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Instabird is the newest project from the Mozilla folks, and it’s a multi-client chat program that allows you to connect to several of the mainstream instant messaging services such as AOL, MSN, and Yahoo!. The project is still in early beta (version .1 beta), but the adventurous user can strike out and attempt to compile a copy of their own. That’s right, I said compile.

The download weighs in at only 13.1 megabytes, which should be quick on most broadband connections, and for Windows users, the install process, while not the prettiest in the world, is relatively painless and took about 45 seconds or so (as opposed to the reported two hours it can take to compile on Ubuntu). I was able to connect to all my accounts error-free, and was chatting within five minutes of my download completing.

The interface is still a bit rough around the edges, but it is early beta. Just like other Mozilla products, there is a plug-ins interface, so that add-ons can be written for the product. There are about ten minor IM networks that out of the box Instabird is also compatible with, although Skype is currently missing from the list.

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