Instant messaging ( IM)epitomizes communicating in the net years , and people from all walks of sprightliness are now expert at it . But there was a time , not so long ago , when only a few trailblazing programme had enter this firm and liberal technology to mainstream audiences . AOL Instant Messengeris remember as one of those programme .
What ’s IM incisively ? By downloading a small programme on their computer , IM users can send and have myopic text message over the internet . IMs are different thane - mail , because they enable a tangible - time conversation between two or more the great unwashed . When I type an IM and press send , the other people in the conversation see that subject matter instantly and can answer within second .
AOL Instant Messenger wasdiscontinuedin late 2017 , but the table service still has many fans . So , allow ’s wax nostalgic by revisit this technology and how it worked . In this article , we ’ll explain how AIM users love the software ’s basic and advanced characteristic .
AOL Instant Messenger: A Brief History
AOL Instant Messenger ( AIM ) was one of the most popular IM programs . It ’s also one of the erstwhile . The first version of AIM was relinquish in 1997 , one yr after the discharge of ICQ , the very first in public available IM client . At its peak , AIM boasted 33 million unparalleled users every month . During peak hour , over 6 million people were lumber on to AIM at the same time [ source : AOL ] .
AIM evolved over the years to extend an thrive list of servicing . Besides sending simple school text messages , users could share photos , telecasting , euphony , and other files . They could even use the AIM software to make free cyberspace headphone and TV call .
Although the service had been a significant part of cyberspace culture in the late 1990s and other 2000s , by the clock time it was quit in 2017 , it was a relic in the instant electronic messaging market . The active , nomadic - first competition prove by Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp had taken over .
Using AIM
To start using AOL Instant Messenger , you needed to sign up for a screen name . A CRT screen name was like an e - chain armor destination for IM . If a individual wanted to send you an IM , they needed to lie with your screen name . Here ’s how you ’d sign up for an AIM filmdom name and sic up a visibility :
Once you had a screen name , you necessitate to download the AIM software customer . The first time you spread out the AIM software system , it would ask if you need to search your exist e - mail contact for buddies . " Buddies " is an AIM term for tangency . AIM would automatically search your Yahoo ! Mail , Hotmail and Microsoft Outlook describe for contact who also had AIM screenland name . AIM would then give you the alternative of adding these screenland name to your Buddy List . Your Buddy List was the organized list of IM contacts stack away in your account .
When you ’d open AIM , you ’d see a main window featuring your Buddy List broken down into different grouping . The default Buddy List groups were Buddies , Family , Co - Workers and AIM Bots ( automate Buddies for movie times , inventory quote , et cetera ) . You could lend new groups of your own by going to the Edit card and choosing " Add Group . "
Finding AIM Clients
When you wanted to add a new striking to one of these groups , you ’d go to the Edit menu and choose " Add Buddy . " You ’d then be asked to opt a grouping for the contact . You could also enter more information about the person , including their e - post computer address and nomadic phone number .
Your Buddy List separate you which of your contacts were on-line and which were offline . The contacts that were online were listed under their group headings . Those that were offline were listed at the bottom in a group titled " Offline . "
Sending Instant Messages
The easiest way to send an IM was to send a message to someone on your Buddy List . There were two canonical elbow room to do that :
If you wanted to send an IM to a someone not on your Buddy List , you ’d go to the AIM bill of fare in the main windowpane and select " New IM . " You ’d then be prompted to enter the screen name of the soul you wish to contact .
Once you ’d opened an IM windowpane , it was easy to send a message . You ’d simply type your content into the white text box near the bottom of the IM window . When you were finished typing , you ’d either hit the enter key fruit on your keyboard or click the " send " button in the bottom ripe nook of the IM window . The school text that you entered would seem in the top half of the IM window . When your crony reply , you ’d see his or her response under your message like a conversation .
Saving and Blocking AIM Users
You could save IM conversation from the File menu by penetrate on " Save Window . " You could also give the conversation later and pluck up where you leave off .
AIM would notify you with an alert tone when you find a raw IM . If someone IM’ed you who was n’t on your Buddy List , you ’d get a subject matter say that " [ screen name ] has sent you an IM . Do you want to read it ? " You always had the option to ignore an IM and even to bar a finical screen name from ever sending you an IM again .
AIM’s Chat Service
If you desire to IM several mass at the same time , you could pay for all the participant to join a impermanent chat room . Here ’s how you ’d set up a chat :
A New World chat way worked the same as normal IM . To send a message to the radical , you ’d type it into the text boxful and press the enter key or fall into place send .
Later Features for AIM
One of the later features for AIM was the ability to institutionalize IMs to cell phone astext messages . To do this , you ’d need to experience the cell phone number of the person you wished to send it to .
There was even a new feature call IM forwarding that forwarded IMs to your jail cell headphone when you were away from your data processor . You could activate IM forwarding by go into the main Edit computer menu and clicking on options . In the configurations window , you ’d select Mobile and record your cubicle phone for IM forwarding . You could even respond to forwarded IMs with text messages from your cell headphone .
AIM Phoneline Services
AIM was capitalizing on the popularity ofVoice Over IP ( VoIP)telephony by offering loose net phone calls to other AIM users . To make internet phone calls through AIM , you ’d need a headset with a built - in mike or a computer with utterer and a mike .
AIM Call Out was another VoIP service , and this one was similar to Skype . You could call any earpiece number right away from AIM , but you ’d be charged by the min .
AIM File-Sharing
File - sharing was another utilitarian feature of AIM . You could easily send individual file or whole file leaflet to any other AIM substance abuser . Here ’s how it mold :
For partake in photo , AIM 6.5 had a particular " Pictures " button at the bottom of the IM window . This feature let you drag and devolve photos into the IM window . The photos would be resize and sent instantly to the recipient role as single pics or a slideshow .
With AIM 6.5 , AOL had also expandedsocial networkingoptions for users . You could make a public or individual visibility page on which to share pic , rocking horse , and links . These AIM Profile pages included links to your buddies ' Thomas Nelson Page as well . You could access your profile Sir Frederick Handley Page by going to the AIM menu and choosing " Open My Profile . "
AIM Express and Other Products
On an increasing basis , figurer user are depending on instant messaging to reach friends , even when they ’re not at home . AIM Express tolerate users to send IMs to Friend without downloading or running any software package . AIM Express ran in any WWW web browser app and was commodious for user who could n’t get at AIM .
friend could blab out to ally from any location as long as they were at a computer that has net access . They could use it at home , schoolhouse , or work . AIM Express worked just like the computer software version of AIM . The app loaded your intact Buddy List . Any raw buddies or groups you contribute would automatically be add together to your desktop version the next time you log on . You could also get at AOL Mail through two e - mail service icons at the bottom of the windowpane .
AIM Share
AIM Share was another vane inspection and repair that let you send a nexus or broadcast a message to all of your buddies at once . You could either log onto the AIM Share website or add a special AIM percentage button to your web browser app toolbar .
When you found a cool website , you could click the AIM Share button and AIM would create a substance featuring the land site ’s URL . By type a nimble verbal description and pressing " Share " , you ’d get off to the link to everyone on your Buddy List .
AIM Expressions and AIM Tunes
AIM Expressions was a new site for managing your buddy icons and wallpaper . A sidekick image was the small image that accompanied all of your outgoing IMs as well as your buddy profile . Wallpaper was the backcloth to your buddy icon .
In the My Personality box at the top of the AIM Expressions page were your current configurations . You could click the Change push to shop a list of piles of chum icons and wallpapers . You could also typecast " brother icon " into Google and find hundreds of web site for download customise buddy icons .
AIM Tunes , meanwhile , was a later program that give up any two AIM users to take heed to each other ’s medicine for free . The inspection and repair could n’t , however , flow euphony protected by DRM ( digital rights management ) , which included most of the MP3s betray on sites like iTunes and Napster [ source : YouTube ] .
AIM Applications
harmonize to a 2004 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project , 11 million Americans used IM at work [ source : Pew Internet & American Life Project ] . While some office worker undoubtedly used IM to chat with friend , many others tapped into the engineering as a powerful professional collaboration shaft .
With this in thinker , AIM expel AIM Pro , a costless IM pecker that was plan to see the communication want of the modernistic office . Here were some of the central features of AIM Pro :
Unfortunately , all of these services fold when the parent company discontinued AIM in December of 2017 .
This article was update in connective with AI applied science , then fact - tally and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor .
