Decision of Google not to support GTalk: A rant

So I got this mail today:

*i.minus.com/i0uS8LA7drDmp.jpg

Now, I have got such emails from Google before and I didn't particularly got bothered by it, until today my GTalk blocked me completely from logging.

Google tells me to try this new shiny Hangout app for which I need Chrome. I don't want to use Chrome. Neither I want to keep GMail open in browser and navigate to it each time I want to chat. :/

Then Google tells me to try 3rd party apps if I don't want to use Chrome/Hangout. Why should I use a 3rd party app?

Why Google is doing it? Why is it abandoning such a simple desktop app which was good for what it did. Small footprint chat client, which also notified me about a new email. Does Google wants to push me to Chrome. Why is Google so aggressive in promoting their sh!t half baked Hangout. Review on Hangout is filled with such rants.

Mats Knip

gtalk is being phased out and I'm looking for a replacement, but this sure is not it. it does not provide notification of new emails, nor does turning desktop notifications on in gmail help at all. the interface is ugly. why can I not choose a clean interface? do I really need to see the picture of my chat partner on every single line of text? why can the app not be minimized? no matter what I do the toolbar called "Hangouts" keep appearing in the windows toolbar and can not be removed. pure garbage compared to nearly 10 year old google talk. not recommended. also it does not show my online contacts. in talk I can see 20 friends on line - in hangouts only 5, 4 of which I have not talked to in years. garbage I say.

Assassin Sharks

This app lags so far behind Google Talk its laughable.. Could you you dummies over at Google please fix this app to show status of users? How about you let us see the user list 24/7 rather than just this little green circle... and how about you allow us to install this app with out having to have Google Chrome installed.... Google is becoming a bunch of fascist....

Crystal Smartt

I've been using Gtalk for Windows for many, many years now. This app is nothing like the windows version. I can't see my contacts online statuses, the obnoxious green quote is always on the right side of my screen, on top of the rest of my windows. I also have to be logged into Google on Chrome itself to use this app.

No, thanks Google, I don't want shiny "blazing" fast Chrome. Neither I want to "hang out". I am even starting to hate green colour now.

Please bring back my sweet GTalk. It was perfect. Please!!

If you're trying to showcase a new thing and make it to people try, you've to kill the old one even if it is bad. That's what Google is doing.
They're updating the Hangouts often and wants the people to use it. If people are still using the good old Gtalk, then their worst enemy is their best product.

R.I.P. Gtalk :/ I even remember the time when i first intalled Gtalk on my desktop and pinged my friends for the first time.

This is what happened with Microsoft. XP their best OS became their own worst enemy. Thankfully they let it die gracefully and stretched the support numerous times before completely abandoning the updates.

But Google just pressed the kill switch. Not cool.

Google is turning out to be a big bully of tech world. This is another instance.

In our face: Softcard ending support for Windows Phone as Google acquires tech | Windows Central

Vyom said:
Why should I use a 3rd party app?

Apps like Pidgin should be used by everyone IMO. They support multiple networks and even IRC channels so there won't be need to run multiple clients separately for various networks. These apps will be continued to be updated as new security flaws are detected. I guess Google just don't want to keep on updating a app that mostly a minority use now IMO.

Vyom said:
I am even starting to hate green colour now

Another reason to use Pidgin because Purple is the new Green :wink:

Pigdin has google talk support. Nice. I had not done my research. I too was pissed off with google for disabling gtalk.

S

what thetechfreak said, Pigdin is the way to go, really who wants to use proprietary software anyways .

here is a very good list of safe and secure clients

*www.eff.org/secure-messaging-scorecard

Google is pruning its repertoire. It has been steadily killing off many of its experiments and less used products to focus on those that will help it.

i never used gtalk but i am using hangout a lot these days. They are making the integration better and in sometime it would surely result in a great companion. though they could have fixed some issues before killing Gtalk.

R

The last time i use google talks was in 2011, and now when there are shuting down everyone wants to use it. :lol:

Reloaded said:
The last time i use google talks was in 2011, and now when there are shuting down everyone wants to use it.

Classic mistake. When you say "you" were not using something since many years, you don't end it with "everyone". Just because you were not using doesn't make "nobody" was using it.

I really loved the small foot print little app that use to remain in my taskbar informing me about new mails and to be able to chat with anyone with little efforts. It's gone now. And I am already missing it.

*i.imgur.com/LWgUvDE.png

:lol:

I got the same email yesterday. Yeah google notified me before, that the support would end, but didn't bothered it. I don't like hangout too. It just doesn't shows who all are online. Even previously on android phone, it was there, but with the release of hangout, it's hard to find who all are online. It just shows me contacts based on my communication history.

Google is on the verge of either making or breaking the communication through it's apps. The new messenger app on Lollipop is also not that great but still better than that hangout integration.

Vyom said:
I really loved the small foot print little app that use to remain in my taskbar informing me about new mails and to be able to chat with anyone with little efforts. It's gone now. And I am already missing it.

Why not just use pidgin? Yeah it can't show email(well as it doesn't have access to it) but it can do everythin GTalk did, perhaps better. I guess there's no use highlighting any more pros and cons as you're saying the same thing over and over

thetechfreak said:
Why not just use pidgin? Yeah it can't show email(well as it doesn't have access to it) but it can do everythin GTalk did, perhaps better. I guess there's no use highlighting any more pros and cons as you're saying the same thing over and over

Not sure what you mean by me "saying the same thing over and over", but I am really pissed off by the discontinuation of GTalk. (And the title of this thread does indicate "rant").

But, I guess if that what it takes for me to try 3rd party tools then I think I have no other choice. Is Pidgin reliable to give my Google credentials? I never share Google credentials with any other service, since I believe my google account to be the utmost importance. I know Pidgin is open source, so that means it's more reliable?

(Also I didn't really like the UI of Pidgin the last time I tried, years ago).

+1 to above question as pidgin is a open source how safe is it?

Got this sometime last month. Instantly uninstalled GTalk, cursed at Google for a few minutes, and moved on.

*edufor.fosspowered.com/img/image.php?di=V31B

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Vyom said:
But, I guess if that what it takes for me to try 3rd party tools then I think I have no other choice. Is Pidgin reliable to give my Google credentials? I never share Google credentials with any other service, since I believe my google account to be the utmost importance. I know Pidgin is open source, so that means it's more reliable?

Pidgin is not a service, as much as it is just an app. It stores your credentials on your local computer, and gives them to the google servers during authentication. The only downside here is, you will lose your incoming email notification.

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krishnandu.sarkar said:
I don't like hangout too. It just doesn't shows who all are online. Even previously on android phone, it was there, but with the release of hangout, it's hard to find who all are online. It just shows me contacts based on my communication history.

How long do you think before they force the webapp users to migrate from google talk to Hangouts ?

Vyom said:
But, I guess if that what it takes for me to try 3rd party tools then I think I have no other choice. Is Pidgin reliable to give my Google credentials? I never share Google credentials with any other service, since I believe my google account to be the utmost importance. I know Pidgin is open source, so that means it's more reliable?

err Pidgin don't store your creds like the way you think.

Pidgin works through the XMPP. Just give this a read: XMPP - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is the list of Google recommended clients" *developers.google.com/talk/popular_clients

^^Thanks for the links bro. Now I will try this with a feeling of safety.

I can't. Pidgin denies to work on my Server edition of Windows (Win Server 2008 R2). Whenever I start the application it just goes in hang state. No matter how many times I try to kill it from the task manager it doesn't get close. This is the first time I am not able to end an application even from third party application like Sysinternal's Process Explorer. There maybe some compatibility issue of Pidgin with server editions.

Anyway, I am trying to move on to Ubuntu as my primary PC, where Pidgin or Empathy will work for me.

But until I do, I will still curse the decision of Google to discontinue GTalk on Windows. Google, please take the 3rd finger from me.