Seven Reasons Why Google Talk Kicks Ass (Score 1)

1. Jabber Backend - an open source instant messaging protocol. Google is a company that actually embraces open source. The entire Jabber protocol is publicly available and well documented. 2. Jabber == Growth - although Google Talk doesn't implement much of the Jabber protocol right now, it has LOTs of room to grow. Features like multi-network communication, IRC-style chat, and offline instant messaging will keep Google Talk a much desired client. 3. Clean Interface - People who claim that Google Talk is "weak" simply do not get it. In fact, it shows just how ignorant they are. They fail to appreciate the simplistic beauty behind the whole thing. Simplicity has always been Google's main advantage and has set them apart from the competitors (compare Yahoo's homepage with Google's). Not every Google Talk user is a g33k. Why would the typical user want to tweak every aspect of the client? Keep it simple! Want more features? Use a more sophisticated client. Remember, Google Talk uses an open system of communication - any Jabber client will work. 4. No spyware 5. No annoying ads, stock tickers, flashy crap, blinking banners, or news tickers. 6. Very small executable - No bloat. No extra crap. Remember, this is just an instant messaging client. That's it! If you want a stock ticker, alerts, news, or whatever, use the corresponding tool. An instant messaging client was never supposed to have all of that crap built in. This is a huge advantage for dialup users and people who don't want or need any extra crap. 7. Integration with other Google products. Gmail integration is already there, but that's not the end of things. I imagine that as time passes, Google will integrate more products such as Google Maps in their product.