By early 2001, MSN Messenger Service had more than 29 million unique users worldwide, enough to make it the single most-used instant messaging service in the world according to Microsoft. Microsoft continued to build out its messaging client over the next several years, slowly but surely adding new UI elements and functionality like the ability to customize chat windows and facilitate file transfers between users. Microsoft backed off, and instead ended up partnering with another major player. AOL blocked it again, and this back-and-forth battle reportedly went on 21 more times before AOL threatened to inject malicious code into MSN's network. Microsoft countered with an update that made MSN Messenger Service self-identify as AIM. Microsoft's app identified as "MSN Messenger Version 1.0," so Bosco and company tweaked AIM to cut the connection whenever this version tried to link up to its network. Needless to say, AOL was not thrilled.Īs former AOL engineer Eric Bosco recounts, any messenger service that connected to AIM's network was required to provide a version type. Right out of the gate, it caught the attention of rival AOL seeing as Microsoft had coded MSN Messenger Service to be able to chat with AIM account holders. Version 1.0 of MSN Messenger Service shipped with a Spartan feature set including plain text messaging and a basic contact list. Even Yahoo's messaging client beat Microsoft's to market by over a year, but as Microsoft proved, you don't have to be first to reach the top.Ī key decision at the time was Microsoft's integration with Hotmail, leveraging the sheer popularity of the web email service owned by the company, to offer those millions of users the ability of instant communication. Microsoft's entry launched on July 22, 1999, which was already late considering ICQ had been around for nearly three years and AOL had followed with AIM in the spring of 1997. E-mail was a popular method of communication among those with access to a computer, but it lacked the real-time feel that makes in-person conversation so appealing.įor that, you needed an instant messaging program, and when the mainstream Internet movement really started to take root, there were four major competitors jockeying for position: AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft's MSN Messenger. Texting was still in its infancy as very few people actually owned mobile phones at that point. To sum it up, AOL Instant Messenger is a user-friendly application that can be used by beginners and pros alike to chat with their friends or business partners, as long as they have an AIM or Facebook account.It was the late 90s and social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook didn't yet exist. If someone needs to use AOL Instant Messenger at the office, they can disable all notification sounds or replace them with more discreet ones that do not disturb them from work. Privacy can be protected by disabling conversation logging or frequently cleaning the created log files to make sure nobody else gets to read them. Not only is it possible to block certain contacts or change the online status with ease, but AIM can also be used to transfer files, start audio chat or share pictures with friends. Suitable for personal and professional use Once the contacts have been imported from Hotmail, Facebook or Yahoo!, users can start chatting with their buddies relying on both emoticons and customizable text (font type, size and color can be easily modified depending on one's preferences). However, users can also enter their Facebook credentials if they do not want to create a separate account for AIM. When installing AOL Instant Messenger (also known as AIM), users need to pay attention not to change the default settings of their browsers due to the offers integrated in the setup.Īs is the case with all instant messaging clients, one needs to create an account, specifying the username and password they want to use to get in touch with their contacts. Get in touch with friends, family and business associates And while each application has its own fanbase, some software solutions become more popular than others due to the numerous functions they provide, with AOL Instant Messenger being one of these products. Computers might still seem a tad complicated to novice users, yet all of them know how to operate a browser, a multimedia player, an image viewer and a messenger client.
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