Re: Re[1]: ICQ for Gnome

[famrom ran es (Guillermo S. Romero / unnamed / Familia Romero)]

>I know very little of ICQ, but this discussion implicates its server
>centric attitude.  A peer-to-peer version of this already exists
>through the use of "finger" "rwho" and "talk".  Using these protocols,

Uuummm, finger, rwho and talk are disabled most of the time due to security
problems. They listen calls and give info (pasive working).
The IRC based system is active, cos you go to a meet point when you want,
not just wait calls.

And not all OSs has that services. It is easier to create a new app to
connect to a site (specially if that application is just a IRC bot with
modifications to meet other bots) than wait connections.

>you can do any kind of communication you may wish, except get a list
>everyone on the planet who cares.  My officemate uses ICQ, and all he
>uses it for is keeping up w/ folk for whom he already knows their
>address.

Yes, true.
What I propose is a IRC-like standard (and using IRC as support, in the same
way you can telnet to port 110 and speak pop3 with a machine): free, open,
any OS, any languaje, any hardware... so people has an alternative to ICQ.

The current use of ICQ (what ppl seems to like) is just a IRC with some
enhancements.

>As I've written a talk replacement and talkd replacement, I see no
>reason why an ICQ style people browser can't also be created, given a
>suitable list of addresses ahead of time, and it would probably be
>much more accurate.

When address changes you must search (dynamic IPs, changes of machine or ISP
or country). If you have a lifetime valid ID (PGP finger print?) and a
meeting point, there is no problem. Yes, I know you can scan the network,
but that only valid for example to search a guy in a subnetwork. What
happens when the guy changes ISP? Scan all Internet?

GSR