Demise of Google Hangouts?

[David Balažic]

Someone mentioned SMS, which has good sides, but also bad, like:

-        How to use it on a Windows PC? I know Skype can send SMS, not sure about receiving.

-        It is not problem free. For example currently I can't send SMS to a certain contact due to some bug in the iPhome Messages app. Also, some providers charge per message.


(2) Try Delta Chat (https://delta.chat/). This is a chat app that uses standard email as its transport medium. I must admit that I have not yet tested it but the idea seems sound and of course won't just disappear (yet!). There's a Delta Chat plugin for Pidgin, I see.


Incidentally, the same contact has currently major problems receiving email messages, as the mail server is refusing some incoming messages (due to spam detector "recognizing" them as spam).


Skype is what I would recommend for a more or less reliable service (there is a Pidgin plugin, using Skypes web interface, haven't used it myself), although I have login/logout problems in last few week on one of my devices (others work fine).

I guess there is not perfect solution.

David Balažic
Lead Engineer
www.comtrade.com

From: Support [mailto:support-bounces at pidgin.im] On Behalf Of Mark Rousell
Sent: 6. November 2019 10:32
To: support at pidgin.im
Subject: Re: Demise of Google Hangouts?

On 05/11/2019 22:49, Phil Smith III wrote:

It’s been reported that Google is killing end-user Hangouts in 2020:
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-hangouts-gets-hung-out-to-dry-in-2020-report-says/

Some of us are irritated because we just moved off of AIM. I don’t care which service it is, I just need it to work—my wife is housebound and uses it a lot to communicate with me from her PC when I’m out and about. (Yes, text-to-email works, but then she has to keep checking for responses in email; Pidgin flashes/beeps). What else are people using that both Pidgin on Windows and Android phones support?

It's frustrating, isn't it.

There are two solutions I'd recommend:

(1) Run your own XMPP server. This is not as bad as it sounds. If you have a static IP DSL/broadband line you can run it on that perfectly well or you can get a cheap cloud/VPS. I'd recommend Openfire as the server software: https://www.igniterealtime.org/projects/openfire/

(2) Try Delta Chat (https://delta.chat/). This is a chat app that uses standard email as its transport medium. I must admit that I have not yet tested it but the idea seems sound and of course won't just disappear (yet!). There's a Delta Chat plugin for Pidgin, I see.





--

Mark Rousell





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