In January 2010, it was appealing to stop switching among MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Skype and other networks. Nimbuzz promised a single contact list for internet calls and chat. That was the problem behind the original article: messages were scattered across too many places.
What changed?
Nimbuzz still exists, but now presents itself as an app for messaging, chatrooms and other services. The old integrations with MySpace, MSN and Google Talk are no longer a usable guide. My claim that international calls would always be free also belongs to that period. Costs depend on the service and your internet connection.
The original idea remains familiar. Conversations with clients, friends or colleagues can spread across several apps. A single hub sounds useful, but only if it supports the conversations that matter to you. First consider where your contacts actually are, which channels you need to watch and what information you would give another app.
Fewer switches without combining everything
You may not need an all-in-one app. For a project, agree on a primary channel and use others only when necessary. That reduces duplicate threads and missed replies. Personal contacts may need different choices for different groups.
In 2010, Nimbuzz offered a concrete answer to a fragmented internet. Today it is a useful example of a recurring question: how many communication channels can you manage well, and when does another integration create more complexity than convenience?