Google Kills Google Talk

 

Google Finally Ends Support for Google Talk

I was trying to log in to my old school Google Talk when I got a notification that my password and username don't match. I dreaded this. This is the time that Google has finally killed Google Talk. 

It's not at all surprising for me as I have received a notification from Google that starting at a certain date, they will stop supporting Google Talk already. And today, I received an email from Google telling me that they noticed that I was trying to log-in through G-Talk and that they're no longer supporting Google Talk. They suggest using Hangouts instead. This is sad news for me.

Why I liked Google Talk over Hangouts

Over the past few years since Google first launched Google Hangouts, I have always preferred the old school, simplistic Google Talk for standalone chat client and Google Voice plugin for webchatting on Gmail. For one, I've experienced having issues like my browser freezing with the Google Hangouts mail chat. At other times, I had issues connecting to and loading the whole Hangouts mail chat itself. That's why every time I try to check if the Hangouts issues have been fixed, I just revert to the old Google chat.

As for Google Talk, I've always liked the simplistic approach. Even when Google released the Hangouts app for desktop, I never upgraded. And whenever I get a new computer, I just look for a Google Talk download link since Google has stopped providing a Google Talk download on their own site for years now.

Now, I have no choice but to go see and use Hangouts. If it doesn't work well for me after a few days, then I will just stick to my old school Google Mail chat.

Update: 
For those who don't know what Google talk is, it was Google's first in-email chat client that was integrated into Gmail. People commonly called it G-chat or G-Talk. Unlike Hangouts that now comes as a Google Chrome app, Google Talk had a standalone desktop app, and it's one of the things I miss about Google Talk. How I wish there was a standalone desktop app for Hangouts, but currently, there's none.

How to Check if Your Computer is 64Bit OS Compatible

Disclaimer

1. I am not a tech expert. I just love solving my own tech problems with the help of research over the internet through blogs, forums, tips, Youtube, etc.
2. I recommend products because I have tried them myself, I find them easy to use, and I have no major issues using them.

Scenario

I've been wanting to upgrade my Windows PC to a 64 Bit version so that I can maximize the use of my 4GB memory. However, I wasn't sure if my computer was compatible with the OS upgrade. If you're not a tech person, you have to know that there are 32-bit and 64-bit versions of an OS. Take note that you can't install a 64-bit version of your OS if your machine is not compatible.

Read this for more info: 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: Frequently asked questions

There are a few software one can use but this is what I found simply useful: CPU-Z.

What is CPU-Z?

CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system :

• Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels.
• Mainboard and chipset.
• Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD).
• Real time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.

Source: CPUID

Why I Prefer CPU-Z

CPU-Z is very easy to use. It's very lightweight and easy to download, just a mere 1.5Mb. It works fast and easy. After you've downloaded and installed it, run it and in a matter of seconds, you'll get your system information right in front of you.

Best of all, it is free and it doesn't install malicious stuff that you might mistakenly install because you weren't careful and weren't reading the descriptions during installation. Or you probably think that the additional software are necessary during installation. CPU-Z has none of that, so you don't need to worry about that.

If you have an Intel processor like I do, you should check for EM64T and that should tell you whether you can upgrade to a 64-bit OS. For AMD, it should say x-86-64.

Here's the system information generated by CPU-Z on my computer.

There you go. I hope this helps.

I'm On Twitter Now: Why It Took Me a Long Time

I'm not a big social media fan.

I don't upload tons of selfies. In fact, one time a friend asked for a solo photo, and I realized that I don't have that much solo photos. Most of my photos that I have posted in my albums are either with friends or family.

I don't update my status regarding what I had for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I don't post my gripes about the people I hate or argued with. In fact, I find this disdainful.

And the last thing that's on my mind is to join another social media where people post anything and everything about their lives out there without much thought and often with disregard for possible consequences.

What changed?

A few days ago, an oDesk project required me to join Twitter. I joined Twitter which I have shunned for a looonng time. I had specifically shunned the thought of joining Twitter as I saw it as just another senseless social media where people display their lives for the world to feast on. I'm having my fill of that on Facebook already.

But here I am. I am now on Twitter.

There are tons of tasteless, irresponsible and meaningless social media content being shared out there. On the other hand, when used properly, social media can be a powerful tool for information, education, connection and entrepreneurship.