aMSN 0.95 Released

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Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday December 26, 2005 @08:18AM from the not-many-free-things-are-still-ad-free dept.

An anonymous reader writes "After more than a year since their last update aMSN has published version 0.95. New features include 'webcam support, tabbed chat windows, improved skin plugin support, new file transfer protocol, many new plugins (like Ink and Nudge support), an improved bug report system, as well as LOTS of bug fixes.' In addition to many new features and fixes the aMSN site has been given a face lift to (hopefully) facilitate ease of use."

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More features than Gaim by LinuxDon · 2005-12-26 08:25 · Score: 2, Interesting

After having taken a look on their website, aMSN seems to support more MSN features than Gaim: File transfers, webcam.

Anyone who knows more about the specific advantages?
1. Re:More features than Gaim by LinuxDon · 2005-12-26 08:38 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  True, Gaims supports MSN file transfer, but not directly P2P (which is why they pass your NAT firewall fine).
  Unfortunately, sending a file trough a Microsoft MSN server makes the tranfer go *VERY* slow.
  
  It appears aMSN supports direct file transfers.
2. Re:More features than Gaim by emeshuris · 2005-12-26 08:50 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I use trillian. Personally I think this is one of the best im clients available. It works with everything. I have been using it for a very long time. Transfers from msn, never work for me through trillian, and it does not have the terminal services abilities of msn messenger.
3. Re:More features than Gaim by moro_666 · 2005-12-26 09:31 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  ffs it's a chat client, it doesn't need to be written in C ...
  
  don't you think it's actually pretty rational that something as easy as a damn msn client is written in a language that makes the code 3-5 times shorter and easier to read ? many of your favourite tools in linux are written in C or use a bash scripts to start up complicated applications, i see no whiners there ...
  
  anyway, my problem is that amsn has crashed a lot on me. the tcl/tk has had issues with 2.6.x kernel line and tended to deadlock after some point. amsn ran fine with 2.4.x kernel line, but since 2.6.x came along it has been rather unstable and thats why i use gaim right now.
  
  however, gaim is YEARS back in it's msn support and amsn obviously is ahead here.
  
  --
  
  I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
4. Re:More features than Gaim by Bad+D.N.A. · 2005-12-26 09:39 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  "It works with everything" ... "never work for me through trillion"
  
  Um, that is either a contradiction or although I don't drink I've hit the scotch too early today.
  
  --
  "Truth is much too complicated to allow anything but approximations"
5. Re:More features than Gaim by kevv · 2005-12-26 11:12 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  This client also lacks in features that MSN Messenger has... I say this in a good way. No spammy tabs on the left, no advertising on the bottom, no tricking computer illiterate people in paying for smileys or other charging services.
OK, there is NO WAY... by mcg1969 · 2005-12-26 08:25 · Score: 4, Interesting

this software is going to be able to keep its name if it gets even remotely popular. I can't help but think Microsoft will come down on him hard.
1. Re:OK, there is NO WAY... by LinuxDon · 2005-12-26 08:30 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Remember that up till now, Microsoft has not really done anything harsh to any opensource project.
  And, since this is not commercial software, the odds are that they don't really care too much.
  Especially now, when they are having such a hard time with all of the monopoly lawsuits.
2. Re:OK, there is NO WAY... by mpontes · 2005-12-26 09:03 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Easy. All they have to do is say that aMSN is an acronym for Alvaro's MeSseNger and that it has nothing to do with MicroSoft Network.
  
  --
  Bored? Browse Slashdot with a +6 modifier for Troll comme
3. Re:OK, there is NO WAY... by johansalk · 2005-12-26 09:43 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Microsoft intimidated the virtualdub author about asf support so he had to remove it.
4. Re:OK, there is NO WAY... by gkhan1 · 2005-12-26 09:57 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Can you say Lindows?
5. Re:OK, there is NO WAY... by rm69990 · 2005-12-26 11:17 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Lindows is a company, a company that even develops proprietary software alongside open source software. Lindows was not, is not, nor will it ever be an "open source project". It was a commercial company that was gunning straight for Microsoft's market, using a very similarly named product. I won't go into the whole "is Windows a valid trademark" thing though.
Re:slow downloads by WTBF · 2005-12-26 08:25 · Score: 4, Informative

Why not try a different source forge mirror? One of them must work at a decent speed.

Here is the sourceforge download page, following which you can select a mirror from.
Gaim? MS-messenger? by glomph · 2005-12-26 08:27 · Score: 3, Interesting

What really is interesting is the islands of usage in the different IM systems. I use Gaim exclusively, have something like 250 buddies in the aggregate list, of which about a third are active. 90+% of them are AIM. Small number are Yahoo. MSN users countable on the fingers of one mutilated hand.
Website? Looks bad. by vidarlo · 2005-12-26 08:28 · Score: 3, Insightful

Really. They've got a nice website. But it requires javascript for downloading, it is broken in my Firefox, bypasses SF's default mirror system (which is bad in my eyes because it makes downloads potentially slower). So whilst I've not tested amsn itself, the website needs work.

--
Assembling etherkillers for fun an profit
1. Re:Website? Looks bad. by RoadkillBunny · 2005-12-26 09:19 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  The mirror system is bypassed because the packages haven't been synced to all servers yet. If we were to use the mirrors, you would be getting mirror failed messages for most.
  
  --
  Cheers,
  RoadkillBunny
Re:Gaim? MS-messenger? by WTBF · 2005-12-26 08:34 · Score: 4, Informative

In different areas different systems are popular. In Britain it seems as if MSN is used almost exclusively, and I know only two people who use different networks, although I am now using Google Talk with a few converts from MSN - so that is six more people off MSN messenger. However, I know a lot of American people that use AIM, and MSN seems (as you said) to be somewhat of a rarity.
Website Design by vectorian798 · 2005-12-26 08:37 · Score: 3, Informative

Something messed up with their JS? On Firefox their menu renders into the middle of the page, but it looks fine on IE...
Re:Gaim? MS-messenger? by Justin205 · 2005-12-26 08:38 · Score: 4, Interesting

Very true. Canada seems to be going much the same way as Britain. Most people I know in Canada use MSN messenger exclusively. Whereas more of the people I know online (mainly Americans) tend towards AIM and/or YIM.

It's really interesting, actually... To talk to people all over the world you generally need AIM and MSN. Perhaps YIM, but the people who *only* use YIM are few and far between.

--
"Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you."
Re:Gaim? MS-messenger? by HishamMuhammad · 2005-12-26 08:38 · Score: 4, Interesting

It would be nice to make a map with the geographical spread.

I live in Brazil. My only exclusively-AIM-or-Yahoo contacts are from people in the US. Most of my list is still ICQ because that was the "big one" here years ago, and I say "still" because most new users go to MSN and lots of the ICQ "early adopters" (me included) now have MSN accounts as well. So, I guess in order of popularity, it's:

USA: AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ
Brazil: MSN, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo

Other countries, anyone?

--
The filesystem is the package manager
Re:Gaim? MS-messenger? by acoster · 2005-12-26 08:39 · Score: 3, Funny

MSN is amanzingly popular among the "average" users, and got really strong in Brasil after the launch of Windows XP. They did some TV ads too, but I think that the damn man-in-butterfly-costume scared normal people ;-)

--
"Go forth, and be excellent to each other" --Bill & Ted
i don't get it... by twiggy · 2005-12-26 08:45 · Score: 3, Insightful

So, it's just a clone of MSN written by someone else, still for windows?

Why is this a big deal?

If it offered multiple clients like Trillian does, or had some snazzy features that MSN didn't already have, I could see it being big news...

Strange indeed, seeing as MSN is probably the least popular messenger between AIM/Yahoo/MSN... I just don't understand the motivation behind writing a clone. Anyone see something I'm missing?

--
http://www.babysmasher.com
http://www.openingbands.com
1. Re:i don't get it... by Yoohoo+Ladies! · 2005-12-26 08:50 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I don't know... just about everyone I know uses MSN... I prefer ICQ myself, though. I've got 90+ contacts through MSN... maybe three in AOL. But I'm Canada, so maybe that explains the difference?
2. Re:i don't get it... by mikael_j · 2005-12-26 08:54 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Strange indeed, seeing as MSN is probably the least popular messenger between AIM/Yahoo/MSN..
  In the US perhaps.. In europe ICQ was pretty much "The" IM until Microsoft's bundling of MSN Messenger attracted the dimwitted hordes of teenagers, at this point anyone wanting to contact any of these people would use MSN Messenger (since before this point not a lot of people were using IM software) and this in turn led to a situation where only "nerds" were using ICQ and most of them ended up getting an MSN account just to be able to keep in touch with their friends..
  Now if only Microsoft could get offline messages for MSN Messenger I wouldn't mind this situation but it seems they think "E-mail = offline message"..
  /Mikael
  
  --
  Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
3. Re:i don't get it... by Lisandro · 2005-12-26 09:00 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  IIRC, the motivation was to write a complete MSN Messenger clone that would run outside Windows - i've tried it a few times on Linux, and while i like GAIM much better, it really feels and behaves like the official client. It might help non-techincal users that need MSN to switch easier.
4. Re:i don't get it... by mqduck · 2005-12-26 09:00 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  So, it's just a clone of MSN written by someone else, still for windows?
  
  The website's messed up, but you can get the linux version on the SF page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/amsn
  
  --
  Property is theft.
5. Re:i don't get it... by kingturkey · 2005-12-26 12:31 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Now if only Microsoft could get offline messages for MSN Messenger I wouldn't mind this situation but it seems they think "E-mail = offline message"..
  Actually I'm a beta tester for Windows Live Messenger (the next version of MSN Messenger) and one of the new features is offline messages. And for everyone saying AOL is the most popular, here in Australia MSN is the main one. I don't know anyone who uses any other client exclusively. I and a few others have Google Talk but MSN is the one used most.
What's the count now? by pair-a-noyd · 2005-12-26 08:54 · Score: 3, Informative

Two, three other packages that support webcams? Where's Gaim in the webcam support arena?
I like Gaim the best of all the packages but it's lack of webcam support is sad.
BTW, what would be a good choice of webcam to buy for Linux that is likely
to work well with whatever comes along? Something economical but solid.
I don't want to waste $10 on a POS cheap cam but I don't want to spend $200 either..

Come on Gaim, get with the program!!
1. Re:What's the count now? by pdbogen · 2005-12-26 09:50 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  A firewire card and an Orange Micro iBot is a pretty good deal. No integrated microphone, but firewire web cams give excellent quality and the iBot is pretty reasonably priced. Unfortunately, it's still at the high end of pricing (You're looking at around $100 for the camera, plus say $20 for the firewire card), but well worth the money. An equivalently priced USB webcam usually won't be anywhere near as good.
2. Re:What's the count now? by lbbros · 2005-12-26 09:59 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Unfortunately this (along with file transfers) has been always labeled "low priority" by gaim developers, so unless someone starts contributing patches it's unlikely we'll see that support for a while.
  
  --
  A CC-licensed illustrated horror novel
3. Re:What's the count now? by roju · 2005-12-26 17:36 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Wrong. There was a whole fiasco with the gaim-vv and gaim 2.0 merge. In a nutshell, the guys working on gaim-vv submitted a big patchset, the lead gaim developer got hired by Google, and now, in a weird coincidence, the gaim-vv merge is cancelled to add Google Talk voice support instead.
Here's the working download links: by StonedRat · 2005-12-26 08:56 · Score: 5, Informative

Here's working links to the aMSN download as the ones on the site seem dead...

Linux Installer (need llibstdc++.so.6)
AutoPackage
Debian
Ubuntu
Fedora Core 3
Fedora Core 4
Mandriva 2006 (Formerly Mandrake)
Slackware
Archlinux
Gentoo
Other

--
"Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses." - Arthur C. Clarke.
Typicall awful font rendering on Linux by onlyjoking · 2005-12-26 09:10 · Score: 2, Insightful

The screenshots exemplify why Linux struggles to gain mindshare amongst Windows users. Font rendering is still awful on Linux and I'm afraid it's looks that count with IM apps. The same is true of that great open source flagship, Firefox. I love using it on OS X and XP but on Linux Firefox can't render simple CSS borders nor line-spacing properly. Websites just look awful viewed with Firefox on Linux (Fedora) and aMSN suffers similar problems with its flaky text. Linux is a serer OS with a half-decent graphics engine but with browsers and IM apps half-decent isn't good enough.
1. Re:Typicall awful font rendering on Linux by StonedRat · 2005-12-26 09:19 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  My fonts look a lot better than those in the aMSN screenshot, but then the screenshot shows fonts without anti-aliasing enabled. Even windows looks shit if you disable that. Personally i think my linux fonts look better than the ones i get in windows. I use ubuntu and gnome by the way.
  
  --
  "Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses." - Arthur C. Clarke.
2. Re:Typicall awful font rendering on Linux by RoadkillBunny · 2005-12-26 09:27 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  This has been fixed in Tcl/Tk 8.5 as it uses anti-aliased fonts. It is still in beta, but feel free to try it out. http://www.tcl.tk/
  
  --
  Cheers,
  RoadkillBunny
3. Re:Typicall awful font rendering on Linux by nneonneo · 2005-12-26 09:58 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Well, it is actually possible to achieve anti-aliased rendering on Linux (not without some effort): http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/3 093/1/
4. Re:Typicall awful font rendering on Linux by onlyjoking · 2005-12-26 11:34 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Well, all I can say is that successive incarnations of Firefox on Fedora are an embarrassment. I cross my fingers that none of my clients are viewing the websites I design for them with Firefox/Linux. 1px CSS borders turn into dotted borders and line spacing is almost doubled. I'm sure if I tweaked xorg somewhere I could get it right, or maybe it's how Firefox integrates with xorg. Who knows? All I know is it ain't ready for prime time and no-one at Mozilla.org seems to care.
Re:Gaim? MS-messenger? by Photon+Ghoul · 2005-12-26 09:54 · Score: 4, Funny

The A in AIM stands for America.

Well, technically I believe it stands for "AOL".
excuse my ignorance, but... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-12-26 10:51 · Score: 2, Interesting

...how do you get an MSN chat account in the first place if you don't have a windows machine? I tried to get one with my linux box and it wouldn't let me even register. I'm sure it's something obvious I am missing, but would appreciate the trick for this one, if there is a trick to it. Thanks in advance!
Re:i dont understand... by oglueck · 2005-12-26 11:09 · Score: 2, Informative

The MS product
- is only available for Windows
- displays ads
- has a bad user interface (you can't even rename contacts)
Ignorant slut teens rejoice! by tod_miller · 2005-12-26 11:33 · Score: 4, Funny

You can now webcam chat with overweight IT geeks who can help you fix your probelms in return for flashing your belly button!

The word is a better place.

--
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
Re:The MSN client I want is..... by matts-reign · 2005-12-26 13:50 · Score: 2, Informative

If you were to use cygwin, you could use the best (tm) console client for msn -- tmsnc. Google it.

--
Waffles rock.
If aMSN doesn't do it for you... by cybernezumi · 2005-12-26 15:25 · Score: 2, Informative

...try Mercury Messenger for MSN+webcam support on Windows, Linux & MacOSX. Its done multi-platform webcam for awhile. It also supports receiving video conferences on Mac & two way video conferencing on Win/Linux. It also has a ton of other features.
Re:i dont understand... by sp0rk173 · 2005-12-26 19:40 · Score: 2, Informative

aMSN works on linux. MSN messenger does not.
Good Mirrors (from amsn website) by chemturion · 2005-12-26 21:00 · Score: 2, Informative

It seems mirrors and SF download pages are slow or down... try downloading from :

http://agoodm.plus.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7

- or-

http://amsn.amnestysalinas.org/

Torrent links are available at :

http://amsn.recordingground.com/viewtopic.php?t=10 3