Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL might or might not feel threatened by Google Talk, but VoIP provider Skype apparently is anticipating some heat, because it announced that it is opening its voice-talk platform to third-party development. Google Talk is an open platform, and Google is posturing about Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL making their IM machines interoperable—which they have little motivation to do, in my opinion. At least, right now. But if the open-development movement starts turning out compelling applications, created by people better in touch with what consumers want than the heavy-handed IM clients provided by the Big Three, then the market might become fragmented enough to force everyone to take down their walls.
Motivated By Google Talk, Skype Goes Open
Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. Google talk - only for rich people? What about Win 95-98 users?
Any version of yahoo messenger runs on Windows 98!
Posted at 4:42AM on Dec 19th 2005 by keberle marian
1. Too bad there isn't a Google Talk program for the Mac. Here's my tutorial on how to get it work with Adium X on a Mac:
http://www.spudart.org/blogs/randomthoughts_comments/3164_0_3_0_C/
Posted at 4:42AM on Dec 19th 2005 by googler