Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The differentiation
between SMS and
IM messages can get
blurry because services
are available that can
cross the platforms.
For example, some IM
services offer clients
for certain smartphone
operating systems, and
there are computer-
based applications that
can send and receive
SMS messages. If
you use one of these
services, it may not be
obvious how the mes-
sage delivery will be
billed (that is, whether
the messages count as
SMS messages toward
your cell phone plan's
text message allow-
ance, or whether
the messages use the
phone's Internet data
plan), so monitor your
usage carefully until
you are sure.
Figure.9 3
Yahoo! Messenger's client software for Windows
enables you to have one-on-one text chats with others.
WhatsApp
Depending on your cell phone plan, you may only get a certain number of SMS text messages per month. If you find
yourself running out of SMS messages each month, consider using WhatsApp Messenger, a cross-platform smart-
phone application that can send text messages using your phone's Internet data plan, bypassing the phone's SMS
service. You are still sending text messages, but you're doing so through an Internet server, so you aren't charged per
message, but only for the small amount of Internet data used. WhatsApp is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android,
Windows Phone, and Nokia. WhatsApp was originally developed by a very small company, but was purchased by
Facebook in February 2014, giving it a much broader audience and greater financial backing for future development.
Some IM clients allow group chats, but they are normally with people
whom you specifically invite. In contrast, many public or semi-public
chat rooms
enable you to have group conversations with people you
may not know. Many websites include chat room software on some of
their web pages that anyone can log into to participate in a group chat.
For example, a recovery support site for alcoholics might have a group
chat every night at a certain time.
chat room
An online virtual room in which you
can meet and talk to other people.
The largest system of public chat rooms is
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
,
with about 400,000 users worldwide. IRC is a system of chat servers
that users log into using IRC client software. The user can then select a
channel
, which is a chat room for a particular subject of discussion, and
enter the channel to join the conversation.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
An online system
of public chat servers.
channel
An individual chat room on a chat server
such as IRC.
