Kyle LeBoeuf

Instant messaging protocols are in a crowded market. You have AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, Gtalk (Jabber), ICQ, and now even Facebook is jumping into the foray. While a vast majority of users stick with only one or two protocols, there are plenty of users out there who use several different protocols.

The way things used to be, we had to download a different client for each protocol, but now the market is taking two different directions: interoperability between protocols, or clients capable of managing multiple protocols at once. We’ve seen this now with clients like iChat (for Macs), Pidgin, and, recently, Digsby.

Digsby is an open-source, cross-platform (soon), and multi-protocol instant messaging client. That’s the only feature it sports though. On top of that, it can handle email notifications (works with Gmail (Google apps too), Windows Live Mail, Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail, and any email service that’s available through POP and IMAP), and integrates directly with several major social networking services such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

It’s supported-protocols list is staggering. It supports the biggest names in IMing, including AIM, MSN, Yahoo! and ICQ, as well as open-source protocols like Jabber/Google Talk, and even Facebook Chat!

You can see a screenshot of the buddy list below (click for full size):

The top part is my AIM list, the bottom is my Facebook Chat contacts list (yes, it’s real).

Other features include customizable skins, “Listening To…” status integration through media players like iTunes, and skin/settings synchronization through a Digsby account (free), so you can keep your same settings and customizations no matter what computer you are using. Awesome.

You can pick up Digsby (in beta) by heading over to their website (link below). Right now, Digsby only supports Windows, but will soon be available for both Linux and OS X.

Digsby (Windows-Only download)

Kyle is a freelance blog writer who maintains this site as a hobby. Stuff written here reflects the view of him alone. Email him at kyle [at] kyleleboeuf.com (replace [at] with @, no spaces)

Odd things have a tendency to trend on twitter.

Take right now for example. As of right now, the phrase “Suck My Lamp” is trending on Twitter. It seems that people like to engineer the search results. It certainly seems that way.

Below is an image of the front page:

As you can see in the image, Suck My Lamp has trended to the near top, only being shadowed by the general tag #redsox .

When you click on Suck My Lamp, this is what you get:

While this might seem like a trivial thing to post about, its 1 AM in the morning, and I simply found it odd that something like this was trending. It’s not the first time that odd trends have popped up. TechCrunch reported on an odd occurrence a few days ago, where it seems like Twitter Search was getting pranked by accounts (probably dummies) posting a certain time, causing it to trend.

I know I’m really making any sense, but I feel like that’s okay. It’s 1 AM (actually 1:30…I need a life).

I’ll report on more unusual trends as time go by.

kyle [at] kyleleboeuf.com

This is the premier “Neat tech” article. At least once a week, I’ll try to post something on here about some sort of nifty technology, usually some sort of web service or application.

Geo-location is all the rage these days. Tech companies are scrambling to implement the idea into their products, especially with applications for the iPhone, whose built-in GPS allows for highly accurate location detection.

I haven’t really messed with it, but I was intrigued when I heard about Geode, an add-on for Firefox developed by Mozilla Labs. Geode uses Wi-fi detection technology to determine where you are. You can allow Geode to see where you are based on exact location, neighborhood, city, or nothing at all. It’s really interesting, and I decided to give it a test spin. It did a pretty good job of pinpointing my location at a Lafayette coffee shop. Mozilla labs has a nifty website called Food Finder that allows you search for nearby eats based on your location.

Give Geode a shot by installing the .xpi here (Firefox only)

Lithium Ion is a marvelous techology. It’s easy to say that it powers just about every rechargable-battery powered gadget that’s been released in the past 3 years or so. My lithium battery on my Dell laptop sucks. Period. Bad thing about rechargable batteries is that over time, they tend to lose their charge, not to mention the fact that Vista is a battery hog.

I’ve already had to replace the battery on my older Dell laptop once, and the one that this post is being typed also has received a replacement within the past year…but the battery still sucks.

I’m contemplating reverting back to XP, like many of my buddies out there in the tech world, but I haven’t made up my mind on that just yet. An operating system reinstallation takes a long time…time I’m quite sure I have right now.

Speaking on battery suckage, I have to wrap this post up because my battery is almost dead…

sad times.

kyle [at] kyleleboeuf.com

Apple is almost always on the mind of the technology press world. They are usually placed on the level of “deity” and worshiped by most of the press that covers them. Apple’s products are praised as hip, cool, and state-of-the-art both in design and functionality.

However, you rarely hear about Apple and the corporate world. That’s because Apple’s products traditionally targeted home consumers, college students, and those in the visual arts and music industries.

That’s all changing now, as Apple looks to expand it customer base and compete with Microsoft. If Apple wants to compete toe-to-toe with Microsoft, when it will have to expand into the corporate base.

In some ways, it already has. Some major corporations have begun making the transition to Mac. What’s stopping a massive takeover?

Several things:

Price: Large corporations are notorious for pinching pennies when it comes to purchasing tech equipment. Apple hardware is expensive. It’s a premium that’s usually worth it, but it’s a premium that most companies aren’t willing to pay. Some recent rumors are pointing to the possibility of cheaper Apple products coming down the pipeline, but that remains to be seen.

Users resistant to change: Many people, especially the older generation that proliferates the corporate world, hate change. They hate having to learn any kind of new piece of technology or software that will cause some changes in their workflow.

Common-misconceptions of the public: This is something that’s becoming less and less of an issue as the mainstream media covers more and more aspects of Apple products and culture, but it’s an issue none-the-less. People need to learn the truth about Apple products, and be removed from their doubts and misconceptions, like “I can’t use Microsoft Office with that”, or “I can’t get online and check my email if I don’t have Internet Explorer”. Come on people, keep up with the rest of us in the 21st century.

Some recent changes to Apple’s hardware greatly increase it’s public exposure and the likely-hood of corporate adoption:

Programs Available for Mac: As Apple’s market share in the PC world continue to climb, more software companies will begin developing products for Mac.

Macs run Windows: For the few programs that you have that require Windows, there’s always Boot Camp. Software such as VMWare and Parallels even allow your Mac and Windows OSs to run at the same time.

Massive public exposure to the Apple brand through products such as the iPod: Most people in your corporate office will have heard of or own an iPod or iPhone. These are products that Apple is using to get consumers familiar with it’s brand. If you like something Apple makes, you are more likely to buy products from Apple next time you are in the market for something that Apple happens to produce.

So all of this to say that Mac is on the verge of breaching into the corporate world…and I think that it’s going to happen. I think Apple is going to execute brillantly…and we’ll see Macs more and more in the workplace…

Till then, I’ll grumble and complain while I use my dell workstation here at the office.

kyle [at] kyleleboeuf.com