Up to date!

Mar 19, 2008 08:08 GMT  ·  By

Sometimes it's just too tiresome to update your Instant Messenger client whenever a new version is rolled out. Either the new options don't look so appealing or your connection really isn't that grand, the fact of the matter remains that enough IM users still have old (and I mean really old) versions installed and running.

Of course, there's nothing like taking full advantage of the options you know and love, but Yahoo! has announced that an update is in order for everybody. Versions 5.5 and 5.6 of the legendary instant messaging client will have their support discontinued on the first of April, and this is not a Fool's Day prank. Not only that they will not be updated or have maintenance checks performed, but as of that day, trying to sign in using one of the two versions mentioned above will result in an error message. In other words, they will be dropped completely. Take a few screenshots if you're still into the vintage clients, and turn them into backgrounds for your desktop, because you won't see them again. Ever.

Of course, there is another option except upgrading to 8.1 if you're a Windows XP user, or to a 9.0 Beta if Vista is the operating system you run. The Yahoo! Messenger for the Web is a viable alternative and, dare I say, a good one, or you could just turn to the version that was built into the new Mail.

In more recent news, for the latest versions there's been some updating done in the Audibles categories, to celebrate the NCAA fever that will come to be pretty soon, and taunts are pretty much everything for the fan. That and dressing up in his or hers team's colors, so Yahoo! has come up with pixelated versions of the specific jerseys from over 25 schools, including Duke, University of North Carolina, or Kentucky, to name just a few.