I need to take a moment and talk about a new application I have been using for the past couple weeks, that I think you might like. The application is called Digsby.

For years I have used Trillian for all my instant messaging needs. In fact, I paid for the “pro” version within days of first using it. It worked flawlessly for me. I heard rumors from others that it did not work on their systems, it crashed all the time, and they stopped using it. Not me. I had no issues with it, and it worked well for me. Well, it did, until about a month ago.

For some reason it started crashing on me. I know, I know, that’s what everyone kept telling me for years. One day it would crash, and some days I wouldn’t get a message from anyone on my list, and they wouldn’t receive any of my messages. It was time to look elsewhere for instant messaging.

I tried Pidgin. I had a couple issues with it. I didn’t like the interface, and sometimes it wouldn’t connect.

I tried Miranda. I really liked Miranda, except it told everyone I was away or offline no matter what I tried to change on my end.

Then I found Digsby via a tweet from @ponzarelli on Twitter. What makes Digsby different from all the others? Well, let’s see. I will count the ways.

#1 – It connects.
#2 – It shows me I am connected.
#3 – It shows others that I am connected.
#4 – It allows me to change statuses, and lets others see those statuses.
#5 – It does not crash midway through my day.
#6 – It delivers instant messages from me to people on my list.
#7 – It delivers instant messages from other people on my list to me.
#8 – It’s interface is customizable. I can make it look the way *I* want.
#9 – It just doesn’t suck.

and last but not least

#10 – They have a support staff that is second to none. They monitor Twitter and answer every question posed to them. When you have an issue, they work with you to solve that issue, get this, until it is solved.

Oh, and Digsby does more than just instant messaging too. You can monitor your email and social networking sites too. It works reliably, and it’s shiny and new.

When Trillian started acting up and I could not get Pidgin or Miranda working the way I wanted them too, I was really frustrated. I am very picky about the way things work when it comes to instant messaging. The buddy list has to look the way I want, the messages must be formatted the way I want, and most of all, the application has to work as I expect it too.

Digsby meets, and exceeds, all of my expectations.

If you are looking for a good instant messaging client (which allows you to watch your mail and monitor your social networking connections), that works in Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux, then Digsby is the application you should be checking out.

Of course, now I want to find an application that can be installed on an SD card, so I can take different applications with me, depending on what I need that day.

Crossposted at Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff.

– Powered By Stuffr! –

2 Responses to “An Instant Success”