E/pop: A Good Chat Over the LAN

One of the key lessons of the connected age is that productivity climbs in proportion to our level of communication. Your company already has an internal phone system and e-mail. But if you want your employees to be able to respond to workgroup needs on the spot, instant messaging could be just the ticket.

Several instant-messaging programs are out there, but one that gives you more is WiredRed's E/pop 2.0--a real-time communication and collaboration tool for company intranets and LANs, with extras that put it far above chat applications. The program provides users and network managers with a multitude of communication and remote-control administration options previously unavailable in a single product.

Like Internet chat favorite ICQ, E/pop gives you instant messaging for individuals and groups, with pop-up messages, user status indicators, file transfer support, and the ability to create buddy lists. But it also lets you share applications over the network and gives administrators some timesaving remote-control capabilities. Moreover, the client-side-only application, which works on NetWare- and Windows-based networks, doesn't require additional server hardware to operate--making it quick and easy to implement. Aside from a big appetite for system resources, E/pop proved to be a strong performer.

Fast, but Hungry

I have an affinity for applications that install easily, don't require a lengthy learning process, and run unobtrusively. In my tests, I found that E/pop meets two out of the three criteria. Installation was a snap, and the resulting application runs in a familiar window, reminiscent of Microsoft Outlook.

But the version I tested seemed to consume an inordinate amount of resources--in multiple tests on different workstations, running E/pop resulted depleted system resources more than 10 percent. Since you need to keep E/pop running constantly to benefit from its instant-messaging functions, this might become a problem if you like to have a number of applications running simultaneously. To keep the program from excessively depleting resources, WiredRed advises against opening multiple E/pop sessions.

Its hunger for system resources aside, E/pop proved to be truly outstanding at providing real-time communications. The program loads quickly and sends messages instantly to other users--much faster than Microsoft Exchange, for example. It also puts directory and communication capabilities in one place: You don't need to know a recipient's name to send a message, since E/pop uses the server domain to identify entities on the network by individual, group, server, organization, and other criteria. Users that don't want to be too available can invoke a variety of status codes--such as Privacy, On the Phone, and Out to Lunch--that let other users know they're not open to joining a chat or responding to messages.