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How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

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Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#81

Post by monksy »

rident wrote: post #9

Google Talk was only ok when they had a jabber service. It wasn't much better than the other options besides that it tied delayed messaging (email) to instant messaging (jabber) through the same contact info. Then they killed off the jabber client to force users further into their software ecosystem. Then Hangouts came along and has to some degree replaced Talk with further ties into that ecosystem. Then they removed…

I really want Jabber to succeed, but it looks like all of the social providers don't want this and want to keep your communication on their servers.

Also, I really don't understand the appeal of pushing 100s of these chat apps out. I.e. Slack, Discord, allo, whats app, etc. They're not compatable with each other. You have to have a 100 different clients installed. Many which their desktop version requires 2 cpus and 128gb of ram to run each of them.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#82

Post by pasbesoin »

rident wrote: post #77
pasbesoin wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When they started pushing Duo and whatever the other piece of the associated current Google chat/conference... duopoly, is. Supposedly with some move away from and/or deprecation of Hangouts, not to mention the explicit language and dates WRT killing Talk. Well, fuck me. I can't be bothered to keep up with their changing product lineup, naming, marketing, whatever TF this is. I just use non-Google stuff, now, for cha…

Duo is a mobile only video/voice chat app that uses a experimental transport protocol. Allo is a text chat app with lots of options for stickers and end-to-end encryption disabled by default. I don't have a strong need for either of these apps.

Well, my Motorola G5+, purchased in August and on 7.0, came with an icon for Duo prominently displayed. Hangouts not installed by default. (Nor Allo, I now see.)

So, Hangouts is not facing some declared or expected EOL, at this point?

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#83

Post by shliachtx »

yeukhon wrote: post #38

Google Talk was like the “cool” version of AIM to me when I was using it between 2010 and 2013. I could access Talk from my browser or from a desktop client (Pidgin, and I believe there used to be an official Talk desktop client). For some like me, I didn’t mind to have my messages/conversations stored like an email (I am aware of some people’s privacy cocnerns). Even today I can go back to my Gmail and look up my co…

> For WhatsApp and Messenger, I know search is only available on their desktop client... and IRRC only text search (can’t do date/time search alone) is supported and is on per contact basis. No global search...

WhatsApp has search across all conversations in the mobile app (on iOS just pull down on the main screen) and in individual chats (tap on the chat title and select search from the menu).

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#84

Post by jes5199 »

I gave up on Talk / Hangouts a few years ago, when I kept getting into a state with it where someone would send me messages fine but my replies would be delayed for several hours. It was possibly the most frustrating computer-mediated interaction I've ever had - and I say that as a very cynical programmer! After a few weeks of it happening intermittently, I said to my handful of friends - "If you ever want to speak to me again, we have to find a different platform". Now we're on a combination of Telegram and Slack, and I'm happier. It's not as good as the world was in the AIM days, but, it gets the job done.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#85

Post by rident »

signal11 wrote: post #73
rident wrote: post #9

Google Talk was only ok when they had a jabber service. It wasn't much better than the other options besides that it tied delayed messaging (email) to instant messaging (jabber) through the same contact info. Then they killed off the jabber client to force users further into their software ecosystem. Then Hangouts came along and has to some degree replaced Talk with further ties into that ecosystem. Then they removed…

Even if you didn't use Jabber, the #1 reason I recommended Google Talk was that it was very, very lightweight at a time when MSN Messenger and friends were adding stickers and other teenager/young-adult friendly* features. Today, ironically your choices for relatively straightforward messaging on the PC/Mac are: iMessage (Mac only), Skype for Business (the consumer client is too distracting for words), Whatsapp Web,…

Oh man, Slack really is a beast isn't it? I do like the multiple network nature of it (even though everything is saved to Slack's servers) but I find it hard to believe it does so little for it's footprint.

They too though made a Google-like transition and went from an open protocol (IRC/XMPP) to a closed/custom API. At least here, the server admin can enable those protocols if they want and the API seems to offer enough features that someone could probably integrate Slack into another IRC-like client.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#86

Post by nitwit005 »

As to the contact list being some random list of names, I've noticed companies seem to go through this sequence:

1) We get more engagement if people add more friends to the product! Repeatedly nudge them to add ALL their friends! 2) Wow, people have a ton of friends they aren't interested in. People don't seem to know how to manage their friends list. Let's automatically pick what to show them.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#87

Post by shliachtx »

rident wrote: post #85
signal11 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you didn't use Jabber, the #1 reason I recommended Google Talk was that it was very, very lightweight at a time when MSN Messenger and friends were adding stickers and other teenager/young-adult friendly* features. Today, ironically your choices for relatively straightforward messaging on the PC/Mac are: iMessage (Mac only), Skype for Business (the consumer client is too distracting for words), Whatsapp Web,…

Oh man, Slack really is a beast isn't it? I do like the multiple network nature of it (even though everything is saved to Slack's servers) but I find it hard to believe it does so little for it's footprint. They too though made a Google-like transition and went from an open protocol (IRC/XMPP) to a closed/custom API. At least here, the server admin can enable those protocols if they want and the API seems to offer en…

Apparently they were built to mimic IRC but don't actually use it under the hood. But like you mentioned, they DO have some integration with IRC.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#88

Post by rident »

pasbesoin wrote: post #82
rident wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Duo is a mobile only video/voice chat app that uses a experimental transport protocol. Allo is a text chat app with lots of options for stickers and end-to-end encryption disabled by default. I don't have a strong need for either of these apps.

Well, my Motorola G5+, purchased in August and on 7.0, came with an icon for Duo prominently displayed. Hangouts not installed by default. (Nor Allo, I now see.) So, Hangouts is not facing some declared or expected EOL, at this point?

It's already marked as "classic" in the help section for Meet.

> If you use hangouts.google.com for video calls, or need help on chat, visit the classic Hangouts Help Center.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#89

Post by freeflight »

craftyguy wrote: post #66
lobster_johnson wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that's accurate. There were a bunch of silos in the past, too. People used to be on AIM, MSN Messenger, ICQ, Jabber and IRC, and there were others. That's the reason chat apps like Adium and Trillian supporter multiple accounts. I had friends on all those networks, and nobody was on all of them. It was a mess back then, just as it is now, except now we have even more choices.

I'm amused that IRC is the only one of those you listed that is still alive and doing well.

Afaik ICQ is still somewhat popular in eastern Europe.

Re: How did Google Talk change from a dream to a nightmare?

#90

Post by intellegacy »

you guys want to talk about frustration and pain from hangouts? pffff, try this:

an important new client calls you on your google voice number, which routs to hangouts. You don't yet have their number as it isn't in your Google Contacts or your Phone Contacts.

You answer, but are busy, or need to look up something for them, and you tell them you'll call them right back.

You get the info you need and you look to your recent calls for the call THAT JUST CAME IN LITERALLY A MINUTE AGO. It's not there. Hangouts does not save incoming calls. (or at least it didn't a year ago)

Why? Who the fuck knows??!

Google Hangouts: We Don't Give A Shit.

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