Marshall Kirkpatrick on Yahoo/Microsoft IM Hookup
Marshall goes way too far in a post about the linkage between Yahoo and Microsoft's Messengers:
[from IM interoperability: not just a dream anymore]Microsoft just announced that today marks the first day that interoperability between its IM client and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is available. Microsoft says this is the first time two distinct, global consumer brands have made their IM clients interoperable. The combined user base of nearly 350 million accounts is the world’s largest, the company says. IM interoperability took so long that I thought it was never going to happen.
First of all, this arrangement is not new news: the two companies have been talking about this link-up for years.
Second of all, true interoperability won't be meaningful until AOL is involved, not to mention all the other companies and protocols out there, like Jabber.
What is needed is a governmental requirement that these companies all agree to a general model of interoperability, not just a convenient handshake between two companies. It is clearly in the public interest for the US (and the world, by the way) for such interoperability to happen. Meanwhile, politicians on the Hill are wallowing in pork fat, trying to stop Gay marriage or building a useless fence across the Mexcian border, while something that would benefit all of us is left to the oligarchs.
Somehow, we managed to get all the phone companies to play nice. Can't we make the IM companies do the same?
Interoperability is a good thing but I find it hard to believe that, on reflection, you will want the heavy hand of your government involved in this one. Interoperability of IM and the telephone is hardly apples-to-apples.
Some points:
1) Is anyone paying for instant messaging?
2) Is there is a monopoly?
3) Multi-protocol clients exist for those that want them.
4) If MSN, Yahoo, and others aren't interoperating it's because their users aren't clamouring for it and taking their business(?) elsewhere.
Nothing is stopping people switching to an open network like Jabber except that not enough people value using an open network over whatever features it is that they are getting from MSN, Yahoo, and the rest.
Posted by: Matt | July 13, 2006 at 08:42 AM
Good point Stowe.
People will soon wake up to the fact that IM is the new phone. Look at Skype, a voice service that has integral IM capability. The IM companies will have to wake up to the absolute necessity for interoperability. If that requires the FCC to step in to make this happen in the USA then so be it.
If the companies can bury their hatchets and adopt common Internet protocols (much like email) then may be it can be done by self regulation. If we get a few more companies to interoperate then the force of the momentum of inclusion may keep everyone connected.
As you rightly point out, until AOL joins the party, this may stay a pipe dream.
Posted by: Mark Scrimshire | July 13, 2006 at 04:07 PM