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Trillian's a multi-protocol instant messaging application. The name was taken from the story "The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy". It has the honor of being my first multi-protocol IM application from way back when Windows was my primary OS. At the time Miranda IM was just a bare bones ICQ client and nothing else could do what Trillian could do.
It was also a time when skinning was in full swing and Trillian's fully skin-able interface was a hit amongst people like me. Today skinning is pretty much a part of the operating systems so having an application sport its own skinning engine is not as desirable for someone like me as it used to be. Trillian on Windows Vista\7 only uses the native interface for its login screen. Trillian for Mac uses the native interface there too.. but it also uses it in other places.(I'm using the system skin "Aqua Inspirat" on the following screenshots):
Trillian Login Screen
However unlike on Windows 7\Vista it also uses the native system resources in other places:
Trillian Contact List
Some of the resources here they obviously had to make and bundle with the app but the window itself is using native Mac resources for example on the toolbar\status bar background and the titlebar buttons.
Trillian Message Window
The message window themselves look an awful lot like iChat. Which is a familiar interface to a lot of Mac users so it does make sense. There's something that I like better about Trillian's message windows versus iChat however.
Trillian Message Tabs
I like how Trillian handled the tabs functionality better than the way they are in either iChat:
iChat Tabs
or even Adium:
Adium's Message Windows
The Trillian message tabs are using the built in tab functionality in Leopard normally used in preference windows but also seem to work well here. Trillian, however is just an early version and lacks a few key functionality that Adium for example has such as:
Customizability: It doesn't yet have such things as message\contact list styles, custom dock icons, custom emoticons, etc. yet. It doesn't have to have a fully skin-able interface but Adium for example is highly customizable with all it's extras. However I think one could conceivably hack Trillian's resources like VLC, Transmission, iTunes, etc. have been. This is done by hacking the interface builder files inside the application and adding in custom image resources. But I don't know 100% if this is possible in Trillian. At least Replacing the message bubbles like in the matte bubbling mod for iChat has to at least be possible.
Meta-contacts: This is something I really like to have and Adium has it. The ability to combine several contacts into one. Useful for when you have a person on more than one protocol.
The ability to change icons: For some reason I can't find a way to change even my own. I also like to be able to add custom icons to my friends because not everyone uses high res transparent PNG images for a variety of reasons.
A/V: So far only the yahoo protocol seems to support it as that's the only one that has A/V options in the preferences. The only thing is this feature doesn't actually work as it's not exposed in the UI anywhere nor does it work if someone would request an A/V chat. I almost think that they are going to have this in other A/V supporting protocols sooner or later. Possibly before Adium ever gets it at all.
No Growl Support: Having message notifications is especially useful if you are a spaces user like me. It allows me to screen messages so to speak.
Tabs: The tabs are really nice looking but so far I can't seem to find a way to close a single tab. I can only seem to close the whole window and reopen a contact that I want to keep open. They either need to put an X on the tab somewhere or make it so double clicking on the tab closes it... at the very least put a hotkey\menubar item for closing a tab.
There are probably other things I have forgotten. Still it's pretty good for a first public alpha version and I'd be willing to use it even if just some of the missing features would be added in such as meta-contacts and the ability to change icons. If someone in the community hacks the interface and makes it blackpearl and changes the message bubbles that would be sweet as well.
It was also a time when skinning was in full swing and Trillian's fully skin-able interface was a hit amongst people like me. Today skinning is pretty much a part of the operating systems so having an application sport its own skinning engine is not as desirable for someone like me as it used to be. Trillian on Windows Vista\7 only uses the native interface for its login screen. Trillian for Mac uses the native interface there too.. but it also uses it in other places.(I'm using the system skin "Aqua Inspirat" on the following screenshots):
Trillian Login Screen
However unlike on Windows 7\Vista it also uses the native system resources in other places:
Trillian Contact List
Some of the resources here they obviously had to make and bundle with the app but the window itself is using native Mac resources for example on the toolbar\status bar background and the titlebar buttons.
Trillian Message Window
The message window themselves look an awful lot like iChat. Which is a familiar interface to a lot of Mac users so it does make sense. There's something that I like better about Trillian's message windows versus iChat however.
Trillian Message Tabs
I like how Trillian handled the tabs functionality better than the way they are in either iChat:
iChat Tabs
or even Adium:
Adium's Message Windows
The Trillian message tabs are using the built in tab functionality in Leopard normally used in preference windows but also seem to work well here. Trillian, however is just an early version and lacks a few key functionality that Adium for example has such as:
Customizability: It doesn't yet have such things as message\contact list styles, custom dock icons, custom emoticons, etc. yet. It doesn't have to have a fully skin-able interface but Adium for example is highly customizable with all it's extras. However I think one could conceivably hack Trillian's resources like VLC, Transmission, iTunes, etc. have been. This is done by hacking the interface builder files inside the application and adding in custom image resources. But I don't know 100% if this is possible in Trillian. At least Replacing the message bubbles like in the matte bubbling mod for iChat has to at least be possible.
Meta-contacts: This is something I really like to have and Adium has it. The ability to combine several contacts into one. Useful for when you have a person on more than one protocol.
The ability to change icons: For some reason I can't find a way to change even my own. I also like to be able to add custom icons to my friends because not everyone uses high res transparent PNG images for a variety of reasons.
A/V: So far only the yahoo protocol seems to support it as that's the only one that has A/V options in the preferences. The only thing is this feature doesn't actually work as it's not exposed in the UI anywhere nor does it work if someone would request an A/V chat. I almost think that they are going to have this in other A/V supporting protocols sooner or later. Possibly before Adium ever gets it at all.
No Growl Support: Having message notifications is especially useful if you are a spaces user like me. It allows me to screen messages so to speak.
Tabs: The tabs are really nice looking but so far I can't seem to find a way to close a single tab. I can only seem to close the whole window and reopen a contact that I want to keep open. They either need to put an X on the tab somewhere or make it so double clicking on the tab closes it... at the very least put a hotkey\menubar item for closing a tab.
There are probably other things I have forgotten. Still it's pretty good for a first public alpha version and I'd be willing to use it even if just some of the missing features would be added in such as meta-contacts and the ability to change icons. If someone in the community hacks the interface and makes it blackpearl and changes the message bubbles that would be sweet as well.
