2 Instant Messaging
One ofthe fastest growing Internet applications has been instant messaging (IM). With IM, you can exchange real-time typed messages or chat with your friends. Some IM software also enables you to verbally talk with your friends in the same way as you might use the telephone or to use cameras to exchange real-time video in the same way you might use a videoconferencing system. Several types of IM currently exist, including Google Talk and AOL Instant Messenger.
Instant messaging works in much the same way as the Web. The client computer needs
an IM client software package, which communicates with an Hvl. server software package that runs on a server. When the user connects to the Internet, the IM client software package sends an IM request packet to the IM server informing it that the user is now online. The IM client software package continues to communicate with the IM server to monitor what