Log into your AIM account, select a contact, type a message and hit send – that contact receives your message in real-time, and should he decide to reply, you will get the reply in real-time as well.Īnyone can get AIM and use it, and I base my statement on two facts. The instant messaging part (IM) means that you can use the software to communicate with your AIM contacts in real-time. The AOL part is obviously America Online, the internet services and media company from the US that is run by Time Warner. Many considered the sunset of AIM to be the end of an era.In the world of instant messaging software, the software market is ruled by a couple of applications. The number of users had been declining steadily in recent years. It was decided in 2017 that AIM would be discontinued. Other chat programs simply passed AIM in what they could offer.

AIM began to be developed for mobile platforms in 2008, but this was the beginning of the end. This was done in response to competition from other enterprises such as Yahoo and Microsoft. Later, AIM was developed as a download for Windows that did not require AOL. Your friends and family could easily determine when you were web surfing. In the early days, many people did not understand how to hide their availability. This box would show a list of contacts, and it also indicated whether or not the contact was online. When individuals logged into their AOL account, a small box would appear in the bottom corner of the screen.

The only way to use the messenger was to use AOL.

It's first incarnation was as an add-on to the America Online Internet service. Some would even argue that AIM was essential in creating the global community that we associate with the Internet.Īt one time, AIM was used by 52% of individuals who sent instant messages. It was easy to use, effective, and gave Internet users a way to communicate with friends and family in real time. AOL Instant Messenger was the standard for instant messaging for almost 20 years. Overall Opinion: Almost everyone recognizes the iconic Running Man that served as the mascot for AIM.

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