instant-messaging services have cropped up that allow users to communicate with each other over the Web. Some can be downloaded onto your desktop, while others can be accessed on the Internet. In either case, they're worth trying out, if you want to enjoy a fine experience communicating with your friends.

Multiclient IM resources

Adium Adium is my favorite multiclient instant-messaging tool for a few reasons. It supports practically any IM platform around, including AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, MySpace, Google Talk (via Jabber), and more. It even has a plug-in for Skype.

You'll rarely have any trouble communicating with friends in the service. But its most redeeming quality is that it's open source. So, if you want to modify the code to fit your own IM desires, that's possible. And those in the open-source community are constantly improving the product, whose updates typically install with ease.

When you download Adium (it's available for Mac OS X), you'll have the option of choosing your IM service. By default, Adium takes on the same design as Mac OS X. But with the help of some plug-ins from Adium's site, called "Xtras," you can customize it as you see fit. Those add-ons include emoticons, dock icons, scripts, and more. I could go on about Adium, but I think that you get the point: if you're a Mac OS X user, it's worth trying out.

Adium takes on the look of Mac OS X by default.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Digsby Digsby is a multifaceted tool that lets you communicate with friends over instant messaging, e-mail, or social networks. I recently took a look at its social-networking capabilities. After having the opportunity to use its IM services, I was just as impressed.

After installing Digsby on my Windows PC (Mac and Linux versions are reportedly on the way), I was able to log in to my accounts on AIM, Yahoo Mail, Facebook, and others. Digsby's app is designed well, with a more attractive interface than Adium's default skin. Digsby also gives you the option of sending an SMS text message from the application. Overall, I liked Digsby.

Digsby lets you chat with anyone at any time.

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Anyone who uses a chat client frequently knows what it's like when one of your friends is on a different service. You can download the client to match what they use, but that means you'll need to have at least two chat clients running at all times. If someone else comes along that uses a third service, that's when it really starts to get confusing.

Instead of filling up your Dock with chat clients, why not just download Adium? This multiservice chat client lets you register for new services and chat with all of your friends from the same program. The latest update fixes Facebook compatibility issues and other minor bugs.

Also this week we have the latest update to Path Finder, the alternative way to manage and browse files efficiently on your Mac. Our game this week is Vendetta Online, the massive multiplayer game in which you captain your own spaceship and explore the galaxy.

This is week two of the newsletter redesign, and all your comments are welcome. More changes are coming in the next few weeks, so please bear with us while we improve this newsletter.

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Mac users: are you a Twitter user who also uses Adium? If you are, you'll appreciate third-party plug-in, TwitterIM. With this plug-in installed, you'll be able to receive Twitter messages in a chat client window. Though the developers of Adium have promised Twitter support in upcoming version 1.4, Twitter users can get started early with this third-party plug-in.

Get all your tweets in one chat window, making it easy to follow your friends while chatting.

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You will need an account at Twitter to get started. Once you're registered, download and install the TwitterIM plug-in (above) and launch Adium (make sure to update to the latest version). With Adium running, open the Adium Preferences and add an account from the Accounts tab. Choose "microblog-Twitter" (at the bottom) and enter your Twitter username and password. Now, simply restart Adium, and you can now receive Twitter updates in a chat window for easy access!

While this is kind of a work around to get Twitter updates in Adium, it should be enough to hold you over until Adium 1.4 when Twitter will be fully supported.

Formerly one of the most popular and customizable third-party clients for AOL Instant Messager, Adium faded from the public eye during development. The supercharged new version emerges from hibernation as Adium X. It supports multiple services, including AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and Napster. Part of what made the original Adium so attractive was its multitude of options, which still forms the core of this revision.

Adium allows for an incredible level of customization, with near-infinite tailoring of the user interface to make the buddy dock and chat windows look and behave as you wish. Adium supports group chats, displays your status in several ways including the iTunes status which surfaces whatever song you're listening to at the moment, uses emoticons specifically tailored to the chat platform you're on, and does file transfers. Unfortunately, the transfers are wonky and need more work.

The latest version improves the contact list and features a refined, tabbed interface. Under the hood, the program is now powered by the same open-source core as multiplatform client Pidgin. Despite some quirks, Adium X should please fans of the original and snare new chat aficionados.

So, you were one of the lucky people to receive a shiny new Mac for the holidays. We're all jealous! But if you're reading this, you've probably already spent some time getting set up and checking out all the cool features and programs that come with your Mac--and now you want more! Out of the box, your Mac is loaded with cool apps to get you started on stuff like uploading and organizing your digital images, creating a music library, making your own movies, and surfing the Web. (You're here, so it must have worked!)

While new Macs come with a ton of goodies already, there are a number of cool apps Mac users count on every day that aren't included in the initial setup. To get you started, we've rounded up 10 must-have downloads for your new Mac. From Web browsers and useful utilities to fun and games, these top Mac downloads are perfect for your new computer and a great way to start exploring the world of Mac software at CNET Download.com.

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Sure, Safari comes preloaded on your Mac and it's got a lot of great features, but it's not for everybody. The folks at Mozilla developed Camino from the ground up with the intention of creating a light and fast browser that plays nice with the elegance of Mac OS X. Though its not as feature-rich as its older cousin Firefox, users looking to keep it simple (with class) should try Camino.

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Do you like hot keys? If you're the type of person who likes to load Web sites, apps, and files quickly, check out this solid utility. Simply bring up the tiny Quicksilver interface to type a few letters of your chosen app, file, or Web site to get a list of possibilities--without your fingers ever leaving the keyboard. If you want a quick way to launch anything, this is the app for your Mac.

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A fully interactive globe on your desktop? What's not to like? Use Google Earth to point to a place on our planet and zoom in to see satellite imagery, detailed maps with street and location names, and much more. The recent addition of street level views adds to the fun with more and more major cities getting added all the time. Frankly, if you want a fun, interesting, and educational free program, Google Earth is a must-have download.

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QuickTime supports several file types on its own, but if you've ever spent time on the Internet you know QuickTime doesn't do it all. If you have a pesky video file type that won't open in QuickTime, VLC Media Player is the answer. Packed with features for playing DVDs and almost any video, this free app is more than worth the download time and you'll never have to worry about whether you can watch a particular video on your Mac again.

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Good image editors are hard to come by, and popular professional ones can cost in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. GraphicConverter X is a longtime Mac-user favorite, supporting the conversion of a huge number of file types with plenty of tools for just about any image-editing project. The shareware nag screen is sure to annoy you after a while, but you have to admit, $34.95 is nowhere near as painful as hundreds of dollars.

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Not everybody uses the same chat client so iChat probably won't work with all your contacts. Adium X is the popular Mac chat client that works with most of the popular services seamlessly. This means you can connect with and sign up for Yahoo!, MSN, ICQ, AIM, and many more all from within the same program. If that's not enough, maybe we should mention it is free.

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If you're a Web designer, pro blogger, or even just looking to start up your own site, Coda has the comprehensive toolset you need. Boasting one-window Web development, Coda offers an integrated file browser, fully-featured text editor, a CSS editor, preview functions, and a built-in terminal--all within the same interface. Big Web-design apps are too expensive for most users, but Coda is only $79.95 to register--and you get to put it through its paces before you buy.

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Free long distance? No problem with Skype. This Internet telephony app lets you freely contact anyone around the world as long as they also have the free Skype client. Simply get your long-lost cousin to download Skype and you're all set. Sign up for Skype paid services so you can call landlines. This app is a no-brainer for international callers who don't want to pay big long-distance bills.

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Get the news your way with one of the best RSS clients we've seen for Mac. NetNewsWire offers a slick 3-paned interface shows your favorite news outlets on the left, headlines on the right, and expanded stories on the bottom if you see something you like. Adding new feeds couldn't be easier and you can set how often NetNewsWire updates its feed list so you always have the latest updates. NetNewsWire is easily one of the best and most intuitive ways to get the latest news on your Mac.

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Most great first-person shooter games for Mac are the type you need to buy online or at your local video game shop. Nexuiz is the attempt of some generous developers to make a free, multiplatform, online deathmatch game for everybody. It still has a couple of problems and bugs to be fleshed out, but for sheer high-energy shoot-'em-up mayhem in a free game, you're going to have a hard time finding one as fun and challenging as Nexuiz.

Cerulean Studios announced Friday that Trillian is coming to Mac OS X. The company is quick to point out its previous statement from last year, "We will never port Trillian to Mac OS X," remains true--they remade the Trillian UI from the ground up for Mac fans.

The smooth metal GUI looks perfectly at home running on Mac OS X.

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Trillian for Mac OS X is still a very early version, so we can't list it on Download.com just yet. This build will only work for those who have set up their Astra account and contacts list through the Windows version. As a first build, they expect Trillian for Mac OS X to have plenty of bugs. Cerulean is hopeful that brave Mac users will sign up for testing and submit their findings through Bugzilla. One thing is certain: If Cerulean Studios can make their multiservice chat client as strong as the Windows version, developers of Mac programs like Adium and Proteus will be watching this development very closely.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Chat clients are great for interoffice communication and sending quick messages to co-workers and friends. The only problem is once you've chosen a particular chat client--usually decided by what your friend uses--you can only communicate from within that particular client's network. In other words, Yahoo chat users can only talk to other Yahoo chat users. If you've spent any time using chat clients, you know that people use several different apps, making it difficult to talk to everyone without downloading each one.

Fortunately, clever software developers came up with chat programs that would play nice with all the major clients, so you only needed one program to talk to everyone. There are a lot of these programs available for download and most are free. But in addition to the ability to chat with people on several networks, these clients also offer features and options that make them great apps in their own right.... Read more

Given all the great consumer-facing open-source software available, I figured that I'd try to evaluate and write reviews on those I use most often. Open source long ago stopped being about developers for other developers. Here's proof.

Adium is quite simply the best instant-messaging (IM) client available. Period. It has its flaws and is, in some ways, deficient compared to iChat, Apple's own IM client. But its strengths vastly outnumber its weaknesses. I've been using it for years. In some ways, it's very similar to Trillian on the Windows platform in that it allows you to combine nearly all of your IM services (Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Jabber, etc.) into one client.

But Adium actually goes further and provides more.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Chat clients might be my favorite method for quick communication on my Mac at home or at work. Falling somewhere between the telephone and e-mail programs when it comes to communication, a good chat client offers advantages over both that make them unique and useful for anyone. They're especially helpful at work for sending links and files when the formality of an e-mail is too cumbersome for what you're trying to communicate.

I've used most popular chat clients for the Mac including ICQ and Yahoo Messenger, and I've even sampled the fantastic Internet Relay Chat client called Snak (really, if you're serious about IRC there is none better). iChat is an obvious choice because it comes on all new Macs, but the problem I had was that some of my friends used other clients, and I couldn't connect with everyone from one program. My only option was to run multiple clients simultaneously, so I could chat with all of my friends and co-workers, which just didn't seem very efficient. Fortunately, someone developed a chat client that's designed to connect with most of the big-name clients. Adium X lets me connect with iChat, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, Gadu-Gadu, Jabber, MSN, Trepia, and Napster, all from within the same program. Plus, the tabbed interface makes it easy to switch between people I'm having conversations with.

Those who use only one program and don't have friends on other networks probably don't need to download Adium X, but I thought it might be a good idea to let people know that there are options. Clearly, if one program can do the job of three, it's definitely a worthwhile download. Recent updates have made this great chat client even better, so if you were thinking about switching to a chat client that talks to more networks, it just might be the perfect time to take the leap.

What chat client do you use? Do you run more that one client at the same time because you have friends on other networks? Let me know in the comments!