I agree w/ most of your review. But I might add that a freeware program named Chax adds some of the features you stated as missing from iChat such as Tabs, interface changes, idle settings, and reply messages. Since it's free, it is an easy enhancement for iChat to at least some of its shortcomings to Adium.
Between the unjustifiable upgrade cost for a feature-poor Quark 5 to the fading OS 9 environment to the undetermined timeframe for Quark 6 X's release, I cannot fathom what holds back companies from converting to Adobe InDesign. The small design firms such as ours have made the switch and it has paid off wonderfully.
The move is no greater a switch than the PageMaker to Quark transition some 10 years ago. Once you get past the early curve, it really is a gratifying state.
I strongly suggest InDesign to designers out there, not so much as an alternative to Quark's foot dragging but that it is indeed a wonderful solution when given the opportunity.
- D9
Review: Adium 1.0
QuarkXpress X: Five Years Later and Still Waiting