HowToGetScreenName

iChat 5

iChat 5 comes with Snow Leopard (OS 10.6.x). At the time of writing that is 10.6 through 10.6.3 iChat was updated to verion 5.0.1 in 10.6.2 and to version 5.0.3 in 10.6.3

These pages have sat here since 2008 with no update. In that time the AIM servers have been closed down (2017) and iChat has been superseded by Message and FaceTime. That effectively makes this a sort of Historical Document of how it worked.

As with other versions here are the links to:

Menu For the Different How-to pages

Getting a Screen Name

Types of Screen Name

iChat in whichever version requires that you have or get a Screen Name first. This is an unique ID(s) from the services that the application works with.

iChat in all versions can join the AIM service and therefore requires an AIM valid name. There are two main ways to get a valid Screen Name, either from Apple or from AIM themselves. iChat 3 Added Jabber Names which Include GoogleTalk IDs which can still be used in iChat 4 and above.

I will deal with Jabber and GoogleTalk names later

AIM Valid Names (Those that login to the AIM Servers)

These include Apple IDs, AIM names (Or any Company owned by AOL) and more recently any Email Address can be used

Apple as of Now

(Edit 2024:- Remember this is an Historical Document as far as some info is concerned and this is one of those).

Apple ones are based on the email ID that you get when you join their Web based services that includes Web Space and Email service and name, iDisk (space for storing items On Line) and so on. These include MobileMe names ending with @me.com and older @Mac.com names from the .Mac service that preceeded MobileMe. (Edit 2024:- Later still came the iCloud service which could be @icloud.com or @me.com as well as linking any older active accounts to become iCloud ones.

Basically Apple had an On-line Service which they called .Mac. This gave you a email Address that ended @mac.com These can be used in iChat whether they were Trial Accounts or paid for ones that have Lapsed or have been transfered to be used with MobileMe. MobileMe does (Edit: did) have a free Trial Period of 60 Days that needs a Credit Card and active actions to Discontinue before the 60 days is up. These MobileMe trial accounts will not work after that deactivation. All of this leads to the fact there are two forms of Apple IDs (Edit 2024:- later that could be 3 IDs with @icloud.com comeing into play in Oct 2011.

.Mac

During the life of iChat 4 Apple gave iChat to the @mac.com name Database to allow "Free iChat Names", still with the @Mac.com format. iChat 4 linked to a page (that no longer exists) that when you use the "Get an iChat Account" Button in Starting iChat or later when Adding further accounts/Screen Names

Basically Apple changed the Servers use to Issue names that only worked in iChat and gave you an Email ID that ended @mac.com this despite the fact you may have linked your existing @mac.com name to MobileMe and it would still work for everythiing else Apple.

If you have or had one this will still work for iChat 2, 3, 4 and 5 even if it was a trial account or a paid for one that has lapsed. If you are not sure if you remember the name or password then go to Application/Utilities and open the Keychain. You can also use Apple's iFogot web page and enter your @mac.com ID. (Basically change the Password it)

In the Keychain look for an item with a blue globe next to it. This will be the Name. Double Click this to bring up the info panel. Put a check to the Show Password box. Confirm with your Admin Password to Allow Once in the dialogue box that appears. Your password for your @mac name should now appear in the text field box for that at the bottom of the Info panel you opened.

A CAUTION. In between time Apple have introduced Two Factor Authorisation and your older ID may not be set up for this.(I had a similar issue with an early Apple TV that I forgot about when I felt I needed to move to Two Factor Authorisation. It effectively bricked the Apple TV box.)

MoblieMe

(Edit 2024:- The link that was linked to the picture removed as it no longer works)

This is now/was called MobileMe and gives/gave you and ID that ends @me.com. (Edit 2014:- The Link to the Sign-In pages was here but has been removed as it no longer worked).

It took you to a page that looks like this. This one is the Trial Sign-up page.

The next page takes you to Payment arrangement page (with notes on how to Cancel during the 60 Day trial period - it is free but you have to actively cancel.)

This is different to the previous .Mac pages in that you have to give card details first and it is automatic charging if you forget to cancel. I am always worried that I will forget and get charged so I have not signed up.

Notes: With the older @mac type of account the Trial ones work in iChat after the 60 days ran out but the new MobileMe ones do not. Lapsed accounts from @mac also work and the MobileMe ones will Not do this.

Names that you choose always have the @me.com or @mac.com suffix added so your Screen Name will show that. Names can be 20 Characters long which is actually Longer than AIM says a Screen Name can be but with @mac names the @mac.com suffix is actually 8 characters in itself and I have an working trial account which has 12 characters before the suffix so I am not sure this is that important. However the passwords allowed on AIM are only 16 characters long and it is known that @mac could be longer and though MobileMe says they can be up to 32 characters and this was a problem for @mac names and I would think this continues.

AIM

AIM names were registered on the AIM site or iChat 5 linked you another page at the "Get an iChat Account Button" if AIM is choosen as the Account type. It goes to the @mac.com Registration page if you choose that or goes the MobileMe option.

The Page though, in this part picture, looked like this at the top left. This means there is more lower down but mostly it is the rest of Terms and Conditions and the acceptance and Security picture code.

Out to the right is a place to Sign-In if you already have a Name.

You will notice that this set up gives you the option to have the Screen Name actually display as something else. This means that you can add Capitals and Spaces. Changing the name completely does not work.

As the @ character is a valid symbol to use you could use an email ID if you wanted. Most people go for an AIM name as the format is less restrictive and does not have to actually be their real name.

It is of course Free

Review

So we have two sources of names that you may already have or could get.

With Apple changing their Service and naming method you have actually three types of name that can be used.

Lets us consider the Real Name of John Smith.

AIM:- johnsmith
@mac:- johnsmith@mac.com
MobileMe:- johnsmith@me.com

As you can see Mr Smith can be one of three people it would seem. This will make a difference when Adding Buddies and it important to understand this.

Potentially for at least 60 days they are free, with older @mac trial or lapsed ones and AIM ones actually being completely free.

Realistically though I would use an AIM name in iChat 2 due to the changes in Apple's service not being fully recognised by iChat 2

NOTES: Despite the info on MobileMe @me.com account names I went on about about it seems Apple did not do an Update for Panther (iChat 2) for this. Basically MobileMe came out during OS X 10.5 and Apple release an Update for earlier versions to "Convert" to MobileMe in various settings - however they did not go back as far as Panther (OS X 10.3). You will have to enter such a Account/Screen Name as an AIM one. This will include typing the @me.com suffix as part of the Name.
Apple are not the only ones that have such an arrangement with AIM and you may find certain Buddies tell you their Screen Name is in the format of Username@someISPemail.com when it comes to Adding them as Buddies.

Jabber Accounts/IDs

Jabber IDs as they tend to be called come from Separate servers. These are not centrally linked for giving out names like AIM, MSN or Yahoo Messanger are. They are Federated though, as it is called, so that you can call a Jabber Buddy who is loogged in to another Server.

Google run a Jabber Service called GoogleTalk based on their Email names once you have activated Talk on your Google account. iChat 3 which is when Jabber was introduced the App presumed that Server Names were based on the Suffix part of the email looking ID. This meant it thought the Google Talk server was called "googlemail.com" where as Google had a separate Server call talk.google.com which required Manual changing in iChat 3. iChat 4 allowed for the prospect of Server's names being different.

Very few Jabber Servers can have a Name Registration as part of Web Site that they may have. Registration is done through a Jabber Application (it has a Registration Module in most cases that iChat does not). This means using a separte third party application that can find Jabber servers to get an ID. This list of Servers lists various servers and some of the services they run. Another server is here https://list.jabber.at/

Some Apps have abilities to Register with servers from within the App Psi is a dedicated Jabber application. (Edit 2024:- THis link works but you will have to check the Other Systems and languages to find a version for older OSes.) Adium (Edit 2024:- This link still works and it lists seversal Versions, the last of which ssays this has not been updated since OS X 10.7.5.) is an application that can join several IM services (more than iChat) However it is very old and has not been updated since MacOS 10.7.5 and lacks the more recent validation certificate that Apple requires for the App Store. It is also likely that it may not support Intel Macs and certainly will not work on M series chips.

Summary

Just to recap.

iChat can join the AIM Service with Apple IDs and AIM names

As in ralphjohnsr for AIM
1. or as an Email Address (I have seen a Hotmail one used)
in the form of ralphjohnsr@mac.com
Or in the form of ralphjohnsr@me.com from MobileMe

You had to take care with Passwords as AIM allowed only 16 characters and APple allowed 32 at the time.

You could also have used Jabber Names/IDs including Google email ones once you have enabled GoogleTalk (No Longer available).

Side Note on Jabber. Mac OS X Server had a Jabber Server as part of the things you could activate.

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Information Block

We start with talking about Getting a Screen Name. Then we explain about AIM and the places to get a Valid AIM Name including Apple with reference to the older .Mac issue @mac.com names and the more recent MobileMe @me.com ending names. This includes what was the most Recent Regigistration page (now defunct). The page then returns to the AIM registration pages (also defunct).

The page mentions the potential for confusion in gaining a similar AIM, @mac and @me names in the three as one section.

Next we talk about Registering for Jabber IDs and the fact they can be on different servers unlike AIM. Google started a Google Talk option which was a Jabber service and we mention the fact that the App presumes the email type ending is normally the server name but is not in Google's case. We also highlight that some can be Web based Registration and other can be done through Third Party apps