Let's Make a Pact

Microsoft seems to have joined the recent trend of large companies making pacts with each other. MSN has made a deal with Yahoo’s messenger to take on AOL’s dominance in the instant messenger market. I've been using and following instant messengers and their developments for awhile. Here's what I've discovered:

-AIM is favored by younger users, but its popularity seems to be on the decline.

-MSN has found itself useful in the corporate world. I know for a fact that employees working for large conglomerates, who need to communicate with their counterparts in foreign countries, fully utilize MSN's instant messenger. This is a huge cost savings method for those who conduct business outside the country... think about those in the U.S. who need to communicate with the manufacturing department (most of which have gone overseas). Now think about what the phone bill would cost without instant messengers. Here's probably what's going on... make corporate users rely on MSN IM product so they can support Microsoft's continued dominance/monopoly. If you think about it, MSN's instant messenger is not really free... you'll pay for it one way or another.

-Yahoo's messenger seems to be slowly taking away MSN's users. Which leads me to believe why MSN wants to do this deal with Yahoo. They probably also realized that Trillian poses a threat.

Let's face it, IMing isn't just for kids anymore. You really don't want to get left behind in this communication-driven world. Sensitive data flow through these means, and IM developers will need to prove their security protection abilities against hackers. I will also note that I have seen the webcam function being used more often. Video conferencing is right around the corner. Who will take that market? AIM, MSN or perhaps Skype...