In what we can only hope will become a precendent to unite all IM systems, Microsoft & Yahoo have agreed to link their instant messaging networks. This still falls short of adopting a standard protocol for complete compatibility but is, at least, a step in the right direction.

"IM interoperability is the right thing for our customers, our businesses and the industry as a whole, and Microsoft is delighted to help lead these efforts with Yahoo," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a statement.

While Microsoft tried tying to AOL's IM (without their consent) in earlier versions of MSN Messenger this was mostly to gain an advantage over the competition. Allowing true uncompromising interoperability, akin to what we're used to with e-mail, is sill a long way away and I think we won't see Microsoft or Yahoo adopting the Jabber standard (like Google Talk) any time soon.

On that note, Imeem looks pretty cool.