If you guys abandon the Windows client, why not make it open source and let the community maintain it? A slim native Windows XMPP client program is vey rare.

Some of us choose native program over Web app for a reason and I believe there are many like me would stick with it.

Absolutely. Of all different IM programs, GTalk is the only one which has a simple, useful and non-bloated GUI. And of all GTalk incarnations, Windows client is somehow the only one which is usable. IM client which runs in browser simply sucks as a concept.

What about people who don't like or use the Gmail web UI (I use it over IMAP) but would still like to use Google Talk to stay in touch with friends? Is my only option to use third-party clients? I like Google Talk but dislike Gmail, and tying the two together doesn't really work out in my favour.

"What about people who don't like or use the Gmail web UI"

Well there is always http://talkgadget.google.com/talkgadget/client

Opening a webbrowser window with that and you are set. No Gmail UI, and you get video chat.

I wonder why the gadget doesn't have an option for calling normal phone lines like the Gmail UI does.

Thanks, I didn't know about that.

Hey, a client running in a web browser is still a client.

You should also probably realize the point of using XMPP is that it's an open standard, and anyone is allowed to make their own implementation; contrast with the uneasy interoperability of, say, MSN Messenger with Pidgin. Now they're using Jingle, do you need a first-party client? You don't expect first-party SSH clients from your hosting provider, or first-party email clients from your ISP. And god knows there are enough IM/VoIP clients out there, so I'm all for thinning the herd...