because those networks do not want one program to access them all.
Exactly. It's going against the user instead of towards them. Sucks.
I think AOL patended its sooo special protocol and were trying to get on court with Trilian.
They also have non-aggression pacts, the one obvious being AOL-MS.
I read on Trillian's website, that the "required upgrade for MSN Messenger Users" is primarily for security reasons...ie: get them using the new protocol that newer version of MSN Messenger relies on. Trillian Pro v2.0 (beta) currently is using this newer protocol, but the free version (and pro 1.0) currently do not. Its still unsure if MS will be not enabling Trillian (or any other 3rd party software) to connect until Oct. 15 actually rolls around, though ... so don't hold me to this comment. The possibility that Trillian Pro 2.0 beta will still function, is pretty good, since its using the newer security protocol.