Yahoo! Messenger
Encyclopedia
Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging
client
and associated protocol
provided by Yahoo!
. Yahoo! Messenger is provided free of charge and can be downloaded and used with a generic "Yahoo! ID" which also allows access to other Yahoo! services, such as Yahoo! Mail
, where users can be automatically notified when they receive new email. Yahoo! also offers PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service, file transfers, webcam hosting, text messaging service, and chat rooms in various categories.
Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager on March 9, 1998.
In addition to instant messaging features similar to those offered by ICQ
, it also offers (on Microsoft Windows
) features such as: IMVironments (customizing the look of Instant Message windows, some of which include authorized themes of famous cartoons such as Garfield
or Dilbert
), address-book integration and Custom Status Messages. It was also the first major IM client to feature BUZZing and music-status. Another recently added feature is customized avatars
. Yahoo Messenger also allows users to access Yahoo Chat Rooms.
service, provided by Yahoo!
via its Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging
application. The ability to make PC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone calls is available worldwide. The ability to receive Phone-to-PC calls is available only in the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. It is also available for the Mac OS X platform.
services, using the official Yahoo! Music Radio plug-in from within the messenger window. The plug-in also allows full player functionality, such as play, pause, skip and rate this song.
("protocol") handler into some web browsers, so that URIs beginning "ymsgr:" can open a new Yahoo! Messenger window with specified parameters. This is similar in function to the mailto: URI scheme, which creates a new e-mail message using the system's default mail program. For instance, a web page might include a link like the following in its HTML source to open a window for sending a message to the YIM user notarealuser:
<a href="ymsgr:sendim?notarealuser">Send Message</a>
To specify a message body, the
ymsgr:sendim?notarealuser&m=This+is+my+message
Other commands are:
currently holds 56 percent). The announcement comes after years of third-party interoperability success (most notably, Trillian
, Pidgin
) and criticisms that the major real-time communications services were locking their networks. Microsoft has also had talks with AOL in an attempt to introduce further interoperability, but so far, AOL seems unwilling to participate.
Interoperability between Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger was launched July 12, 2006. This allows Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger users to chat to each other without the need to create an account on the other service, provided both contacts use the latest versions of the clients. For now, it's impossible to talk using the voice service among both messengers.
to work.
In June 2005, with no advance warning, Yahoo! disabled users' ability to create their own chat rooms. The move came after KPRC-TV
in Houston, Texas
reported that many of the user-created rooms were geared toward pedophilia
. The story prompted several advertisers, including Pepsi
and Georgia-Pacific
, to pull their ads from Yahoo!.
Yahoo! has since closed down the chat.yahoo.com site (which is now a redirect to a section of the Yahoo! Messenger page) because the great majority of chat users accessed it through Messenger. The company is still working on a way to allow users to create their own rooms while providing safeguards against abuse. A greyed-out option to "create a room" was available until the release of version 11.
Facebook
A recently added feature in Yahoo! Messenger allows users to connect with their Facebook friends through the messenger.
) and the problem remains unresolved. Blogs and websites addressing this issue are supportive of the chat environment, and writers genuinely want to continue using the service, yet express frustration about Yahoo's apparent failure to address spam and other related problems. User queries are met with forms
and replies that Yahoo is "working to resolve the problem," yet there is no evident progress. As of 2007 it is estimated that at least 75% of all users who use Yahoo chat rooms are bots. Yahoo has introduced a CAPTCHA
system to help filter out bots from joining chat rooms but it has done little to actually stop the problem and has only inconvenienced human users.
Yahoo! released a preview version of Yahoo! Messenger: Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista. It had been designed to exploit the new design elements of Vista's Windows Presentation Foundation
and entitled a whole new user interface and features. It lacked some basic functions such as webcam support. It has been discontinued.
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
Client (computing)
A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
and associated protocol
YMSG
The Yahoo! Messenger Protocol is the underlying network protocol used by the Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging client, for Yahoo!. Yahoo! Instant Messager supports many features beyond just messaging, including off-line messaging, file transfer, chat, conferencing, voice chat, webcams and...
provided by Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
. Yahoo! Messenger is provided free of charge and can be downloaded and used with a generic "Yahoo! ID" which also allows access to other Yahoo! services, such as Yahoo! Mail
Yahoo! Mail
Yahoo! Mail is a web mail service provided by Yahoo!. It was inaugurated in 1997, and, according to comScore, Yahoo! Mail was the second largest web-based email service with 273.1 million users as of November 2010....
, where users can be automatically notified when they receive new email. Yahoo! also offers PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service, file transfers, webcam hosting, text messaging service, and chat rooms in various categories.
Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager on March 9, 1998.
In addition to instant messaging features similar to those offered by ICQ
ICQ
ICQ is an instant messaging computer program, which was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then bought by America Online, and since April 2010 owned by Mail.ru Group. The name ICQ is a homophone for the phrase "I seek you"...
, it also offers (on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
) features such as: IMVironments (customizing the look of Instant Message windows, some of which include authorized themes of famous cartoons such as Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
or Dilbert
Dilbert
Dilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. First published on April 16, 1989, Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
), address-book integration and Custom Status Messages. It was also the first major IM client to feature BUZZing and music-status. Another recently added feature is customized avatars
Avatar (virtual reality)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
. Yahoo Messenger also allows users to access Yahoo Chat Rooms.
Yahoo! Voice
Yahoo! Voice is a multi-device Voice over IPVoice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
service, provided by Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
via its Yahoo! Messenger 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...
application. The ability to make PC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone calls is available worldwide. The ability to receive Phone-to-PC calls is available only in the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. It is also available for the Mac OS X platform.
Voicemail and file sharing
Yahoo! added voicemail and file sending capabilities to their client. File-sharing of sizes up to 2GB was added to Yahoo messenger.Plug-ins
As of 8.0, Yahoo! Messenger has added the ability for users to create plug-ins (via the use of the freely available Yahoo! Messenger Plug-in SDK), which are then hosted and showcased on the Yahoo! Plug-in gallery. Yahoo now no longer provides plugin development SDK.Yahoo! Music Radio
Yahoo! Messenger users can listen to free and paid Internet radioInternet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
services, using the official Yahoo! Music Radio plug-in from within the messenger window. The plug-in also allows full player functionality, such as play, pause, skip and rate this song.
Webcam
Yahoo's software now allows users with the most current updated versions (messenger 8 through 10) to utilize its webcam service. This option enables users from distances all over the world to view others who have installed a webcam on their end. The service is free with provided speeds averaging from a range in between 1 to 2 frames per second. The resolution of the images can be seen starting at 320 x 240 pixels or 160 x 120.URI scheme
Yahoo! Messenger's installation process automatically installs an extra URI schemeURI scheme
In the field of computer networking, a URI scheme is the top level of the Uniform Resource Identifier naming structure. All URIs and absolute URI references are formed with a scheme name, followed by a colon character , and the remainder of the URI called the scheme-specific part...
("protocol") handler into some web browsers, so that URIs beginning "ymsgr:" can open a new Yahoo! Messenger window with specified parameters. This is similar in function to the mailto: URI scheme, which creates a new e-mail message using the system's default mail program. For instance, a web page might include a link like the following in its HTML source to open a window for sending a message to the YIM user notarealuser:
<a href="ymsgr:sendim?notarealuser">Send Message</a>
To specify a message body, the
m parameter is used, so that the link location might look like this:ymsgr:sendim?notarealuser&m=This+is+my+message
Other commands are:
-
ymsgr:sendim?yahooid -
ymsgr:addfriend?yahooid -
ymsgr:sendfile?yahooid -
ymsgr:call?yahooid -
ymsgr:callPhone?phonenumber -
ymsgr:chat- opens chat room list -
ymsgr:im- opens the "Send an IM" window -
ymsgr:customstatus?A+custom+status- changes the status message -
ymsgr:getimv?imvname- loads an IMVironment (example:ymsgr:getimv?doodle,ymsgr:getimv?yfighter)
Interoperability
On October 13, 2005, Yahoo! and Microsoft announced plans to introduce interoperability between their two messengers, creating the second-largest real-time communications service userbase worldwide: 40 percent of all users (AIMAOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
currently holds 56 percent). The announcement comes after years of third-party interoperability success (most notably, Trillian
Trillian (instant messaging client)
Trillian is a proprietary multiprotocol instant messaging application for Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS, and the Web, created by Cerulean Studios...
, 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...
) and criticisms that the major real-time communications services were locking their networks. Microsoft has also had talks with AOL in an attempt to introduce further interoperability, but so far, AOL seems unwilling to participate.
Interoperability between Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger was launched July 12, 2006. This allows Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger users to chat to each other without the need to create an account on the other service, provided both contacts use the latest versions of the clients. For now, it's impossible to talk using the voice service among both messengers.
Games
There are various games and applications available that can be accessed via the conversation window by clicking the games icon and challenging your current contact. It requires JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
to work.
Chat
All versions of Yahoo! Messenger can access Yahoo! chat rooms.In June 2005, with no advance warning, Yahoo! disabled users' ability to create their own chat rooms. The move came after KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV is the NBC affiliated television station based in Houston, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston television market. It has studios located in the Sharpstown district on the Southwest portion of the city, and has a transmitter site in unincorporated Fort Bend County near Missouri City...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
reported that many of the user-created rooms were geared toward pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
. The story prompted several advertisers, including Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
and Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals. As of Fall 2010, the company employed more than 40,000 people at more...
, to pull their ads from Yahoo!.
Yahoo! has since closed down the chat.yahoo.com site (which is now a redirect to a section of the Yahoo! Messenger page) because the great majority of chat users accessed it through Messenger. The company is still working on a way to allow users to create their own rooms while providing safeguards against abuse. A greyed-out option to "create a room" was available until the release of version 11.
SPIM
Yahoo! Messenger users are subject to unsolicited messages (SPIMMessaging spam
Messaging spam, sometimes called SPIM,is a type of spam targeting users of instant messaging services.-Instant messaging applications:...
) and the problem remains unresolved. Blogs and websites addressing this issue are supportive of the chat environment, and writers genuinely want to continue using the service, yet express frustration about Yahoo's apparent failure to address spam and other related problems. User queries are met with forms
Form (web)
A webform on a web page allows a user to enter data that is sent to a server for processing. Webforms resemble paper or database forms because internet users fill out the forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields...
and replies that Yahoo is "working to resolve the problem," yet there is no evident progress. As of 2007 it is estimated that at least 75% of all users who use Yahoo chat rooms are bots. Yahoo has introduced a CAPTCHA
CAPTCHA
A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response test used in computing as an attempt to ensure that the response is generated by a person. The process usually involves one computer asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to generate and grade...
system to help filter out bots from joining chat rooms but it has done little to actually stop the problem and has only inconvenienced human users.
Release history
- Windows - 11.5.0.152 - November 29, 2011
- Mac OS X - 3.0.1 Beta (build 35554) - July 20, 2011
- Unix - 1.0.4 - September 2003. It can still be downloaded from Softpedia.
- Version 1.0.6 can be downloaded from the Unix Beta page: http://public.yahoo.com/~mmk/
Yahoo! released a preview version of Yahoo! Messenger: Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista. It had been designed to exploit the new design elements of Vista's Windows Presentation Foundation
Windows Presentation Foundation
Developed by Microsoft, the Windows Presentation Foundation is a computer-software graphical subsystem for rendering user interfaces in Windows-based applications. WPF, previously known as "Avalon", was initially released as part of .NET Framework 3.0. Rather than relying on the older GDI...
and entitled a whole new user interface and features. It lacked some basic functions such as webcam support. It has been discontinued.
Compatible software
- AdiumAdiumAdium 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...
- BitlBeeBitlBeeBitlBee is a cross-platform IRC instant messaging gateway, licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.BitlBee communicates with the user via the IRC protocol, providing a gateway to popular chat networks such as AIM and ICQ via OSCAR, .NET Messenger Service, Yahoo! and XMPP and the...
- CentericqCentericqCentericq is a text mode menu- and window-driven instant messaging interface that supports the ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, XMPP, LiveJournal, and Gadu-Gadu protocols. It allows you to send, receive, and forward messages, URLs, SMSes , contacts, and email express messages, and it has many other...
- DigsbyDigsbyDigsby is a freeware proprietary multiprotocol instant messaging application developed by dotSyntax, LLC. Digsby is written in Python and uses wxPython as its widget toolkit and WebKit for rendering...
- Empathy (software)Empathy (software)Empathy is an instant messaging client which supports text, voice, video, file transfers, and inter-application communication over various IM protocols....
- FireFire (instant messaging client)Fire is the first instant messaging client for Mac OS X , that can access IRC, XMPP, AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, and Bonjour. All services are built on GPL’d libraries, including firetalk, libfaim, libicq2000, libmsn, XMPP, and libyahoo2. Fire supports OS X v10.1 and higher.The latest version...
- GyachiGyachiGyachE Improved program is a fork from Gyach Enhanced Yahoo! client for Linux operating systems intended for bug-fixes and further development that supports the Yahoo! Messenger Protocol...
- imeemImeemThe online service imeem was a social media web site where users interacted with each other by streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos...
- IMVUIMVUIMVU, Inc. is an online social entertainment destination in which members use 3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create, and play games created by Fydor Guthenschlag. IMVU has over 50 million registered users, 10 million unique visitors per month and three million monthly active users...
- KopeteKopeteKopete is a multi-protocol, free software instant messaging client. Although it can run in numerous environments, it was designed for and integrates with the KDE desktop environment...
- meeboMeeboMeebo 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...
- MeetroMeetroMeetro was a multi-network social messenger with location-based services . It was compatible with AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, GTalk, XMPP, and ICQ. Meetro's features made it useful for meeting people with similar interests in a given area, as well as bundling multiple...
- Miranda IMMiranda IMMiranda IM is an open source multiprotocol instant messaging application, designed for Microsoft Windows. Miranda is free software distributed under GNU General Public License.- Architecture :...
- PaltalkPaltalkPaltalk Messenger, or simply referred to as Paltalk, is an Internet chat service that allows users to communicate via instant messaging, voice and video chat. It offers thousands of chat rooms and the ability for users to create their own virtual chat room on any topic and category...
- Pidgin (formerly Gaim)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...
- PlayXpertPlayXpertPLAYXPERT is an in-game tool set targeted towards gamers. It was built by former Xfire users, who felt it could use improvement. It features several in-game widgets, such as multi-protocol instant messaging, web browsing, a media manager, and others, all of which can be opened in-game, eliminating...
- ProteusProteus (instant messaging client)Proteus is an instant messaging client for Mac OS X that supports multiple protocols through the libpurple library. It is written using OS X's Cocoa API.-History:Proteus was originally developed by Justin Wood, then in 2004 Defaultware took over development...
- QnextQnextQnext is a multi-protocol instant messaging service for Linux, Mac OS, Windows, and mobile devices. Qnext lets people connect to their digital content when they have access to the internet.Qnext desktop client runs on Linux, Macintosh, and Windows....
- TokboxTokboxTokBox provides a free API that allows anyone to add group video chat features to their own websites. Experienced programmers use the OpenTok API to build custom interactive video chat applications...
- Trillian
- Trillian Astra
- Trillian Pro
- VoxOx
- Windows Live MessengerWindows Live MessengerWindows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
See also
- Comparison of instant messaging clientsComparison of instant messaging clientsThe 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...
- Comparison of instant messaging protocols
- Comparison of IRC clientsComparison of IRC clientsThe following tables compare general and technical information between a number of IRC client programs. Please see the individual products articles for further information.- General :...
- Instant messagingInstant messagingInstant 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...