Talking about giving out your email IDs to an unknown service... Well Yahoo, Google, etc.. were all unknown when they first started off. Weren't they? Yahoo! does ask for your alternate email ID. Does it not? Now what if they start giving off the alternate ID to spammers or some such elements? What happens then? You start victimizing all those poor souls?

I have used Meebo, and I know people who still actively use it. NEVER ONCE have they felt comromised by Meebo. Obviously that does not make Meebo the example of honesty and purity, but it does call for some respect.

I need to use Meebo, because I think most IM clients for GNU/Linux are useless. Yes useless. The list includes GNU Freetalk, GAIM, Kopete, X-Chat, Irssi, etc.. I know this sounds obnoxious but I will give you my reasons for saying this.

I spend most of my time on the Internet behind a firewall that is very restrictive and seems to have most of the ports (including Jabber, IRC) blocked. But the thing is the Yahoo! messenger for WIndoze and GTalk client for Windoze all work. They both work just like that... out of the box. But GAIM does not, neither does Freetalk, neither does Kopete. I know there is no magic involved (this list had once lectured me on this... although I was never told something I did not know before). The apparent reason is that the ports used by these clients all seem to be blocked. But then why does the Windoze clients not get any obstruction? Why?

Obviously the Jabber, Yahoo, MSN, etc. protocols have nothing to do with WIndoze or GNU/Linux. But the thing is that it does NOT work on GNU/Linux. Why???

I am not an expert on these protocols. Atleast not yet. Maybe I will become one soon, but the fact is why cant one use GAIM to do Gtalk, Yahoo, Jabber when on the same network people are having a gala time using the same services on Windoze? Why??

This where Meebo comes in. If we want to popularise GNU/Linux, then it is not a GREAT idea to tell people: "Hey this is Free Software, use it. Its great, its secure, its cooler. But give up chatting."

For the non-wizard Meebo is the saviour. One cant explain a non-wizard the intricacies of firewalls, ports, etc.. They (to some extent that includes me) just need a working system.

At the end of it all, I still use GNU Freetalk and BitchX and Irssi but I have to do it by sshing into a public shell server, but thats a solution which cant be applied to all.

Cheers, Debarshi