10 Best Alternatives to Windows Live Messenger 2013

December 24, 2013 by Viney Dhiman, If you’re looking for some best alternative to Windows Live Messenger and till now you nothing, then we personally recommend you must check our today’s Windows Live Messenger special.

Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging service by Microsoft Windows. It was known as MSN messenger sometimes back in recent years it was renamed to be Windows Live Messenger. It is an advanced instant messaging service. You can do a lot with it but there are some problems related to windows live. The Messenger does not work on a low band connection and it abruptly discontinues sometimes. Using the instant messaging service of windows brings out an update thing on your PC and that put an extra load on your band connection and your hard drive. The messenger uses a lot of processing of CPU. But it is not a suggestion that you should stop using instant messaging.

There are many alternatives to Windows Live Messenger, if you are addicted to the instant messaging service you are provided many options now. Some of the best recommended are listed below:

1. Yahoo messenger

Yahoo messenger is a good alternative for your windows live. You just need to have a yahoo id for it or any of the services provided by yahoo like rocketmail, ymail, yahoo.co.in etc. You are free to download yahoo messenger at any time and it is not very big software to download. It is available on the downloading websites to download. It provides you the options for the voice call, text messaging, photo sharing, screen sharing and sending a file directly to the person you are talking to.

2. Google talk

Google talk is another good alternative to the windows live messenger. It is very light software and runs on all the operating system and formats are available for different devices. Google talk is available for mobile devices and notepads too. It now comes integrated too Google chrome browsers you just have to synchronize your gmail with it. The Google talk runs for the gmail users and has the facility of voice chat, puc sharing and video chatting.

3. Trillian

Trillian is integrated software that makes you chat to your buddies and friends on all the messengers. It integrates you with all your messaging ids at the same time and you will be online on all at once and you shall be able to chat from Fb, live, Google, Yahoo, Skype and any other network.

4. Yoono

Yoono is software that integrates itself to your browser only and lets you chat with any one online on any of your networks all at once. The software since integrates to your browser does not take much space in your hard disk. It works well and is quickly installed and integrated to your web browser like Chrome and Firefox.

5. Skype

That’s true. The accepted video and aural messenger is in addition great for instant messaging too. Just akin to Windows Live Messenger and further equivalent programs, you can put Skype status to online, away, do not disturb and invisible. You can as well put up a group chat in the company of others in just some clicks. Of course, the capability to toggle to audio/ video chat is in addition a convenient (and at no cost!) perquisite.

6. Digsby

If you are a wonderful social human being online, Digsby gives an easy way to carry on with the whole lot from your email friends to Facebook contacts. Of course, resembling Trillian, it also supports for multiple clients. If you are a name who likes to cheat around with a multiple of settings, it has complete menu, making sure Instant Messaging, email and societal networking experience is as personalized as promising.

7. Pidgin

Mac users at all times adore gushing regarding the apps made explicitly for OS X. One such is Adium, a multi-network user that allows you join with contacts across chitchat programs with no difficulty. This time, Windows clients do not need to think left behind as they can discover a similar program in Pidgin. As with a lot of of the programs on this roll, Pidgin is a multi-network chat client. It’s well-matched with AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo! Messenger and, you estimated it, Windows Live.

8. aMSN

If you like the 2009 version of Windows live but you want to try a totally different desktop app, aMSN can be a the one you are looking for. It’s a typical choice to older versions of Windows Live Messenger with some additional features for instance occasion alert, symposium support plus auto-away messages. aMSN has a rather a basic interface outer shell, so it’s a good thing you can get a range of special skin choices on the developer’s website.

9. ICQ

ICQ is an instant messaging that was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then it was bought by America Online, and since April 2010its is owned by Mail.ru Group. ICQ is a good alternative for windows live. ICQ features comprise of offline messaging, multi-user chitchat, daily-limited SMS sending for free, you can resume file transfers, send greeting cards, you can have multiplayer games and a user directory. You can make use of emoticons at the same time as chit-chatting with the users.

10. E-buddy

The e-buddy a multi messenger where you can integrate all your accounts in one single application and you can have chitchat with all your friends all at once. This works on your mobile devices too. It is a simple light program and you would be delighted using the program for sure.

Windows Live Messenger is, no doubt, a great instant messaging program, but the problems faced by the users on this particular program can be overcome by the programs suggested above. Enjoy you IMing.

Source: http://nerdsmagazine.com/alternatives-to-windows-live-messenger/

Closing the door on Windows: A guide to changing operating systems-PCWorld

Tony Bradley @tonybradleybsg

• Dec 16, 2013 11:52 AM

Is it time for you to dump Windows XP, or maybe to abandon Windows altogether? Windows 8 has improved significantly with the 8.1 upgrade. Nevertheless, for many users, Windows 8’s modern-style interface—incorporating major changes like Live Tiles and the removal of the Start menu—remains an object of scorn. And security has always been a bigger headache for Windows than for other platforms.
If you’re still running Windows XP, making the switch to Windows 8.1—or to Windows 7, if you can find it—will probably involve replacing more than just the operating system. Your current hardware may not be able to handle a newer Windows OS; and even if it can, you’ll likely need to replace software and peripheral devices, as well.
If you’re going to invest money and time in making the transition to a new OS, you might as well consider all your options. Microsoft’s stranglehold on the desktop market has loosened over the past few years. Mac OS X, Linux, and even Chrome OS are sophisticated operating systems and are enjoying growing mainstream adoption. Here’s what to expect if you embrace one of these alternatives.

Mac OS X

There’s a reason people (and not just Apple marketers) say “once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.” Apple defined the GUI we know today and set the bar for user-friendly computing. Macs have a reputation for being expensive, but that’s not entirely accurate these days. You can certainly find cheaper Windows-based desktop and laptop options, but in bang-for-the-buck terms, Macs are on a par with—and sometimes cheaper than—similarly equipped Windows machines.

Microsoft charges $120 for the full version of Windows 8.1, while Apple offers the latest version of OS X gratis.

Pros

OS X’s most obvious advantage is that it raises far fewer security concerns than Windows. One disadvantage of being the dominant OS is that you have the biggest target on your back. Macs aren’t immune to malware attacks, but using one significantly reduces your security risk.
OS X also has the edge in cost. The full version of Windows 8.1 will set you back $120. For the past several years, OS X upgrades have run just $20 to $30, and the latest version, Mavericks, is free. OS X also comes with its own productivity suite (iWorks), and boasts proficient email, note-taking, calendaring, media-playing, image-editing, and instant messaging applications.
With a Mac OS X system, you can continue to run Windows—either in a dual-boot configuration, or as a virtual machine using a program like Parallels. You would still need a legally licensed copy of Windows, however, and you would still need patch and update whatever version of Windows you ran. The system would also be susceptible to the same security vulnerabilities as a stand-alone Windows PC, but you could continue using legacy Windows software for applications that you can’t discard.

You don’t have to abandon Windows if you switch to OS X: You can run it as a virtual machine using Parallels.

Cons

Unless you decide to run a virtual version of Windows, switching to OS X will require you to replace all your software. Popular products like Microsoft Office (if you choose not to use iWorks) and Adobe Creative Suite have Mac versions, but for other applications you’ll have to find suitable alternatives. Either scenario will increase the cost of switching and slow the learning curve for getting used to the new applications. Of course, you may face similar challenges if you upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 8.1.

Linux

If you want to install a new OS on your existing hardware, Linux is the obvious alternative. The open-source operating system has many variants, one of the most widely used of which is Ubuntu Linux. Generally speaking, Linux has less-demanding hardware requirements and is much more forgiving of older PCs. Laptops are available from Acer, Asus, and Dell that run some version of Linux.

Pros

The biggest benefit of choosing Linux is cost. Most Linux distributions are free, as are the applications available to run on it.
Linux tends to be less of a resource hog than other platforms, and it can perform admirably on older processors and with less RAM or hard-drive storage than Windows or OS X. You can choose from various user interface desktop environments, such as KDE and GNOME, and if you like you can install or create a desktop environment that is virtually identical to Windows XP.

Linux has made great progress from its hobbyist roots and now comes preloaded on some machines from Acer, Asus, and Dell.

Like Mac OS X, Linux can run Windows in dual-boot or virtual-machine form. Tools like WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator) can run Windows software natively within Linux. (Note: WINE is a compatibility layer that converts Windows “calls” rather than emulating them; hence its name.)

Cons

You’ll have to replace all the applications you use, and you’ll have to hunt down software and drivers for your printer, wireless network adapter, and other peripheral devices—or replace them with Linux-compatible equivalents.
The fact that Linux is open-source can be a double-edged sword with regard to support and troubleshooting. In most cases, you simply download software from an open-source project, and there’s no “parent company” to turn to for support. Some Linux variants do offer support options that you can buy. The upside is that everything you need to know is available online—and plenty of forums exist, populated by Linux experts who are willing to lend a hand.

Chrome OS

Chrome OS, developed by Google, is the new kid on the block. It’s a Web-centric platform that basically makes the browser itself the operating system.

Pros

With a Chrome OS machine, you have far fewer security concerns than with a Windows PC—in part because of the relative obscurity of Chrome OS, and in part because in most cases the operating system isn’t designed to run locally installed software or store data on the PC itself, so there’s far less to exploit or attack.

Acer

Chrome OS’s Web-based platform takes advantage of computing’s move to the cloud.

If you’re already invested in the Google ecosystem, the Chrome OS may be a perfect match. It revolves around Google services, and it integrates nicely with Android smartphones and tablets to give you access to the same email, stored data, and other information.

Cons

On the flip-side, if you don’t use Google services, Chrome OS probably won’t work for you. You can use Office 365 and SkyDrive, and other cloud-based services from a Chrome OS machine, but it’s a bit like paddling upstream, or trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Because most of Chrome OS’s capabilities are tied to cloud-based services and resources, the functionality of Chrome OS is severely limited if you lack an Internet connection. Google recently rolled out Chrome Apps that can run offline, but they’re not the full-featured software you’d find on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.
As the saying goes when the bar is closing, “You ain’t gotta go home, but you gotta get the hell outta here.” In this case, you don’t have to upgrade to Windows 8.1, or even to Windows 7, but you do need to dump Windows XP and move on to something else. Change can be painful—but if you’re going through it anyway, it makes sense to consider all your options.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2080301/closing-the-door-on-windows-a-guide-to-changing-operating-systems.html