IM networks

oeyvind sent me a link to Project Gizmo, basically a Skype-like product. While I think it's good that everyone's jumping on the bandwagon and leveraging on the IM network infrastructure, I feel that some of the basics need to be in order first.

1. Inconsistent network quality. The major IM networks are all guilty of this. No network, no communication. Get the act together, and make all the networks compatible with each other already.



2. Unable to send offline messages. The number 1 culprit: MSN Messenger. It's year 2005, ICQ has had this feature for almost a decade, yet a multi-billion dollar company which hires the "best minds" doesn't even grok this! Instead they spend all the "R&D" dollars on stupid features like animated avatars, skins etc. Hello... why complicate things by adding an audio chat feature and having to leave "voicemail" when a simple offline IM will suffice?



3. Unencrypted messages. Again, implementing this should be a no-brainer, but it's been put off time and again. Why? Thankfully off-the-record messaging is gaining traction, but it requires the endorsement of the majors to have any significant impact.