Trillian is a mathematician and astrophysicist whom Arthur Dent first meets at a party in Islington. Later, it becomes evident that she left with Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Forensic examiners will be pleased to learn that Trillian Basic stores its options in Windows 3.x-style “INI” text files instead of in a complex registry, making it simpler and faster for forensic examiners to recover settings and trace Trillian Basic artefacts.
IM & Collaboration
Trillian is one of the most beloved standalone instant messaging programs, thanks to its compatibility with so many chat services. Furthermore, Trillian was recently updated with modern capabilities so as to work well on mobile devices while maintaining its commitment to protecting privacy and security.
The free, ad-supported version of this program is openly available, while its Pro edition provides added features that may make it more appealing for businesses and IT departments. Centralized chat history lets users keep tabs on conversations even when logging on from different computers or devices, and search capabilities help find past messages quickly. Furthermore, 128-bit encrypted messaging for AOL/ICQ communications helps prevent data theft in case of breaches.
Trillian offers businesses powerful conferencing tools, including video calls and screen sharing that enable multiple participants to join a meeting simultaneously. Additionally, this feature-rich program makes sharing pictures, files, screen captures with contacts easy, group chats remain on the server so friends who have gone offline can catch up quickly, and operator statuses can be assigned for team management purposes.
Other helpful features of GroupMe include its customizable interface and themes, emoji support and the ability to create groups for family, friends and co-workers. Users can keep their profile updated so contacts can easily reach them, while its Pro version offers texting over a local network – an ideal solution for businesses that do not wish to incur the added costs associated with cell plans.
Trillian Pro’s Metacontacts feature is a welcome new feature, enabling users to compile an easily searchable list of all IM services used by their correspondents and instantly determine who’s available across which service and decipher any strange nicknames that pop up! Also helpful is Word Matching tool which lets users list and define certain words; when they appear in messages Trillian can either highlight or auto insert (such as “LOL” or “OMG”) them automatically or display an alert based on this definition.
Security & Privacy
Trillian’s security features are designed to help keep business communication safe. Users can set up encrypted chat rooms for group discussions and individual privacy settings allow you to tailor your online presence; such as automatically blurring instant messages or encrypting conversations with specific contacts.
Cerulean Studios’ Business Associate Agreement (BAA) option makes the instant messaging client compliant with HIPAA regulations, enabling users to configure an effective retention policy which protects company-owned devices while eliminating storage of chat histories, shared images, files or any other forms of data that is no longer relevant.
Trillian can also be configured to automatically lock after an extended period of inactivity with either an extra PIN code or user password required to unlock. This provides another layer of security and helps prevent unauthorised access to PHI. For instance, a physician who shares her iPad with her children could add an extra PIN protection against accidental or malicious processing of personal information through Trillian.
Trillian can connect to multiple IM services and chat platforms, including AIM, ICQ, MSN, Skype, Yahoo Messenger (YM), GTalk and Jabber XMPP (XMPP). Additionally, Trillian provides tabbed messaging between multiple accounts, global status changes that impact all networks simultaneously docking support hundreds of emoticons emotisounds shell extensions file transfers systray notifications support.
Some versions of Cerulean send instant messages from third-party services directly to its servers so that Trillian clients may access them and send their instantaneous responses back out again. This data is only stored until all connected devices acknowledge receipt, after which time it is deleted from our systems. Trillian offers quick and efficient messaging between themselves and various third-party services, making the transfer of messages between the two seamless. Users can utilize Metacontacts to aggregate multiple contact entries for one person into one entry on their buddy list, providing easy visibility of all interactions with that contact at once. Furthermore, the latest version offers support for SMS and mobile messaging capabilities and features a new interface enabling SMS/MMS capabilities as well as webcam plugin and plug-ins which bring news/weather/stock quotes directly into buddy lists.
Add-Ons & Extensions
Trillian provides users with the ability to add third-party plug-ins that enhance functionality. These plugins, commonly referred to as extensions, help reduce time spent switching between applications by offering an easier way for performing several functions from within one application.
Trillian Game Overlay allows gamers to communicate with friends while playing video games on their computer without switching between the game and Trillian, eliminating any unnecessary interruptions between gameplay sessions. It is free for use but requires Trillian Pro 2+ for operation. Trillian also features a Message Overlay which acts as a chat window while they are gaming; activation can be achieved either by pressing a key on their keyboard or clicking an icon in their video menu.
Trillian add-ons enable it to perform various other tasks, too. For instance, they allow it to search all of the instant messaging networks a user uses to communicate with friends and colleagues – then highlight all contact info for all IM services in one convenient place – making conversation tracking simpler than ever. Trillian can also perform word matches to replace words with more appropriate options in messages sent between people or notify you about relevant conversations on other platforms.
Trillian can also be utilized by businesses and healthcare systems for employee communication, in addition to its personal IM features. Private group chats, policy management for chat histories and file sharing with size restrictions are some of the features used to streamline company communications and increase productivity. Furthermore, the product is HIPAA compliant and comes equipped with disk-level, file-level encryption as well as TLS 1.2+ protection to safeguard data both at rest and during transit.
The product name, “Trillian,” was taken from the computer character Trillian played by Sigourney Weaver in the science fiction film Galaxy Quest. Developed by a team of volunteers, its instant messaging client has received positive reviews from media outlets like CNET, Wired and BetaNews.
Community
Trillian is an all-in-one messaging center, providing instant messaging (IM), voice calls and video calls in one convenient application. Users can stay in contact with friends and colleagues alike, share photos and files between contacts, as well as update their status to let others know where they are.
Cerulean Studios, a two-person software developer founded in 1998, released this application in 1998. Although vocal fans urged Cerulean Studios to launch a grassroots crusade against AOL on its community forums, Cerulean opted instead for silent diplomacy and said they are willing to speak with AOL about resuming interoperability in the future.
Till then, many consumers are searching for alternatives to Trillian provided by AOL. Some like Discord have become particularly popular with gamers thanks to real-time push-to-talk voice capabilities, a host of text chat features and screen sharing features. Others, like Brosix for business use are tailored specifically towards corporate environments with features like centralised chat history management and strict policy control that ensure an optimal experience.
Users can customize Trillian to meet their aesthetic preferences with skins and emoticons, with new options such as grouping multiple chat windows for one contact into one tab. Furthermore, Trillian Pro 2.0 features improvements in user interface features like skinning simplification and tabbed chats for improved usability.
Signal is another alternative to Trillian which places privacy first. While big data mining firms make a living from mining user information, Signal protects end-to-end chats by default and hides metadata from anyone intercepting messages while traveling between devices. Group chats are supported and both mobile and desktop support are offered at no cost – perfect for users seeking high security without sacrificing functionality; downloading is free; users can make unlimited phone calls and texts to their loved ones with free plans available as additional add-ons if more functionality is desired.
