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Basic Internal Instant Messaging Solution?
sk8dork asks: "I am pretty much _the_ internal IT person at the company I work for and I am recognizing the need for internal Instant Messaging more and more each day. While email is quick and easy to send, it's not always the quickest way to get your message to someone when they're not monitoring their inbox every second of the day. Having come from a position in Dell tech support I've experienced the MS communications solution but was put off by the instability of it and, now that I've looked into purchasing it, the steep price as well. For more stability we often used an internal IRC channel, but most people would either not login or they'd just be put off by its complexity. In this new company, where close to no one is 'computer savvy', I am in need of an Instant Messaging solution that is easy to use, secure, limited to our network, and inexpensive. I'd like to stay away from the mainstream IM clients such as Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ and others. We're running Windows Server 2003 for Small Business (sorry) and will be soon upgrading out of the SBE to regular Windows Server 2003. Any helpful information will be greatly appreciated."
Wahhhh. :P
All the later chat protocols have been more complex than the IRC protocol
Get them to install mIRC, and give each one an identical configuration script. Set it up to auto-join a server and channel(s) on startup, and then add mIRC to the windows Startup list.
Death by snoo-snoo!
Work, money, time.. you need at least two. Either pay up for internal Windows Messenger, whose client is already on all your desktops, or develop your own simple IM server and client putting in your own sweat and blood.. or pay someone to develop a non-MS solution. You have to weigh the potential benefits of an IM solution. For most people, just keeping their email open and minimized is good enough. If they don't reply to you quickly enough, well that's not email's fault, they can ignore IM windows just as easily.
-Billco, Fnarg.com
If you want something blah blah blah and secure...you haven't defined secure well enough. Once you decide what you want, security becomes a near all-or-nothing endeavor. GAIM is what you want for secure and a heterogenous collection of messengers ppl are bound to come from. Why PSI and NET SEND are even being suggested, is pure moderation trolling.
Often wrong but never in doubt.
I am Jack9.
Everyone knows me.
Before IM came to the office, people did actually use the phone and their feet. Both are still well suited. Implement both will cost nothing more assuming an existing phone system is in place. Another reader noted that phones don't show who's "online". My response to this is that even if the other party is "online", this doesn't mean they will respond to the IM sent.
My advice to you is keep it simple and more secure by not implement IM at all. Tell you user base to let their fingers and/feet do the walking. The exercise is good for people sitting for most of the day anyway.
Later,
-Slashdot Junkly
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Landfill Mining Co.
Managing the (Un)natural Resources of Tomorrow
First, since we're all a bit introverted we need help communicating...
= tips+for+effective+communication&btnG=Search
= how+to+talk+to+women&btnG=Search
/. community I would like to thank you for carrying on the tradition of "I can't use google, so I'll ask /."
= open+source+instant+messaging+platform&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q
See that device on your desk with the coiled cable connecting a "handset" to a "base unit". There's numbers on it. Sometimes it makes a "ringing" sound?
It's called a phone. Pick it up, dial the persons number and talk to them. A simple film from 1927 will help http://www.archive.org/details/HowtoUse1927
Or to be even less introverted.
walk over to their desk and talk to them. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q
Or... if you insist...
On behalf of the entire
Here... I'll even do it for you:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q
Thank you for your continued support.