Trillian for Mac OS X

Cerulean Studios on Friday announced that it is bringing its popular multi-protocol instant messaging client called Trillian to Mac OS X. The software has served Windows users as an internet communication aid that enables users to send messages as well as chat with others using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, MSN Messenger, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Trillian is also known for its skinning feature that allows users to customize the look and feel of the software while supporting various features like audio chat, file transfers, group chats, and chat rooms. Trillian also provides users with buddy icons, the ability to create multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connections (via AIM), proxies, encrypted messaging, SMS message support, and various privacy settings.

Cerulean Studios wrote in a blog entry that the company has created a new Trillian user interface from scratch specifically for Mac users, noting that the underlying core technology -- which is separate from the user interface on all compatible systems -- is the same for all Trillian users in both the Windows and Mac camps.

The new user interface layer of Trillian made for Mac OS X is written in Objective-C using Cocoa. The first alpha build of Trillian for Mac OS X is still "very preliminary and minimal," according to the company, with functionality similar to the flash-based Web version. Cerulean notes that the code for every single feature available to Windows users is already available to the Mac version, however, enabling Trillium developers to simply bring those features to light as they expand the user interface.

"Right now, this initial build will only work for those who have already set up their Astra accounts and contact lists under the Windows version; brave souls with a Mac running Tiger can download the build to experiment with, and log quirks into Bugzilla under the new 'Mac OS X' platform option; this being build 1, there will no doubt be quite a few," the official blog of Cerulean Studios reads.

"Going forward, Windows builds will continue happen on Fridays, while Mac OS X builds will happen on Mondays. (Though obviously not this coming Monday, however!) If there is interest in general, we may do some posts about the experiences of trying to recreate the Trillian UI under Cocoa and translating existing bits to their (not always identical!) Mac OS X equivalents."

The company added that it will treat the Mac OS X build as a completely separate entity as far as its release cycle is concerned, so Windows users will not have to wait for a feature-complete OS X port to see Trillian Astra go gold.

"Depending on the development process, we may very well release a final build of the Win32 edition before the OS X edition."

by MacNN Staff