Nowadays, we have become accustomed to chat software and utilizing its function to communicate with others. With so many options to fulfill our needs for online conversation, we somehow take this technology for granted. However, let us take a break for a minute and reflect on the technology that has been our friend for more than 30 years. How it evolved over time and how we have a better option with chat service instead of software now.
The Predecessor of Chat Software
Early in the birth of communication technology that now become the Internet, there is a program worthy of mentioning as the ancestor of chat software. The program was a UNIX program called Talk. Talk was a text chat program and it is outdated compared to other chat rooms today. However, Apple OSX Darwin, which is based on BSD-Unix still uses this talk program, also other UNIX variants like Linux and FreeBSD. As a very basic chat program, talk only allow users in UNIX and UNIX-variant systems to chat with other users with one-on-one chat.
The more advanced chat program was built for educational purposes. Talkomatic, from the University of Illinois computer-assisted learning system in 1973, was the first program built as a chat room. Although it has only limited capability to have a maximum of five users in the chat room, this program sets a breakthrough for chat technology. It provided a replica of what a chat software should have in terms of features and functions like a group chat, chatroom, and message broadcast.
The Next Generation of Chat Software
Internet Relay Chat or IRC in 1988 was developed to supersede talk programs in UNIX. Since its inception, IRC was developed as an application protocol in the TCP/IP suite to provide a universal protocol for text communication Its role as a protocol allowed programmers to write a chat client software to run on top it. Some of the well-known IRC client software were mIRC, ChatZilla, and IceChat.
One of achievements with IRC protocol is its advanced capability to handle group conversations and forums as channels. IRC had a more advanced way that the University of Illinois’ Talkomatic in that matter. For that reason, IRC became a common method of online conversation before the instant messaging chat room came.
Arrival of Instant Messaging System
The instant messaging system is another chat software that arrived later with more advanced technology than IRC. ICQ was the first instant messenger available in 1996. Its approach in providing a unique user ID for each user has become the model for today’s chat platform and social media applications.
Following the footsteps of ICQ, American Online created its own chat program and decided to buy ICQ and perfect its instant messenger with ICQ technology. From then on, numerous instant messaging chat software came from many companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Blackberry, Yahoo, eBuddy and many others. We are now able to have audio, video, and multi-media conversations in chat technology. However, it makes the chat program become bigger and consumes much more resources than a simple text chat program….
Apart from that, we need a multimedia chat. How can we find a better one?
Replacing Chat Software with Chat Service
After a long of online chat program, we are now reaching the ceiling of chat software. All installed chat program has to be constantly updated whenever there is a new patch or new version. This takes a lot of time to update our chat programs. Sometimes when we are about to have an important conversation, HTML chat software prompts an update message, requiring us to update the program. We need a better solution for this exhausting process of continuous updating. Isn’t it time for new technology to come forward to supplant the html chat software?
The time is right now for a chat service on your web or your mobile device.
Traditional chat program has its own drawbacks of installation on our computer. It takes up our computing resources: hard drive, memory, and processor to allow it to run. A lot of processes are conducted in our computer to run the chat program, which most of the time stays dormant as a memory resident program. While we need to free up those resources.
HTML Chat service provides the answer to that hassle and bustle.
We just need a browser and access to a website providing the chat service. All the installation, update, and security issues is handled by the chat service provider’s company beforehand.
With html chat service, if you have your own website you can have a chat room on your website. Just use a snippet or a piece of code given to a chat service provider on your website, and you can have your own chat room. Chat service provider gives you that code once you register for their service. The code acts as a client program running on your website. While chat service provider takes care of all the internal processes like message synchronization, privacy, security, and others.
If you do not have a website, you are still able to have a chat room. You can have it on your Facebook fan page, or you can have a service provider to host your chatroom. Since you have subscribed to their service, html chat service provider will be responsible for your chatroom security and privacy. That is how simple and easy chat service cater to your chat needs.