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Yahoo Changes Protocol, Blocks Third Party Clients

Posted by michael on from the purely-accidental dept.

NaDrew writes "ZDNet reports that Yahoo is once again blocking connections from Trillian (the alternative multi-protocol client). Yahoo tried this a few times last year and it looks like they're trying again. Cerulean, maker of Trillian, employs some excellent protocol engineers, who I have no doubt will quickly figure out Yahoo's latest obfuscation and release a patch. A quick fix discovered late this evening: Change your Y!IM host from scs.msg.yahoo.com to scs.yahoo.com, port 5050, and it should work. This is on Trillian 0.74H, not Pro."

12 of 506 comments (clear)

  1. Centericq is also broken by RickL · · Score: 5, Informative

    Centericq is also broken. I'd be happy to use an official Yahoo! IM client...if they had one that was console-based.

    1. Re:Centericq is also broken by Nugget · · Score: 5, Informative
      Then what you want is bitlbee. Seriously, it's precisely what you're looking for.

      bitlbee lets you connect to all the major IM networks using your normal irc client. When your mouth-breating, non-irc-using friends send you an instant message, it shows up just as a normal irc privmsg and you can respond in kind.

  2. Quick fix does not work by bruns · · Score: 4, Informative

    The quick fix to changing the server to scs.yahoo.com, port 5050 does not work for most people, and does not work with Miranda IM, GAIM, or other third party IM clients besides Trillian.

    It appears to be a separate server, and you won't be able to communicate with other people on the 'fixed' yahoo servers.

    --
    Brielle
    1. Re:Quick fix does not work by s.d. · · Score: 4, Informative

      the problem with the quick fix is that it logs you on to a different server. if you log onto scs.yahoo.com, you cannot see people logged onto scs.msg.yahoo.com, which is where everyone using the official client logs onto. it will let you on, but you'll not be able to converse with anyone except others using scs.yahoo.com, so it's not exactly a useful solution.

  3. Kopete also by onree · · Score: 5, Informative

    Haven't been able to connect to Yahoo via Kopete since the block.

  4. PLEASE NOTE by GillBates0 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Yahoo tried this a few times last year and it looks like they're trying again.

    I could dig up the older comments/articles which thoroughly contradict this troll-ish article summary but I don't think it deserves my time.

    Yahoo did not, I repeat did *not* try to "block" third party IM clients "several times last year". *All* they did was upgrade their protocol for better reliability/etc (I have personally noticed the increase in reliability/refresh rate etc). It is up to the 3rd party developers to upgrade their protocols if Yahoo decides to do so.

    And Yahoo did offer to help them fix their stack to help it work with their servers. I am not affiliated to Yahoo, btw - I just think it receives a lot more undeserved flak then it should.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  5. FYI Miranda forum thread by Stavr0 · · Score: 4, Informative
    YAHOO Login Problems

    In short, scs.yahoo.com:5050 is no good.

  6. Re:So by stoborrobots · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wouldn't this be Jabber?

    It's already there, open source, many servers, and intercommunication possible between multiple servers.

    And some people have made proxies for jabber-commerical messenger systems communication.

    And it works with many, many clients, console-based as well as graphical...

    --
    "Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
  7. Re:pfft by ambrosine10 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think the latest Yahoo Messenger client for Windows has no ads at all.

  8. Yahoo Profit from Ads? What Ads?! by LordKazan · · Score: 5, Informative

    Everyone keeps talking about how Yahoo wants to profit from the ads in it's Y! Messenger Software. What Ads? Unless you look at the other screens [you known the non-chat ones] you will not see any other ads

    --
    If you cannot keep politics out of your moderation remove yourself from the Mod Lottery.. NOW!
  9. Trillian Patches Available by rsmith-mac · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Trillian guys have fixed it. You can grab the patches(Trillian Pro 2.013 & Trillian Basic Patch I) from the Trillian download page.

  10. Re:Gaim by lvdrproject · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't know if you're on Windows, but i am, and i find that Gaim (for Windows) is a pretty poor client. I mean, it's OK, but compared to other things, it needs a lot of work. It seems to me like the Windows version of Gaim was nothing more than an after-thought. I can't get work done (I'm paid to sit around instant-messaging my friends all day -- true story.) using an after-thought. ;_;

    So... i use Miranda. Needs a lot of work also, but it's much better off than Gaim, i find, and it's just as open.