Top 5 Messengers of 2009

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This is the list of the top 5 messengers which I have ranked based on their performance and their feature set.

Rank 5: Skype

Skype

Needless to say Skype allows free voice calls over other computers. It is also built in with a secured text chat protocol. This year it has also introduced a beta version for linux. Very few IM implements the voice calls feature in Linux. So skype has made the right move this tim. May be not in windows, but it is surely going to a hit in Linux distros. Lets see if they go up the ranking the next year. Click to download Skype for Windows or for Linux..

Rank 4:Google Talk

Gtalk

I know that many are not happy in me placing Google Talk in 4th rank. Gtalk may be your most favorite IM but still there are few thing that it requires to progress as a IM. Inspite of its light weight, voice calls and file transfer features, gtalk is still vulnerable to hacking.  Gtalk supports only Windows platform. If you are a linux or Mac user, the bid a good farewell to gtalk. File sending operation mostly fails in gtalk. Similarly there are lot more disadvantages using gtalk. Click here to read out more about the disadvantage of Gtalk. Download Gtalk.

Rank 3: Yahoo Messenger

Yahoo

Yahoo is my favourite messenger in Windows. Yahoo 10 has really covered most of the flaws that were in the previous versions. Yahoo should really widen its range, by developing for linux and other platforms. Another drawback you see with Yahoo is that the chat history are stored in you hard disk. That means once you format your disk or erase them, then you can’t retrieve the chat. This is the not the case with Gtalk, as it stores in web. Download Yahoo Messenger 10 from here.

Rank 2: Pidgin

Pidgin

Pidgin is the messenger which I use in my Linux distro. Pidgin is a multi messenger., which allows almost any standard protocol for chat. You can add any number of accounts to Pidgin and manage them in one window. At present I use two of my Gmail accounts, one Yahoo account in Pidgin and it runs like a charm. It also has all the features of Gtalk and Yahoo Messenger except Voice chat. But im sure that the development team of Pidgin is working on fixing this issue. Click here to download Pidgin.

Rank 1: Miranda

Miranda

Many will not be aware of Miranda IM. It is the most under-estimated IM. Just like Pidgin, it is also a multi protocol messenger.What makes Miranda so powerful is the number of add-ons it has. The interface is customizable and can manage even hundreds of accounts in the same time. For its inter-operatability and for the huge number of addons it has, i rate it as the best IM of the year 2009. Click here to download Miranda

Note:

The rankings above are purely based on the performance and feature set of the IM in various platforms. However every individual will have different opinion. Please care to share your favorite IM.