On the Mac, I’ve always preferred Apple’s iChat application, but my main problem with it that I had was it didn’t connect to MSN Messenger, which is the IM that most of the people I know still use. Out of the box though it connects with AIM and Jabber services like google talk, so those have never been a problem. One of the new features of OS X Lion that wasn’t really touted is that iChat now allows
“Service plug-ins from third-party developers let you add new chat services to iChat. And plug-ins run in a separate process to help ensure that they won’t damage your system.”
A few days ago I decided to try a google search and see if anyone had made an MSN plugin, and sure enough one now exists. It is still in beta, but works great with text chats. It is however in beta, so I certainly suggest using it with caution. Unfortunately, some of the great iChat features like screen sharing, video chats, etc do not work right now with it if ever, but I finally have that all in one messenger that I’ve wanted.
Here’s their website to grab the plugin. After installing, it does require you to log out and back in on your mac, so be sure and close anything your working on first.