iChat is the fantastic app for instant messaging that comes free with every Mac. It ticks all the boxes: simple chat interface ✓ file exchange ✓ video conferencing ✓ tabbed chat ✓ multiple logins ✓ and even slideshow sharing ✓. It practically blows Windows Live Messenger on Windows out of the water.

However, it has a fundamental flaw that no update or upgrade can fix; its user base is incredibly small. The problem is no one uses AIM anymore. All my contacts use Facebook Chat, or MSN, or Yahoo. There must be a way to condense all these protocols into the simple interface of iChat right?

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