MySpaceIM is the official instant messaging

Instant messaging

Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...

 client for the social networking site MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

.

In 2009, a web-based client dubbed MySpaceIM for Web was released to all English-speaking countries, allowing users to interact with friends and non-friends alike to grow their network. Both the desktop and web-based clients can be used to communicate between friends over a common IM network.

Features

MySpaceIM integrates several features into the IM. Currently, these are the features included:

• Basic instant messaging to other MySpace users.
• Shortcuts to MySpace.com features and profiles.
• Imports friends from MySpace into your contacts list in MySpaceIM.
• Instant alerts for all requests, messages, and comments.

• Switchable conversation views, such as: traditional IM, with pictures, or with cartoon-like balloons.
• Skinnable
  Skin (computing)
  In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
  
   interface.
• Shareable custom backgrounds in message windows.
• Built-in avatar picture cropping.
• Custom emoticons.
• Custom "Zaps". (Zaps is a combination of a sound bite, picture, and/or words.)
• Voice calls with MySpaceIM users and Skype
  Skype
  Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
  
   native client users.
• Voice calls to and from regular phones.

Protocol

MySpaceIM uses a proprietary text-based protocol developed by MySpace. Messages are sent as lists of key/value pairs, separated by backslashes. Logging in involves a challenge/response protocol using the SHA-1 hash function

Hash function

A hash function is any algorithm or subroutine that maps large data sets to smaller data sets, called keys. For example, a single integer can serve as an index to an array...

 and RC4

RC4

In cryptography, RC4 is the most widely used software stream cipher and is used in popular protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer and WEP...

.

Although no official documentation is available, an unofficial MySpaceIM protocol specification http://imfreedom.org/wiki/MySpaceIM has been produced as part of the effort to implement the protocol in Pidgin

Pidgin (software)

Pidgin is an open-source multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple. Libpurple has support for many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various services from one application.The number of Pidgin users was estimated to be over 3...

.

There has also been a very rough .NET implementation of the MySpaceIM protocol which can be found here: http://pastebin.com/wtKPmFir.

Compatibility

In November 2006, Cerulean Studios

Cerulean Studios

Cerulean Studios is a software house based in Connecticut, United States, notable for developing Trillian, an instant messaging client.It was founded in May 1998 by Kevin Kurtz and Scott Werndorfer. While still living at his parent's home, Werndorfer used $10,000 of his savings to start Cerulean...

 announced their support in MySpaceIM through the upcoming release of Trillian Astra.

In August 2007, eBuddy

EBuddy

eBuddy is a privately held company which owns a browser-based web and mobile messenger service supporting various instant messaging services. eBuddy was launched in 2003 under the name e-Messenger, located at www.e-messenger.net, before rebranding itself in 2006 to eBuddy.eBuddy supports Windows...

 announced http://blog.ebuddy.com/index.php/instant-messaging/myspace-im-now-in-beta/ support for MySpaceIM through their beta web version.

During September 2007, the Pidgin

Pidgin (software)

Pidgin is an open-source multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple. Libpurple has support for many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various services from one application.The number of Pidgin users was estimated to be over 3...

 project development team incorporated MyspaceIM support developed through work by Jeff Connelly with the Google Summer of Code

Google Summer of Code

The Google Summer of Code is an annual program, first held from May to August 2005, in which Google awards stipends to hundreds of students who successfully complete a requested free or open-source software coding project during the summer...

. MySpaceIM support appears in the 2.2.0 release of libpurple, enabling MySpaceIM support in Pidgin

Pidgin (software)

Pidgin is an open-source multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple. Libpurple has support for many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various services from one application.The number of Pidgin users was estimated to be over 3...

 v2.2.0 and Adium

Adium

Adium is a free and open source instant messaging client for Mac OS X that supports multiple IM networks, including Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, AIM, ICQ, and XMPP. It supports many protocols through the libraries libezv , MGTwitterEngine , and libpurple...

 v1.1.3.

Versions

Over time, MySpace has released several versions of MySpaceIM, here listed in reverse chronological order:

• Version 1.0.823.0 (released 12/01/2009)
• Version 1.0.804.0 (released 10/09/2009)
• Version 1.0.800.0 (released 08/27/2009)
• Version 1.0.789.0 (released 12/17/2008)
• Version 1.0.756.0 (released 04/23/2008)
• Version 1.0.754.0 (released 02/07/2008)
• Version 1.0.745.0 (released 12/19/2007)
• Version 1.0.739.0 (released 12/11/2007)
• Version 1.0.731.0 (released 11/28/2007)
• Version 1.0.716.0 (released 08/15/2007)
• Version 1.0.712.0 (released 08/??/2007)
• Version 1.0.697.0 (released 05/31/2007)
• Version 1.0.673.0 (released 03/07/2007)
• Version 1.0.595.0 (released 01/??/2007)
• Version 1.0.594.0 (released 01/09/2007)
• Version 1.0.529.0 (released 01/08/2007)
• Version 1.0.476.0 (released 10/17/2006)
• Version 1.0.458.0 (released 10/10/2006)
• Version 1.0.404.0 (released 08/25/2006)
• Version 1.0.366.0 (released 07/21/2006)
• Version 1.0.357.0
• Version 1.0.349.0 (released 07/07/2006)
• Version 1.0.337.0
• Version 1.0.331.0 (released 06/14/2006)
• Version 1.0.330.0
• Version 1.0.327.0 (released 06/07/2006)
• Version 1.0.318.0 (released 06/06/2006)
• Version 1.0.312.0
• Version 1.0.306.0
• Version 1.0.302.0 (released 05/28/2006)
• Version 1.0.281.0 (released 05/20/2006)
• Version 1.0.269.0 (released 05/18/2006)
• Version 1.0.265.0 (released 05/13/2006)
• Version 1.0.262.0 (released 05/12/2006)
• Version 1.0.253.0 (released 05/10/2006)

The third number is the build number.

See also

• Comparison of instant messaging clients
  Comparison of instant messaging clients
  The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of instant messaging clients. Please see the individual products' articles for further information. This article is not all-inclusive or necessarily up-to-date...
  
  
• Trillian Astra
• Meebo
  Meebo
  Meebo is a social platform connecting users with their friends across the web. It began in 2005 as a browser based instant messaging program which supported multiple IM services, including Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, ICQ, MySpaceIM, Facebook Chat, Google Talk, CafeMom and...
  
  
• Pidgin
  Pidgin
  A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
  
  
• Adium
  Adium
  Adium is a free and open source instant messaging client for Mac OS X that supports multiple IM networks, including Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, AIM, ICQ, and XMPP. It supports many protocols through the libraries libezv , MGTwitterEngine , and libpurple...
  
  

External links

• Version History of MySpaceIM