Ben, blogging: Offline Message of IMs

ICQ has pretty good offline message procedure. I can't understand why MSN and Skype can't send offline message as good as ICQ.

You log in, want to talk to somebody in your friend list, but find temporary she is not online. ICQ allows you to leave an offline message, so that your friend can get the message whenever she log in. It's weird that MSN Messenger, before 8.0 version, doesn't provide this feature. It's more weired that the Skype send the offline message in a freaking stupid way.

Let's talk about MSN Messenger first. Before 8.0 version, the MSN Messenger provides "Send Email" feature when your friend is not online. We don't like that because email is far too formal than Instant Messenger. Although the email can have the same function as Instant Messenger, why are Instant Messengers so popular?
The MSN Messenger 8.0 is not launched yet, but I've tried the 8.0 Beta version. If your friend is also using 8.0 Beta version, yes, she can get your offline message when she logs in. But unfortunately, if she is using older version, or web version, or some other replacement such as GAIM, then she can't never get the message. It's even worse than having no offline message feature: You think your friend has got the message, but she hasn't! Microsoft should warn the user about this thing.

Now we're coming to Skype. You can send offline message when your friend is not online. But she will get the message only when you and her are both online! The message is saved in your computer, when the friend is offline. If you log out, and the friend log in, she can no message. Only when you both get online, the message is sent.
We have another scenario: When you are home, you send an offline message to a friend, then you turn off your computer and go to office. At your lunch time, you log in Skype and see your friend is online. You both are online now, do you think she get your offline message yet? No. The offline message is still saved in your home computer.

Gees, you can't understand why they are so stupid!