Start-up Cerulean Studios has rolled out Trillian, an instant-messaging client that lets you access accounts on multiple IM networks without running each provider’s client. But it'll be just another great idea that never survives if AOL succeeds in blocking traffic from Trillian and other competing IM clients. AOL says it’s trying to maintain the security of its servers by excluding "rogue" software. But as far as I can tell, AOL has two revenue streams for its IM software -- business partnerships and ads -- and neither has anything to do with security. AOL would be better off partnering with Cerulean to get payment for using AOL IM services.

But herein lies another problem: If AOL gives Cerulean access, it must give Microsoft access too -- and AOL won't open a closed market even slightly to its chief rival.

You’re not powerless. Why not do the opposite of what AOL wants and set up a standalone IM server and administer it yourself? Check out www.instantmessagingplanet. com, which includes references to several corporate IM servers and articles on how to set up and manage such products. Meantime, IT organizations planning to stick with Cerulean can at least take solace in that vendor's commitment to "maintaining interoperability across all major IM networks."
--Don MacVittie, dmacvittie@nwc.com

Yes, says Mike DeMaria

Some decry AOL's expulsion of Trillian users as an extravagant sign of monopoly. A monopoly? AOL Instant Messenger is a popular product, but a popular product does not a monopoly make.

Of course, if your enterprise is heavily dependent on instant messaging, do as Don says and roll out your own service using client-server solutions from companies such as Jabber and Vypress.

But that shouldn't require AOL to open up its technology. AOL pays for the hardware, software, maintenance, administrative, salary and bandwidth costs associated with running the AIM network. Because Trillian blocks ads, Trillian users cost AOL money. Imagine the post office ripping out every ad from every magazine before sending those ads to subscribers. Sure, readers would get the same editorial content, but the magazine would be out of business in no time.

Financial arguments aside, AOL actually offers a protocol for non-AOL clients. It's called TOC, and developers can use it freely. TOC doesn't have any ads, and it doesn’t support buddy icons, file transfers or other AIM features. Big deal -- that's why we have FTP. Cerulean could simply use TOC and create its own protocols for Trillian-to-Trillian user communications. If Cerulean used TOC and got around its shortcomings instead of trying to hack through AOL's product, everyone would be happy.
--Michael J. DeMaria, mdemaria@nwc.com