Well actualy, I use more than one of the above. Trillian is the client that I use because it can handle AIM, Yahoo, IRC, ICQ, and MSN protocols all at the same time. But mostly I use my Gmail account with the MSN protocol. Contrary to what some people think, MSN has actually been fairly reliable when it comes to everyday chatting with friends etc. The only thing that isn't really up to par, is the file tranfers. They're soo slow! Other than that, though, msn has kept me satisfied over the years.