By now, it is all around the web - Google has launched the beta of Google Talk. As Joe Wilcox notes, there seems to be a lot of buzz about just another messaging client. After all, what is the big deal about another IM client? I agree, there is nothing exciting about adding a new client - however a new open platform is very exciting! Google Talk uses the Jabber/ XMPP protocol which is not new, but its use by a potentially large public service is new. Moreover, visit the Google Talk page and you will see a link describing client choice for connecting. So what you say? The page also states:
"The Google Talk service is built to support industry standards. You can connect to the Google Talk service using Google's own client, as well as many other IM clients developed by third parties."
Google Talk represents a new platform! If Google follows through on the openness indicated above, vendors will be able to roll their own applications and innovations for the XMPP platform for a (potentially) large top tier service. To my knowledge (although I have not checked in the last 8 months), MSN, AIM, Yahoo! etc. not only do not encourage third party use, in many cases they shut down the service to third parties. On rare occasions some aspects are opened up, but generally, a customer must connect with their client or an authorized client. Furthermore, each one of the aforementioned services have their own protocol and their own system - thus each client is capable of doing only what the service provider has developed. Of course being proprietary is their right, but this also makes using or finding third party innovations hard to find, hard to count on and a bit clunky because the services do not necessarily want third party software to work in the first place.
In short, each of these services (MSN, AIM, Yahoo! etc.) have have decided they will know what features are best for their users, rather than enabling third parties to provide niche or useful features that some users may like. This is why you find renegade add-ons like Messenger Plus!, because there is a market for extra features. The reason behind keeping the service and client closed is more complicated than simply being defensive; there are economics involved with enabling users to only view your ads, use your partner services and the like. In the end though, many users would rather be able to customize their experience to how they want, and that is why a third party friendly service might be a better choice.
Google Talk represents not just a client, but an apparently open service platform for which third parties have the opportunity to innovate new solutions for the public. Right now, this is almost impossible to do on a large scale without massive resources for server farms, brand and differentiation. With Google Talk, the server farms and brand is taken care of from a network standpoint. Rather than having to invest in and invent a new network, and ISV can simply say their software works on the Google network. I doubt there is a person using the Internet who does not know the brand of Google. That adds a sort of credibility as it is a lot easier to say "You should try out the Google IM network, there is this great app you can use with it," than it is to convince someone "You do not want to use MSN, or Yahoo!, use this NoNameIM service... It has over 10,000 users on it!"
Google Talk the service platform represents an exciting opportunity for software developers to innovate IM to new heights and perhaps develop new services. Assuming Google Talk stays true to the statements of openness, then it should be an exciting time for end users as well!
Ben
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