It is certainly very good and easy to use for the beggniers also most of the ppl use Yahoo messenger atleast in india and it is no doubt the leader.The IMvoirnmets is certainly a winner. the chat facility is also cool. but it does have its share of miscomings. one it is not as good looking as MSN messenger, it does not have as many features as ICQ but it is adding them fast. also it has its share of problems due to cookies, like not connecting or disconnecting every now and then. all in all it is good for the begginer , but for the seriuos chatter, there is no substitute for ICQ as it has everything and more except maybe a really very huge user base like Yahoo! possess in india.