MSN is so bloated with all kinds of useless (and ugly) features that it gives my computer near fatal AMIs (or whatever computers get). Not only that, it wants me to upgrade my OS so I can get even more useless (and ugly) features.
I could easily tough out these system-clogging features if so many people on my contact list didn't suck. I have—at the very most—3 IM buddies who are actually worth going through the anguish MSN inflicts upon me. The majority of people are friends, ex-friends, annoying internet people who want me to join their boring and dying forums, and family.
I used to like AIM because it came off as very dry bone, hard knuckles, rock jawed and so on. But then one day it like, sold out. Still doesn't pump my arteries to near explosion—though it is getting very close. The people there aren't too bad; Julie, for example. I also get a strange pain in my crotch every time I open the program. Now that you mention it, I actually uninstalled the program a few days ago to make room for Billy. A temporary uninstallation, I guess. Maybe.
ICQ is great if I'm feeling a little low; as soon as I sign on I'm blasted with crazy sounds and 30-something year old Chinese women chatting me up.
Yahoo! Messenger is... well... tolerable, I guess. I have like 153 contacts who are never online. The one person who is online is away or busy. I have two fond memories of the program: It was the first place my good friend Curtis Goodes instant messaged me, and it is also where crono_logical sent me its porn collection (all 0kb of it).
Trillian makes me pee blood.
Google Talk is by far my favorite. I guess it's that kind of straightforward thing I liked about AIM all those years ago. Though all these recent updates are making me a little uncomfortable. For the future of it, I mean. I guess I just worry about it too much. At the moment—spare a few bugs—it's a great program.
Even if hardly anyone uses it.
...though that is actually a pretty good thing.