Google has updated its Gmail service to allow users to sign in to AIM accounts and chat with AIM contacts, but those hoping for complete federation between Google Talk and AIM have more waiting to do.
Google engineer Michael Davidson
noted the integration today on the Official Gmail Blog.
AIM login is available through the chat sidebar item. Once users supply their AIM credentials, Davidson wrote, their AIM Buddy List becomes available:
"When you log in to AIM through Gmail chat," he wrote, "your AOL buddies will appear in your chat list with friends from your Google Talk network, and you will see the yellow 'running man' logo to the right of your AIM friends' screen names. To your AIM friends it will look like you are logged in to AIM as usual."
Google provided little information about the new addition to its service except a
brief entry in its Gmail help pages and providing a list of answers to basic questions such as how to sign in and out of AIM, the entry noted that the change doesn't extend to the Google Talk service:
Davison further added that "AIM in Gmail is not a Google Talk and AIM federation, it's the ability to sign in to your AIM messaging account from Gmail. Gmail uses Open AIM to provide this feature."
OpenAIM is an SDK that allows allow the creation and use of 3rd party IM clients and plug-ins on their large Instant Messaging network.
The AOL staffer claims that this project has 'no' restrictions as to what can and cannot be developed with the SDK. The only limitation cited, which is sure to keep Trillian and co. on their heals, is the apparent ban on 'multi-headed client' implementation.
Control over federation with its network has been a key part of AOL's business strategy with AIM. As
reported by Instant Messaging Planet in the past, IM vendors pay AOL some amount per client to include federation between assorted enterprise instant messaging (EIM) services. It seems likely that if federation between Google Talk and AIM is to occur anywhere, it will be for users of Google Apps Premier Edition, the search company's for-pay hosted service, which charges $50 per user per year for access to supported use of its mail, IM, application, and Web hosting services.
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