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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?

#201

Post by jackson1way »

intellegacy wrote: post #90

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…

Exactly my experience. I was always wondering, if I'm just too stupid to figure out how to see recent calls. Glad I'm not alone.

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

#202

Post by dTal »

Freak_NL wrote: post #156
TeMPOraL wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. That's just yet another instance of web browser, this time with chat-specific tab switching and - as I learned recently - a need to create yet another cloud account... In Pidgin, you actually had it all in one place, with the UX defined by Pidgin . That's another bad thing about current fragmentation. You have no way to unify the UX.

That's by design of course. The client side software is where the interfacing with the user happens, and if your business model is 'first become huge and indispensable, than figure out a way to monetize', you need absolute control over what the user sees and how they interact with your service.

Let's not beat around the bush - if you "need absolute control over what the user sees" so that you can "figure out a way to monetize", then you have already decided that you are monetizing with ads. That is the only possible reason to maintain iron control over the user's eyeballs.

This business practice of pushing the product unsustainably in order to drive out the competition was rightly condemned when WalMart did it. I don't see a similar public backlash in the tech sphere these days.

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

#203

Post by Vinnl »

jhasse wrote: post #157
Freak_NL wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Signal and WhatsApp require a smartphone though, so not fully cross platform, and tied to their (closed) client software. Not sure if Telegram requires a smartphone too, but it does seem to require a phone number at least.

A smartphone isnt required, only a telephone number for authentification.

You do need one to set it up, right? I had to scan a QR code displayed on my desktop with my phone. (I could continue to use the desktop app while my phone was being repaired, though, which was great.)

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

#204

Post by cmrdporcupine »

promopacket wrote: post #46

There is a running joke within Google that the best way to get promoted is to create another chat or video conferencing app. Is it really a joke at this point, though? Googler engineering leaders and teams engaging in the replacement of good chat tech with worse happens every year or two. All to demonstrate "cross-org impact" and climb the promo ladder. This is in fact the driving force behind many of the complaints…

Yep, "demonstrating impact."

There are apparently some moves afoot reforming the promo process to make this less common though. Here's hoping.

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

#205

Post by dec0dedab0de »

thinkloop wrote: post #100
freeflight wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Afaik ICQ is still somewhat popular in eastern Europe.

I don't actually remember why ICQ died, it was the best then there was MSN Messenger for some reason...?

in my circle of friends it was because aim let you pick a username instead of a number

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

#206

Post by saagarjha »

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…

Jabber still kind of works. It's what I use at least; all my Hangouts conversations come through on my Mac through the Messages app.

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

#207

Post by notzorbo3 »

jhasse wrote: post #157
Freak_NL wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Signal and WhatsApp require a smartphone though, so not fully cross platform, and tied to their (closed) client software. Not sure if Telegram requires a smartphone too, but it does seem to require a phone number at least.

A smartphone isnt required, only a telephone number for authentification.

> A smartphone isnt required

It is for Whatsapp. Not only for sign-up, but actually all communication on the web version goes through the app running on your phone. The web "session" times out constantly, so I'd have to re-pair it with my phone all the time. If I still decided to use whatsapp.

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

#208

Post by balladeer »

jackson1way wrote: post #198
_kwmj wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WhatsApp web (or the desktop) is really frustrating at times (though that's not completely WhatsApp's fault). Half the time I want to use it, it is not connected and I have to unlock my phone and open the app and wait for some time when the WhatsApp is connected again and the desktop app is connected too. Because WhatsApp web/desktop uses the phone app as its server.

I have the same issue with the web app (using an iPhone). What I figured out is, that you don't need to unlock the screen to make the web app reconnect. All you need to do is switch on the phone (without unlocking), so just give the home button a little tap and 2-3s later the web app is reconnected. Not a great solution, but well...

You are right. That sometimes works. But what I've noticed, maybe it's some issue with my set up - not sure, that often the WhatsApp desktop/web app doesn't connect for 1-2 minutes even after I have unlocked (or woken) my phone - so I just click on WhatsApp app on phone anyway and let it reconnect. Android and iOS both are pretty strict on background tasks these days. I hope battery tech catches up with the speed at which apps' resource appetite is growing.

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

#209

Post by aluhut »

martin1975 wrote: post #71

I don't use Google Hangouts, Allo or whatever else they produced since GTalk. WhatsApp, Signal and Viber are the only ones I use and can reach most anyone worldwide. Google screwed the pooch on their IM strategy long time ago and there's no coming back. Kind of like screwing the Google Pixel 2 by removing the 3.5 mm aux jack.

I don't even know someone who used to use those products mentioned here.

However, I'm still on IRC...so what do I know of this fancy new stuff.

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

#210

Post by analogic »

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.

Was so excited when they finally added a video call option that wasn't a conceptual travesty so that we could finally have a cross-platform facetime alternative, unfortunately video always cut out and audio was inaudible, and still, despite being phone number based, won't let me call a number if I haven't added them as a contact. Oh well, back to, "let me go grab my iPad so we can facetime."

I tried to like it, I really did.

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