Google Talk
| Google Talk | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of Google Talk Original |
|
| Developed by | |
| Stable release | 1.0.0.104 (January 1, 2007) [+/−] |
| Preview release | Google Talk, Labs Edition [+/−] |
| OS | Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista |
| Available in | English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, Spanish |
| Genre | VoIP/Instant messaging client |
| License | Proprietary freeware |
| Website | google.com/talk http://www.google.com/talk/labsedition/ |
Google Talk (GTalk) is a Windows and web-based application for voice over internet (VOIP) and instant messaging, offered by Google. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005.
Instant messaging between the Google Talk servers and its clients uses an open protocol, XMPP, allowing users of other XMPP clients to communicate with Google Talk users. VoIP in Google Talk is based around the Jingle protocol. The technology used within the Google server network however is not publicly known.
The Google Talk client is currently only available for Windows (2000, XP, Server 2003, and Vista). With the release of the Google Talk gadget, users of all platforms supported by Adobe Flash Player can also use Google Talk.[1] Many other XMPP clients are compatible with Google Talk, and support a variety of other platforms.
Contents |
Features
Interoperability
Google has announced that a major goal of the Google Talk service is interoperability. Google Talk uses XMPP to provide real-time extensible messaging and presence events, including offline messaging and voice mailing. On January 17, 2006, Google enabled server-to-server communications, federating itself with any Jabber server that supports the dialback protocol.[2]
Privacy
There has been some discussion on the Google Talk Help group concerning the fact that certain personal information is made publicly available without any method to control it. This allows anyone who has a Google Talk member on their buddy list to see when the user is and is not active on their computer, for example, by observing the user's idle status as provided by the Google Talk client. Certain third-party software products have been developed to provide more control over the information made available. gAlwaysIdle[3], for example, allows users to be 'always idle' or 'never idle', thus preventing personal presence information from being fed to the Google Talk service. Alternative client software, such as Pidgin and Trillian, also permit more privacy controls than the official Google Talk client.
Product integration
On February 7, 2006, Gmail received chat functionality, using Ajax[citation needed] for server–browser communication, and was integrated with Google Talk. Users can send instant messages to other Gmail users. As it works within a browser, Google Talk does not need to be downloaded to send instant messages to Gmail users.
Conversation logs are automatically saved to a Chats area in the user's Gmail account. This allows users to search within their chat logs easily, and to have them centrally stored in their Gmail accounts.
Since November 8, 2006, Google has also integrated Google Talk with Orkut. This enables Google Talk users to interact with registered Orkut users, by sending and receiving 'scraps' within Orkut.
It is also possible to display the song currently playing on the computer. This music data is collected, if the user agrees to this, and displayed on the Google Music Trends page.
Encryption
The connection between the Google Talk client and the Google Talk server is encrypted, except when using Gmail's chat over HTTP, a federated network that doesn't support encryption, or when using a proxy like IMLogic.[4][5] End-to-end messages are unencrypted.[4] Google plans to add support for chat and call encryption in a future release.[6] Some XMPP clients natively support encryption with Google Talk's servers. It is possible to have end-to-end encryption over the GTalk network using OTR (off-the-record) encryption.
Voicemail and file-sharing
On July 28, 2006, Google added voicemail and file sending capabilities to the Google Talk client. Voicemail messages can be 10 minutes long, and they're delivered to the contact's mailbox as an attached MP3 file (11 kHz mono 24kbit/s). Recipients who use Gmail are offered better integration. Gmail recognizes that it is a voicemail message, and users can choose to stream the file using the integrated MP3-playing applet, or to download the MP3 file.
Offline messaging
On October 31, 2006, Google introduced offline messaging to Google Talk. This allows users to send messages to their contacts, even if they are not signed in. They will receive the messages when they next go online even if the user who has sent it is offline.
Mobile device compatibility
On June 30, 2006, Nokia released new software for their Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, that included Google Talk as one of the compatible VoIP clients, due to the XMPP-based software.[7] Another Google Talk-compatible device is Sony's mylo, released on September 15, 2006. A Google Talk client is also available for BlackBerry devices from the Blackberry site.[8]
However, given that Google Talk provides XMPP protocol, most mobile phones for which a suitable XMPP client exists[9] could also offer Google Talk service, at least theoretically (depending on the handset, the user may encounter security warnings due to unsigned J2ME midlets or limits put in place by the mobile service provider). Mobile clients specially designed for Google Talk exist as well.[10]
Most phones support the IMPS protocol, and there are hybrid XMPP/IMPS networks (through Jabber transports, or specially designed hybrid servers),[11] which can also contact GoogleTalk users. The Google Talk service itself is unusable from IMPS (that means, you cannot log with your Gmail account, but you can talk with your Gmail friends with your IMPS account from your mobile phone).[clarify]
History
The idea of a Jabber-based Google IM service was proposed by Eoban Binder on the website Applexnet.com on August 23, 2004.[12]
Exactly one year later, after the rumor of a Google-branded "communications tool" service had been reported by the New York Times[13] and detailed by the Los Angeles Times on August 22, 2005, the subdomain talk.google.com was found to have an active Jabber server.[14] Two methods of logging into the server were discovered soon after and the ensuing response by eager bloggers revealed to numerous others how to login before the official release by Google.
On the evening of August 23, many logged-in users using port 5222 to connect were disconnected and unable to log back in. Users using port 5223 to connect were still able to log in, and at 04:12:52 UTC those users received a broadcast instant message from gmail.com, an apparently official username used by Google to communicate with their user base, that stated "The broken link has been fixed. Thanks for being our first users!" Port 5222-connectivity was found to have been re-enabled. On August 24, Google Talk was officially launched.
On December 15, 2005, Google released libjingle, a C++ library to implement Jingle, "a set of extensions to the IETF's Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) for use in voice over IP (VoIP), video, and other peer-to-peer multimedia sessions."[15] Libjingle is a library of the code that Google uses for peer-to-peer communication, and was made available under a BSD license.[16]
On February 7, 2006, Gmail added the ability to chat with a built-in Jabber client.
On March 14, 2007, Google released the Google Talk Gadget, an Adobe Flash-based Talk module that can be added to iGoogle (formally the Google Personalized Homepage) or embedded in any web page, thus, allowing one to chat from any operating system, without the need to install software.[17]
On November 26, 2007, Google Talk released Group Chat capabilities. Prior to this, users could only chat with one person per window. Group chat allows many users to chat with each other in an environment similar to IRC.
On December 6, 2007, Google upgraded its Gmail integrated chat to include AOL Instant Messenger chat capability. This allows Gmail users to sign into the AIM chat service and communicate with any AIM user while still being signed on to the Google Talk service. The Google Talk gadget and client have not been upgraded to enable this feature yet, and no announcement has been made as to when it will be made available.
On February 25, 2008, Google added a feature called chatback, which allows a Google Talk account owner to chat with people who don't have one. The account owner first has to create a badge, which can be included in webpages. This badge shows the current availability of the owner. Clicking on the badge results a chat request notification to the owner who can respond by clicking on the specified URL. During the conversation both parties have to use the Google Talk Gadget and both parties remain anonymous to each other, even the Google Account name of the owner is not revealed to the other peer.
Bugs
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When incorporating "Google Apps" Service (http://www.google.com/a) and Google Talk together, the "Check Inbox" function within Google Talk Program is not working properly. When "Check Inbox" function is clicked within Google Talk, normally it's supposed to take you to your Gmail Inbox. However, when using "Google Apps for your Domain" account with Google Talk Program, it takes you to regular Gmail's sign-in page instead of "Google Apps for your Domain" Gmail account email inbox.
There have also been several bugs reported in the Windows client for Google Talk, including e-mail message-notification unreliability, taskbar notification problems during conversations with more than one contact, and tab-sizing problems.[citation needed] Also it appeared that using the escape key to close chat windows does not work if the window has been open for a moderate amount of time. Similarly, the buddy list window, if left un-minimized for a length of time, would automatically "maximize" (to the same size), and would have to be "restored" with Windows in order to minimize once again. Another bug that had been noticed was a buddy list malfunction. All users will intermittently appear offline in the Google Talk client regardless of their actual status. Google stated that as of version 1.0.0.96, all of these bugs have been corrected.[18]
However, some users are reporting that the offline contact bug in Google Talk still continues, especially when running from behind a corporate firewall or proxy server.
Another problem with the Google Talk client reported by numerous users is its tendency to freeze occasionally for one to two minutes, using 100% CPU power. This is most common during a long conversation.
A bug that has appeared in 1.0.0.100 is that in the menu, "Check for mail" item randomly disappears, leaving you without the ability to check for new e-mail in your Gmail. Restarting the program restores it.
Memory leaks are also a problem and remain in the current version (1.0.0.104). When using a Remote Desktop session on a system with two monitors, Google Talk will get stuck off screen and the program itself willl need to be closed and reoped.
Another bug occurs if one is receiving a new message while renaming file on the desktop and the chat window is minimized, the renaming will stop.
Most of these bugs are fixed in the newer Google Talk Labs Edition.
Labs edition
Google has released a new version of Google Talk called Google Talk, Labs edition. It still currently lacks many features of Google Talk's 'stable' releases. The features it lacks include, but is not limited to File Sharing and Chat via Microphone. It features rounded, nicer looking alerts for new email. It can have multiple tabs with group chat, private chat and the regular screen open at once. It is available for free download here: http://www.google.com/talk/labsedition/. Flash Player will be required to install, and upon first launch, a new flash-plugin will need to be downloaded. This edition is not meant for general use, hence why it is a labs edition.
Future releases
Google reports that they are working on adding new features such as supporting SIP in a future release, which would broaden the userbase for the program.[19]
Additionally as part of Google's and eBay's Multi-Year Agreement on August 28, 2006, it was announced that the companies will look into making Google Talk users able to communicate with Skype: "The companies will also explore interoperability between Skype and Google Talk via open standards to enable text chat and online presence.".[20]
See also
- List of Google products
- List of Jabber client software
- Comparison of instant messaging clients
- Google Music Trends
References
- ^ Google Talk Gadget: What are the system requirements?. Google Talk Help. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
- ^ Burd, Gary (2006). XMPP Federation. Google Talkabout. Retrieved on April 3, 2006.
- ^ gAlwaysIdle
- ^ a b "Can My GTalk Discussion Be Tracked?". (Web link). Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
- ^ Google Talk Center at BigBlueBall
- ^ Google Talk
- ^ Nokia Europe - Software upgrade - Nokia 770 - Product support - Get support and software
- ^ BlackBerry
- ^ Jabber Clients
- ^ http://www.mobileoss.org/p/mgtalk.html
- ^ Now IMP Server: Home
- ^ Binder, Eoban (2004). How Google Could De-Throne AIM. AppleXnet. Retrieved on January 2, 2007.
- ^ Markoff, John (2005). Where Does Google Plan to Spend $4 Billion?. The New York Times. Retrieved on February 1, 2006.
- ^ admin (2005). Google IM on XMPP for real?. Tom Servo's Blogogogogog. Retrieved on February 1, 2006.
- ^ Jabber Software Foundation Publishes Open VoIP and Multimedia Protocols. Jabber Software Foundation (2005). Retrieved on February 1, 2006.
- ^ Beda, Joe (2005). libjingle. EightyPercent.net. Retrieved on February 1, 2006.
- ^ Google Talkabout: Google Talk Gadget
- ^ DeWitt, Jeanne (2006-08-21). You talk, We listen. Google Talkabout. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ Google Talk and Open Communications — 4. Do you plan to support other real-time communication protocols?. Retrieved on July 8, 2006.
- ^ Google and eBay Sign Multi-Year Agreement to Connect Users, Merchants, and Advertisers Around the Globe. Google Press Center. Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
External links
- Google Talk
- Google talkabout - official development blog
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