Adium offers first look at video integration

#8- Yahoo Messenger for the Mac has done video for the past couple of years but still NO AUDIO!

Just to clarify a point, Adium and Pidgin (formerly GAIM) both use the same core. The guy who develops Adium designed the Mac interface and ported the Linux code to run on OSX. He's also a major contributor to the GAIM engine code base. GAIM announced that they would be working on adding video functions a couple of years ago, but never got anywhere. It looks like Adium guy is taking the reins on this one. The nice thing is that his efforts, if fruitful, will be seen on OSX, Linux, Windows, and a number of other supported OSen.

-MoboDojo

In reply to #8: Unfortunately Yahoo for Mac's page is misleading. Seeing the webcam makes you believe you can do video chat but that is all it is. A webcam video while you type chat. No audio whatsoever.

i only know 3 people with Macs and about 30 with PCs, so i am continually frustrated at not being able to IM with video to Yahoo & MSN friends. [especially in poorer countries, when people can only use internet cafes!]
this is something that should've been done (by Apple) years ago.

Just to boost what Matt said: This blog post is misleading. You can AV chat with Windows AIM users using iChat.

So, when can we decide that all of this is a stupid waste of resources and just settle on a single, standard chat/video/audio protocol? Just lock AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google into a room and don't let them out until it's sorted.

I know it's relative, but right now the few people I do know who use MSN are the "pain-in-the-ass people who make me jump through hoops" (and of course I'm that way to others, but still).

Actually I was really hoping for Apple to finally implement Yahoo and/or MSN compatibility in Leopard's iChat...! But again, nope...too bad, since I really like iChats simplicity and even though Adium is a great app I always somehow preferred iChat over other solutions...

Yes, you can use most other services in iChat via Jabber, I know...but that means that you have to set up a new IM account in Jabber, then add all your contacts again...and what i find most annoying is that you can't use several of your own accounts in one window or contact list respectively...! So I have one window for my iChat contacts and another one for the others via Jabber...not the most elegant solution...

I just wanted to make a note that iChat in Leopard does now allow video chatting with PC AIM users using the latest version and you can also use iChat Theater.

If the only reason you are using Adium is for MSN support, there's no need:

http://allforces.com/2005/05/06/ichat-to-msn-through-jabber/

I'm using MSN through iChat right now, and it works fine. Obviously this is text only, but if that's all you need from your MSN friends, you can stick with iChat.

also, cerulean studios (developers of trillian) have been working on their new version 4.0 which is currently codenamed astra. they have a native mac os client in its early alpha stages and in the next few builds us alpha testers are expecting to see a/v chat implemented on the windows side of things and i'm sure that the osx build from what i am reading is rapidly catching up with its windows counterpart.

the way astra was built was there is 2 separate pieces of code. there is the "IMCore" which is the way the program works and then there is the UI which has been adapted for windows, native osx (cocoa i believe), flash, and iPhone. this means that all the functionality is there with the osx build, but it just needs to get the UI adapted as the IMCore features are stabilized.