Question about proxies. Is AIM one?

[Roasted]

So we get an announcement at school (tech school I go to) that they can monitor if we're using any proxies now and if we are caught we'll be dealt with accordingly, which I think is first time warning second time the boot out the door.

I asked what they meant, and they said programs such as logmein to bypass the web restriction filters that the school has blocked. Okay fine. I don't use any of them. But is AIM a proxy? What about GAIM? I use classic AIM because it has that port finder thing, since 5190 is blocked. Maybe I could just look at the open port AIM uses and run that on GAIM?

[Mazza558]

So we get an announcement at school (tech school I go to) that they can monitor if we're using any proxies now and if we are caught we'll be dealt with accordingly, which I think is first time warning second time the boot out the door.

I asked what they meant, and they said programs such as logmein to bypass the web restriction filters that the school has blocked. Okay fine. I don't use any of them. But is AIM a proxy? What about GAIM? I use classic AIM because it has that port finder thing, since 5190 is blocked. Maybe I could just look at the open port AIM uses and run that on GAIM?

Install Ubuntu onto a USB HDD and plug it into their computers.

[Roasted]

Good idea. But I'm poor. I doubt it could fit on a 512mb jumpdrive... eh? But besides that, what would the answer to my question above be?

[Xzallion]

AIM and GAIM are not proxies, a proxie is a in-between between you and the web address/ports your trying to access. AIM and GAIM support the use of proxies, but this is disabled by default. Your school may block them on public terminals, or school owned computers, in which case it would violate your computer use agreement that I presume they have had you sign.

Only thing I can suggest is meebo (http://www.meebo.com), which is a web based GAIM that usually is not blocked. Hope that helps.

[Roasted]

Well, I know that the default port 5190 is blocked which aim, gaim, etc uses. However I used aim classic, and it has a port sniffer feature on it. I found an open port and ran with it. Nearly everybody in my class uses AIM, and in fact we've often gotten IMs that pop up when instructors are over our shoulder, yet they've said nothing.

Now understand something here. I can install anything I want. Reason is I have a removable hard drive. I power off the computer, put my drive in, power up, and then I can do whatever I want. The only thing is I have network restrictions, where I'm blocked from certain web sites, etc. That's why they told us not to use proxies because that would be a bypass to the school's filter, in which I could access that web site that was blocked.

But my question was I just wasn't sure if it was considered a proxy or not. I'll check out meebo, though.


edit - meebo is blocked.