Yahoo Messenger Blocks Outside IM Clients

jj00 writes "CNET News is reporting that Yahoo has started blocking 3rd party Messenger clients from their service. The article is about Trillian, but I have noticed that my gaim client hasn't been working for the past few days." As reported earlier.

AIM started it

[Anonymous Coward]

Remember when Windows Messenger came out? It could connect to AIM's network, and had AOL allowed it, it's likely Windows Messenger would've destroyed their marketshare. Afterall, why use AIM to just to talk to one network when you can use Windows Messenger to talk to two? So, AOL cut them off. MS worked around it, AOL cut them off, and so on. Eventually, they reach some sort of agreement, and they don't talk to each other.

Beta Patch already released

[M3wThr33]

Cerulean Studios already fought AOL and won.
If you hoof it on over to Trillian's website [trillian.cc] and logging into the member's section, you can get the beta Yahoo-patch.

How's that for response time?

Re:They're cutting their own throats

[MoonFog]

After October 15 MSN access will also be restricted [slashdot.org]
We'll have to wait and see if ICQ will do the same thing eventually

Trillian beta still works

[koreth]

If you're a paying Trillian customer, you can download the beta of their next major release, which works just fine with the Yahoo! Messenger network even after this change. I believe they've said they'll port the protocol change back to the free version as well. I'm running the beta and haven't noticed any disruption of service.

Re:Trillian beta still works

[typobox43]

Whoa. The beta still works?! Here's a bit of background info... some you might know, some you might not. Trillian 2.0 was released back on September 10th. Trillian 2.0 RC3 had come out within the last 48 hours (can't remember exactly when). After RC3 came out, Yahoo started sending the YahooMessengerTeam upgrade notices that you might have seen. Because of this, the Trillian development team made a quick change in the final version just before they were going to release it. This pushed back the release a good two-three hours. Anyway, they updated the final to the latest protocol. The beta isn't on the latest protocol, and from what I remember seeing, it wasn't supposed to work at all after the "upgrades." However, if it really still works, I've got a lot of people who will like to know it.

Re:Beta Patch already released

[CGP314]

Gaim [sourceforge.net] is already working on a crack too.

Re:Lies

[yRabbit]

Many "potential spammers" can, of course, just use their official clients. They could, if they wanted, take the time to send identical messages to people one at a time.

If they're only concerned about spammers, and third-party clients allow you to spam, they just need to implement some anti-spam measures on the server side of things (read: Block users from sending too many messages out in some intelligent manner or another), not block out many people who'd like to talk to others on their network but use a client they might trust or like more.
It sounds to me like they must not care about third party clients.. Why not simply tell the truth in their statement?

Re:Beta Patch already released

[NuShrike]

I confirm this. Beta patch for post 2.0pro release works fine with "new" Yahoo.

Re:nah

[Crusader of Yore]

>> great way to stop giving the service away for free to
>>freeloaders who generate no ad revenue

Oddly enough, the Mac version of YIM does not appear to have any ads. Why would they care if I should choose to use a third-party solution? Admittedly, I have yet to find a decent one, but that's beside the point.

Re:why is this even an issue?

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean anyone who uses a proprietary network to do communication on is taking some pretty big chances...

Why is this ? The regular user wouldn't recognize code if I hit him in the head with it. To him it doesn't matter if his chatting protocol is open source or not, he just wants to reach his those on his buddy list.

Users may not understand the source code, but they'd probably understand the concept of an open network (and open protocols) if it was explained to them.

To talk to people on different services, people will have to use several clients simultanously (with multiple buddy lists), or a third-party client which connects to all or them but is occasionally blocked from some networks (so they can't reach certain people on their buddy list). Either way they'll understand these annoyances.

People might start using Jabber if they understood that an open protocol would allow them to easily reach those on their buddy list, without any problems. If there was enough demand, ISPs would operate Jabber servers, and possibly make agreements with Microsoft/AOL/Yahoo to connect their users to those networks. It seems unlikely right now, but instant messaging is still a growing market.

Re:nah

[Xuli]

Was Yahoo not one of the founding members of the IMUnified group, whose sole purpose was to unify with goliaths such as MSFT [yahoo.com] to fight the tyranny of AOL? Aforementioned tyranny being comprised of AOL blocking [com.com] outise clients from accessing their users.

What goes around comes around. Out of protest I am planning to use my AOL IM exclusively indefinitely unitil this is solved.

Starting with a work-related mandate to use Yahoo's IM service, I've since become quite a "Sticky" Yahoo visitor. My calendar is linked with their service, I forward a number of mail addresses there - I generate them money!

How, you ask? I am given, at the least (counting calendar, email, and news) three opportunities per visit to interact with Yahoo's advertisers and sponsors. This is a direct result of being a Yahoo IM user, and discovering how their other services integrated with their messaging client. While I cannot comment on MSN, and I don't dream of endorsing AOL for myriad reasons, I feel that Yahoo's services were robust enough to keep a technically demanding user such as myself attracted to the brand. In interacting with memebers of Yahoo's chat community, it seems to be the case that moderate to heavy users of it's chat/IM service also quickly adopt other Yahoo services. This equates to more unique pageviews per day from IM/chat users than off-the-street users and perusers. Yahoo IM users, on average, tend to be loyal out of necessity - not necessity becasue they are in any way indentured to format, design or interoperability to Yahoo, but becasue things "just work."

This move, to isolate IM users who may be using a different client (is it even reasonable to assume users will be happy with just one?) services is tragic. Yahoo has clearly missed the point that IM users are not IM users alone, but rather comprise some of the best audiences for exposure to their ads, and therefore, a direct path to revenues.

This move, to block users who've already made a conscious choice to use other Yahoo services is a faux pas, to say the least.

Re:Their Network

[slux]

Jabber's doing great. The Jabber software foundation recently issued a press release [jabber.org] stating that Jabber has now passed ICQ in popularity.

Also, they're on their way to becoming an actual internet standard.

The last obstacles are file transfer (should be addressed soon) and actually getting people to migrate. When all your friends are on Yahoo for example, it's not that easy to switch. The gateways are supposed to help the problem, but of course right now the Jabber Yahoo gateway is not functioning either.

Trillian wasn't merely blocked -

[nuckfuts]

it caused the program to crash. In many cases Trillian could not even start until automatic login to Yahoo! was edited out of an ini file.

Re:nah

[hetta]

Actually, the linux client doesn't have any ads. Here: YIM for *nix [yahoo.com]

Re:AIM Next?

[colinleroy]

MSN is not blocked. ayttm, eb-lite, gaim (in CVS) and some other clients already use MSNP8 or MSNP9.

Old news ?

[Krunch]

I've noticed that my Jabber client can't connect to Y! for some weeks now. Well, we still have AIM, ICQ and of course Jabber.

Re:nah

[Peyna]

If you read the news.com article cited further up you'll realize that Yahoo states they have every intent with working with 3rd-party clients, and that they fully support a standards initiative.

They're basically just saying "Hey, we're putting this upgrade out there, and it's probably gonna break your client. You might want to talk to us and we'll tell you how to fix it."

Re:nah

[Mattb90]

Well, I would say that IMunified has fallen by the wayside a bit. Try heading to IMunified.org (where its official website once was) and you'll get this: - a symbol that MS, Yahoo and the others have probably lost interest in the scheme. [registerapi.com]

Re:Lies

[Awptimus Prime]

Apparently you don't use the Yahoo! IM service. It's to the point I keep the client on a hidden virtual desktop since I don't like my boss walking by and seeing an IM from S3XXEEmama69 inviting me to view her webcam for $3.99/minute.

Spam and abuse on Yahoo! chat has been out of control for years. Plus, it's not like any corporate entity can tell the full truth about anything these days. Instead of a few people going "OH HEEEEY! What about them ads you want me to see??", they simply address the most beneficial points to the public. That's because the masses can be a whiney, time consuming waste of time and resource if you give them too much information.

Personally, I'd rather see Yahoo! make revenue off their small ads and keep their email and IM services free.

As I read this thread, I find no end to my disappointment in people's attitude towards a free service trying to get back a little of what they've given you. I think this model should be praised for even existing. Think about it. Don't you remember the days before you broadband connections? You know, back when people silently got nickeled and dimed to death over any little perk or service for analog phone service (think $5.95/mo for CallerID!). Now you get the world at your finger tips, for free, but yet whine endlessly when they would like to show you and advertisement in an attempt to run their business.

If half the people on this website got outside on occasion, they'd find there's a lot more to get upset about in the marketing industry than small non-popping up ads in an IM.

Chew on these:

- Gas stations that you can't even see in the windows because they are completely covered with beer, cigarette, and drink ads.

- Billboards with ~1100 watts worth of lights blanket our cities and dot our countryside.

- 6-10 minutes of TV commercials every 30 minutes. The same obnoxious commercials every break.

- MTV

- Spam

- Advertising in public school campuses.

- Companies scheming to put billboards in space.

It's not like the people complaining are even being forced into using a service at all. Everyone can go back to IRC and deal with the service level of a free realtime chat network. You know, smurfers, script kiddies, etc.

I got nothing, so I'll be quiet now. ;-)

Which article did you read?

[artemis67]

Coinciding with the upgrade, Yahoo said it would likely disable access to outside IM services such as Trillian. Yahoo set a deadline of Wednesday for its forced upgrade and its intention to disconnect Trillian.

This is most definitely an attempt on Yahoo's part to block third-party IM clients.

Nowhere in the article does it state that Yahoo still supports a standards initiative, or that it has any intent to work with third parties.

Gaim from CVS works just fine

[Eye of the Frog]

I grabbed the latest Gaim files from CVS [sourceforge.net] after the 24th, and I was back up and running with no problem at all. Thank you to all the Gaim developers for their hard work!

Re:Their Network

[I(rispee_I(reme]

The biggest problem with decentralized instant messenging is implementing buddy lists.
Almost every peer2peer program uses some degree of centralization, excepting freenet and the original gnutella 0.4 (0.6 and later added ultrapeer support). Those networks which are completely decentralized are characterized by slow, unreliable searches, due to having to check every peer on the network for bootleg.mp3 (for example).
Now, this problem can conceivably be worked around as long as you're searching for bootleg.mp3, since one copy's as good as any other, but when you transfer the decentralized architecture over to Instant Messaging, and instead of looking for that mp3, you're looking for your chat buddy (IM_Pal, for example), one IM_Pal is not as good as another.
So, for now, decentralized chat is a possibility, while decentralized IM is not, due to the buddy list which begs for a central authority to maintain it... At least as far as I know.

Re:Gaim from CVS works just fine

[soloport]

How can this be?

From the site:
You may have noticed that Yahoo has ceased working. The fix in 0.69 (of which (slightly broken) source packages are currently available) was not adaquate. We're working on the new authentication method now; hopefully it will be cracked soon.

Dated: September 26th, 2003 - 1:55PM EDT

Re:nah

[aminorex]

Methinks you've been watching too much TV.
The function of the police is not to protect
you. That is your responsibility. The function
of the police is to whack people down.