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.

Lies

[Henry V .009]

This may or may not be a reasonable business decision, but do they really have to flat out lie to their customers?

"If this has affected the way in which third parties interact with our service, it is merely a byproduct of our efforts to implement preventative measures to protect our users from potential spammers," Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako said.

Who the hell decided that it was okay to to treat all your customers like I treat my retarded cousin Larry? I hope that they understand that a lot of us know and resent it when we are being lied to.

Re:The lesson to be learned here

[anonymous loser]

Never trust a corporation with anything you value or at least with proper constraints over that corporation.

I use Yahoo! Messenger and haven't experienced any problems whatsoever related to this. In fact there are a couple of new features with this newest version that I'm eager to try out. Why should I be concerned if some unendorsed 3rd party application no longer works because Yahoo decided to change the way their network or protocol functions? My client still works fine; it's just too bad if Trillian (whose newest beta version still works, BTW) or some other 3rd party meta-IM client gets borked along with all the spammers.

Serves people right for trusting closed systems.

It serves who right, exactly? Yahoo customers didn't experience any problems. You must mean the 3rd-party clients and spambots leeching on Yahoo's networks, because they are the only ones affected AFAIK.

Re:Windows Messenger has update also

[Anonymous Coward]

The CD key isn't breaking copyright law. The copy of XP might be. Using a non-original key with a legitimate copy of XP may still be illegal due to the DMCA (circumvention of copyprotection), but in many countries using a fake key to activate a legitimate copy of a program is perfectly legal.

Making money with open IMs

[ShadowDrake]

The obvious excuse for locking out third-party clients is to prevent getting by without seeing downloaded ads.

Why not merely develop a system that sends ads as messages-- like spammers do, but officially. Send one every x +/- y minutes of connect time, make up source accounts (or even force the account name to a friends-list member) to make filtering difficult.

Re:Windows Messenger has update also

[Afrosheen]

You and millions of others are probably half the reasons worms spread so fast. Microsoft thought they were being clever by having a real serial checker built into sp1 but sp1 fixed alot of holes. Without sp1 other patches don't want to install from Microsoft's update site (not to say that they WON'T but the site doesn't like you skipping it first).

So basically Microsoft helps prevent piracy (sorta, any keygen and serial changer can work miracles) while at the same time ensuring the spread of 0wn3d machines. Good job guys, quality work.

Jabber

[WindBourne]

I currently use kopete (and occaisionly gaim which has much better protocols) due to hating to use so many different programs.
Worse, teh MS version of yahoo is awesome while the linux version is at best the mistreated stepchild.
Due to all the hassle that is going on, it is time to move away from so many protocols and server. I am re-establishing jabber at home and at work. It is time to move away from being tied into politics amongst the monsters and simply take back control

Re:Windows Messenger has update also

[NickFortune]

Yep - that's why I put a lock on my front door- to help prevent crime. A lot of people say that I'm just worried about my stuff being ripped off, but that's not true! I am passionately committed to whole crime prevetion thing.

Trouble is, Microsoft want to be the ones that put the lock on my house. For my protection, obviously. And they'll keep a copy just in case. And so they can let themselves whenever they want to. Just to check my security. And make sure I've not pinched anything. And maybe redecorate if they feel like it.

And if they sometimes take stuff away, well that's ok because it really all belongs to them anyway. All I do is pay for it, it says so on the licence.

And come the advent of Palladium, if I want to get in myself, all I'll have to do is ask them...

Yeah, good job boys. Quality work.

When your rivals are better, block them

[mikeswi]

Yahoo may think this will cause 3rd party users to download the official client. I believe they are incorrect. People will just wait on Trillian to get back onto the network or they'll tell their other Trillian friends to switch to one of the other 3 networks it accesses.

I suppose since their software can't compete with their rivals' software on features and functionality, they're trying to compete on number of users. That's pretty stupid however, since AOL and MSN have that locked up.

Why not just friggin agree to a standard network that any client can access? Then they could concentrate on making the software good enough that people want to use it because they like it, not because they have 1 or 2 friends who refuse to use a different network? They could also concentrate on that secure, encrypted corporate version that AOL, Yahoo, and MSN all want to start selling to corporate buyers.

Re:The lesson to be learned here

[Anonymous Coward]

And when all your friends are running msn it's SO easy to switch to jabber. Especially with the almost not totally broken msn transport that is available for it.

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