Should I download AOL Instant Messenger?

I use it occassionally. I just know that when I downlaod it, AOL will infiltrate my computer and I'm sure load other things on that I don;t need. I want to download it, but I don;t want to screw up my "pure" computer.

 

AOL IM is fine. If you are unsure you can get Trillian. It supports AIM and other IM services so you can have one program for all IM programs your friends might use.
http://www.trillian-messenger.net/

 

Wish I could help ya here, but all I have ever used is Yahoo! Hope you get the info you need!

 

I'm pretty sure AIM doesn't include adware or spyware.

Not 100% though.

 

Trillian is a nice app.

 

I installed Classic AIM 5.9 which is the simpler version. I have it on all of my computers and have no problems with spyware/adware.

 

Just say NO to Aim . . . not nearly as cool as it was 4 years ago.

 

Except a majority of the US uses it.

 

Do you have statistics to back that up? Otherwise, are you telling me that my advice isn't as good as yours because I do not follow 'the majority'? Sheesh. The program is 10x more bloated, data transfers are capped and emoticons are just not that cool. Is that better?

 

Doesn't change the fact that a majority of people use it

Also, chill out

From wikipedia - " The software, maintained by AOL, LLC, has a large share of the instant messaging market, especially in the United States (with 52% of the total reported as of 2006)."

 

Trillian for no adware and cleanliness!

 

I would also recommend Pidgin if you're looking for a free open-source alternative to AOL's program.

 

I use Digsby to tie together AIM/MSN/Yahoo! so that I only have to deal with one client. The majority of the people I know use AIM, but I use all three to accommodate everyone.

 

Thanks! I was just trying to point out that just because a program is used by a majority, doesn't necessarily make it the wise choice. The majority uses Windows, but I wouldn't send someone running to the store based on that fact alone.

 

All great things start from somewhere. AIM is at the point where AOL can stuff a ton of bloat in it, and it wont matter because tons of people use it. There are many ways to get rid of it, but, its more of an annoyance than a convenience. And where there is ad space is replaced with a white rectangular box, well, just looks kinda ugly. Might as well use another client.

 

Comparing Windows to AIM is different. Are you talking about the client or the service. Because if all of my friends used the AIM service, and I downloaded Yahoo Messenger, then Yahoo Messenger would be completely useless to me. AIM would be the wise choice because I wouldn't be able to chat with my friends online if I didn't download it or another client that supports the service.

 

Right. Which is why, if you take a look at some of the other programs people are suggesting, you will notice that technology has ways of allowing you to communicate with your friends without being bound to one particular program. In other words, you can talk to someone on AIM even though you are using Trillian. If you didn't know that already then it would probably be easier for you to just stick to AIM.

I understand that the Windows example is not analogous to the AIM one, again, I was just pointing out that there is a lot of software out there, they all do pretty much the same stuff, so don't be afraid to try other things out and see if it does what you need it to.

 

I also vote for trillian! its a great program.

 

AIM is just fine. You can customize what features you do and don't want installed. It's very simple.