h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ok. So this evening I have downloaded :

1) Anti-virus
2) Firewall
3) Trillian

The first two are easy enough to use.

But...

...um


Help!! What the heck is going on with the whole world of IM? I think I filled it in Ok. Now it's just hanging about in the corner with nothing to do. And...I have no clue how to use it...

If its the same as MSN messenger, you'll need to add contacts to your contact list, if you've not already?

HOW????????

It's supposed to incorperate all the messaging systems...

But now I'm just confused. I have this blue thing, and I don't know what to do with it...

Help!!!!!

Presumably you have to set up accounts with the various IM services so you can find people and vice versa?

Once it finished downloading, it basically just asked for a bunch of usernames for each IM...so AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo and IRC chat rooms. Amy P recommended it to me (as did Capt Kebab) and I am now thoroughly confused as to how it works.



It has a wee chew-toy shaped thing in the tray to the right...and when I click on it, a blue thing comes up...titled "offline contacts" and all the obvious things that would be necessary.

It all seems to be a complete enigma to me tonight...

Have you set up any actual accounts (username & password thingies) with any of the individual IM services, or was it just assuming you were already an IM user and asking you for existing usernames?

AFAIK, Trillian simply lets you use/manage various IM accounts from one program. How you go about acutally setting up a new Yahoo (or whatever) account via Trillian, I think an actual Trillian user should know.

Yeh...I think I may have missed something along the way. I figure I must have to set up individual accounts now.



This is bloody complicated. Time speeds by...

evil! One of my (ex) machines is having something other than winamp on it! lamentation!

I trust that the whole thing's working well, though, sat?.. how is it, how're you finding it, did it all make sense and did the message pop up and did it connect?

And, most importantly, what's the machine called, assuming you want to change the name from the uninspired "carrera"..

I imagine you'd only need to set up one IM account for yourself, say MSN messenger, which, if I remember you set up just by registering a hotmail account, and then you'd be able to log in as a user, in your IM trillian? programme, using this Email address and password. Then, if I understand it correctly, and like MSN messenger, you will need to add contacts; the Email addresses of people you wish to instant message using the trillian thing, so, for instance, if you were mad, you might add [email protected] to your list of contacts, which would be me, but I am rarely on nowdays, for some reason : the winamp? I've got real1 player, winamp, windows media player, divx player (i think), asus, something, two DVD playing programmes, a MP3 player called something, and a couple of other media players; I've always pressumed its best, to have as many as possible, so you've always a programme that will play what ever format you've tried to access oh, I've flash something as well I should probably just shut up I'll get my coat

Right, Trillian. Im working from memory here, I havent used it in ages...
Basically there are a load of coloured dots near the bottom of the 'thing' that opens up.

Right now they shouldn't be coloured in, just a circle of colour.

Hover your mouse over each of these and it will tell you what it is, i.e. Yahoo, ICQ, MSN.

Click on it and a window will come up asking you to put in your login details, there will be a button in this window that you can click saying 'create new account' or something like that.

This will link you to the webpage of ICQ/Yahoo/MSN where you register.

Register and then you can enter your login details at the window you opened.

When you do this, it will attempt to connect you, but if it doesnt just click the dot again. The dot will become filled in when you have an active connection.

Then find out peoples ICQ numbers, MSN addresses, and Yahoo IDs and enter them into Trillian, Im sure you can work this bit out for yourself...

I'm an AIM user. I never did figure out how to use Trillian. It could have something to do with the fact that I only spent 2 hours with it on, before I decided that I had no desire to find out if my friends used any of these other messenger services.

AIM is for dummies. You might want to try that one first, then move on to Trillian once you've got the hang of things.

You're NEVER on MSN anymore, 2legs...

Considering the hours you're normally up, Sat() I may be able to help you out, but not until tomorrow after 2 am (your time) if you've not figured it out. Or you can go ask Croz or pheloxi for help (both in my friends list) if you want to get it figured out before then...

I'm much better at walking people through stuff than giving them directions all at once But all my contact info is on my space, or else you can email me your contact info, and I'll add you to mine

Aha. It is all a little clearer now. Cheers Bob...and Amy, I'll give it another go now, and come crying back to you if I get stuck again. I am awake today.

njan - everything is working amazingly. Thankyou *so* much. The monitor was way too good for you to give away might I add. How's the US?

Awake makes things easier, yes...

Yes

I'm busy making my own wallpaper right now (the one bit of IT I actually learned at school)...Gabriel Byrne...

Right. Trillian time methinks.

*wanders off*

*would also wander, but no IM at w*rk...*

I've not allowed myself to get online all day. Agony!! Agony!!

I'm attempting to work out this Trillian thing. I'll perservere until I "accidentally" uninstall it and pick an easier method...

If I can figure it out, it's easy (keep in mind, most of my 'tech support' folks are 8 hours ahead of me) I'll get on tomorrow (oops, tomorrow here--day after tomorrow there) during the wee hours there, and see if there's anything major left to help with...

It's progressing a little slower than I thought it would...must...keep...going...

I'll be back to my normal self soon. Hopefully. As long as I stop googling for dodgy porn...

Yeah, I did kinda give you a really-rather-nice monitor. .. still. It wouldn't have been used otherwise.

Glad you like it!