ICQ                   

For Windows

GLAST Software  uses the instant messaging service ICQ to facilitate rapid communication between members of the collaboration.  To set this up go to the ICQ home page and follow their instructions to download and install ICQ.  

ICQ homepage: http://web.icq.com

Security and Privacy settings:  These will be things like whether or not you receive messages from users who are not on your Contact List.  By choosing the more restrictive of these options, you will be able to restrict (and hopefully eliminate) the amount of spam messages you get.

Change Security settings: (for ICQ 2000a)

Click on "Security and Privacy" from the ICQ menu

Click the General tab Under "Contact List Authorization" choose "My authorization is required"

Click the ignore tab: 

Check "Accept Messages only from users on my contact list"

Check "Do not accept multi-recipient messages from users not on my contact list"

Using Trillian

We are now ramping up use of the Trillian IM tool. See www.trillian.cc to get it. It features no banner ads and will also talk to AIM, Yahoo, IRC and MSN chat systems. Contacts are maintained in an xml file. 

Recommended Settings:

• Privacy - set the flag for "Only accept messages from my contact list", from Preferences->ICQ->Privacy.
• Enable your idle timer (so people can see when you are inactive)
  GreenGlobe->Set Status->Create New Away Message. Create one called 'Sleeping'.
  GreenGlobe->Preferences->Events->->Advanced tab
  use the Add button to add a new event. Select Event Type 'idle time' and set the Action Type to 'Set Status', selecting 'Sleeping' for your away message. This will create a 'timer' event in your list.
  It appears that this timer setting does not work on NT! Seems to work fine on W2000. NT Trillian users appear active all the time they are online.

Pat Nolan is maintaining a list of icq numbers, with access to gaim and Trillian formatted files.

For Unix

ICQ is unfortunately only for Windows; if however you are using a gnomish version of Linux or Unix, then you can use Gaim, which acts like ICQ. 

Gaim homepage: http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

// explicit instructions for setting up gaim

Documentation on setting Gaim up to use your ICQ account: http://gaim.sourceforge.net/faq.php. Redhat RPMs are available for easy installation.

Note that while Gaim appears to be the best Unix client available, it will not create an ICQ account. However, you can sign up for an ICQ number on the web.  Much like the windows client Trillian Gaim supports many IM protocols, including AIM, MSN, yahoo, jabber, and IRC.

Pat Nolan is maintaining a list of icq numbers, with access to gaim and Trillian formatted files.

Last Modified April 21, 2004

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