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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: carl320 on October 06, 2017, 05:15:06 PM

Title: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: carl320 on October 06, 2017, 05:15:06 PM
[urlhttps://money.cnn.com/2017/10/06/technology/aim-shuts-down/index.html][/url]

Not sure about posting my AIM username, but this was something I used a lot when I went to college in the early 2000s.  Haven't used it much since because the people I chatted with (including some people from dt.net) migrated to other media.  I haven't logged in for a few years myself.  So farewell AIM, you will be missed.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Anguyen92 on October 06, 2017, 07:59:21 PM
AIM was still alive until now?  I imagined that thing died a horrible death by the time things like Skype and Discord became a huge thing.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Adami on October 06, 2017, 08:04:12 PM
Yea, I had assumed this died like 15 years ago.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: ReaperKK on October 06, 2017, 08:11:54 PM
Man I can’t believe it’s being killed off, after ICQ AIM was mynmost used messenger through middle school to high school.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Herrick on October 06, 2017, 09:34:39 PM
I forgot about AIM. I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called. I haven't used it in a very long time.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: BlobVanDam on October 06, 2017, 11:39:21 PM
AIM was still alive until now?  I imagined that thing died a horrible death by the time things like Skype and Discord became a huge thing.

I assumed it died like a decade before Discord was even a thing at all. :lol Even MSN has been dead for like 5 years now.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Bolsters on October 06, 2017, 11:43:03 PM
I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called.
Pidgin?
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Anguyen92 on October 06, 2017, 11:48:30 PM
AIM was still alive until now?  I imagined that thing died a horrible death by the time things like Skype and Discord became a huge thing.

I assumed it died like a decade before Discord was even a thing at all. :lol Even MSN has been dead for like 5 years now.

Honestly, I don't know why I stated Discord.  The proper program around that time that sense doom for AIM would have been something like Teamspeak.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: BlobVanDam on October 06, 2017, 11:51:58 PM
AIM was still alive until now?  I imagined that thing died a horrible death by the time things like Skype and Discord became a huge thing.

I assumed it died like a decade before Discord was even a thing at all. :lol Even MSN has been dead for like 5 years now.

Honestly, I don't know why I stated Discord.  The proper program around that time that sense doom for AIM would have been something like Teamspeak.

I don't personally put Teamspeak or Discord in the same category as Skype/AIM, because they took the concept in a slightly different direction.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: JayOctavarium on October 07, 2017, 10:16:25 AM
I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called.
Pidgin?

Pidgin was the shit.  I was so stoked when I figured out how to link all of my chat apps into one.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: The Walrus on October 07, 2017, 11:08:57 AM
I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called.
Pidgin?

Pidgin was the shit.  I was so stoked when I figured out how to link all of my chat apps into one.

I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I used Trillian for a couple years before Pidgin because I thought, visually, it was far easier on the eyes. Can't remember why I went to Pidgin but both were fantastic programs.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Cool Chris on October 07, 2017, 11:39:37 AM
Hey everyone in this thread... a/s/l?
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: JayOctavarium on October 07, 2017, 12:01:51 PM
Hey everyone in this thread... a/s/l?


This brought back a memory. When I was young, like 12, I used to hang out in the AOL Teen chat rooms. I wound up getting banned for bringing up Deep Throating. Mind you.. I had no idea what the term meant, as my older brother told me to ask for it in chat.

Right after I got banned, I had like 3 people (presumably girls) message me offering to fuck me. I proceeded to turn off the computer and legit ran out of the room my computer was in :lol
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: ReaperKK on October 07, 2017, 12:07:51 PM
Spoiler alert Jay, those were dudes who messaged you.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: cramx3 on October 07, 2017, 12:14:51 PM
Spoiler alert Jay, those were dudes who messaged you.

 :rollin

cramx3 goes back to aol 95 days, AIM was a big part of high school before texting and cell phones and eventually things like facebook and skype.  See ya!
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: JayOctavarium on October 07, 2017, 01:14:40 PM
My first real relationship started on AIM and Yahoo Messenger.  I mean.. I knew her in person... we were in high school, but that's where we did all of our chatting (as I didn't really have a cell phone for texting at first.)

 AIM also holds a (bad?) memory with me regarding my dad's death.  My cousin (who was much older than me) and I used to chat on AIM a lot in the mornings.. especially during the times I wasn't physically in "school". We'd usually chat and debate about shit we read in our local newspaper online, and one morning we were talking about an unnamed motorcyclist killed accident that we had read about. After like half an hour she goes quiet. I figured her boss (Aka her dad :lol ) got on her ass... but then i get a call from her informing me that the accident we were talking about was my Dad.

I don't mean to go into a depressing poor me rant, but that just shows all the memories I have with AIM. It was a bigger part of my life than I realized.

I feel like I need to log into my AIM account #OneLastTime
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: The Walrus on October 07, 2017, 02:24:32 PM
Hey everyone in this thread... a/s/l?


This brought back a memory. When I was young, like 12, I used to hang out in the AOL Teen chat rooms. I wound up getting banned for bringing up Deep Throating. Mind you.. I had no idea what the term meant, as my older brother told me to ask for it in chat.

Right after I got banned, I had like 3 people (presumably girls) message me offering to fuck me. I proceeded to turn off the computer and legit ran out of the room my computer was in :lol

That's hilarious.

One time I was 10 and in an IRC chat. Clicked on a link, and window after window popped up with goatse, lightning fast. I turned off the monitor, unplugged the computer and didn't come back for a couple hours  :lol
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: MetalJunkie on October 07, 2017, 02:38:00 PM
I forgot about AIM. I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called. I haven't used it in a very long time.
Trillian.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Cable on October 07, 2017, 03:49:19 PM
I used it a lot in it's heyday, from like 1998-2006. ICQ was superior IMO, but AIM was simpler and therefore more people used it. I talked a fair amount to my exes on there, will be weird not to use it in initial relationship stages like I did in the past!
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: jasc15 on October 07, 2017, 06:02:40 PM
I forgot about AIM. I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called. I haven't used it in a very long time.
Trillian.
same here.  I would set the transparency to like 10 % while at work so nobody could see from a distance.  Also with aim, my wife and I developed the beginnings of our relationship chatting so often.  It really facilitated a different level of communication and openness that, were it not for aim, allowed us to really understand eachother since we are both pretty quiet and reserved.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Herrick on October 07, 2017, 06:22:24 PM
I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called.
Pidgin?

Pidgin was the shit.  I was so stoked when I figured out how to link all of my chat apps into one.

I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I used Trillian for a couple years before Pidgin because I thought, visually, it was far easier on the eyes. Can't remember why I went to Pidgin but both were fantastic programs.

I forgot about AIM. I started using another program many years ago where you could link AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and other stuff to one account. I forgot what it was called. I haven't used it in a very long time.
Trillian.

Yes that was it! Trillian. Good times. I never heard of the Pigdin program.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: ReaperKK on October 07, 2017, 06:24:53 PM
Trillian was still being used st the help desk I worked at last year
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Chino on October 07, 2017, 08:12:15 PM
My screen name was "HereB4meIsMySoul" (Learning to Live)
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: black_biff_stadler on October 07, 2017, 09:03:18 PM
Hey everyone in this thread... a/s/l?

36/not any time recently/Louisiana
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 07, 2017, 10:21:30 PM
Me and my friends would use AIM a lot. But where I had fun in my teens was Yahoo Chat.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: PetFish on October 07, 2017, 11:01:11 PM
I really miss the ICQ "uh-oh" sound whenever I got a message.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: carl320 on October 08, 2017, 05:35:42 AM
Hey everyone in this thread... a/s/l?

36/M/Somewhere in Time
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: MirrorMask on October 08, 2017, 05:51:41 AM
Hey everyone in this thread... a/s/l?

I hated conversations starting like that  :lol

I really miss the ICQ "uh-oh" sound whenever I got a message.

Me too! I still have ICQ but I use online simulators, I don't have it installed since forever. Still my favorite chat program along MSN.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: ReaperKK on October 08, 2017, 05:59:15 AM
I'd love an icq theme for my imessages app
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: JayOctavarium on October 08, 2017, 12:16:23 PM
My screen name was "HereB4meIsMySoul" (Learning to Live)

NERD...


...

I love it.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: faizoff on October 09, 2017, 06:56:58 AM
I too as everyone was surprised to learn that messenger has been on this whole time. I think this was the very first account I had for any kind of messaging service way back in 98 I believe. It was something like phaizeoff.

Well can't say I'm going to miss it because I don't.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Chino on October 09, 2017, 07:33:54 AM
I'm really curious to know what the daily active users count was before the plug was pulled.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: BlobVanDam on October 09, 2017, 07:36:01 AM
I'm really curious to know what the daily active users count was before the plug was pulled.

And if any of them were under the age of 50.

This is like when you found out a really old celebrity died at age 95, and you're surprised because you just assumed they died a decade ago.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Cyclopssss on October 09, 2017, 11:21:01 AM
Before I had MSN, I used AOL once in a while, until I ran up a gigantic Phone-bill! And is it just me or did every other conversation with a female counterpart turn into a sexual convo? 
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Adami on October 09, 2017, 11:22:19 AM
And is it just me or did every other conversation with a female counterpart turn into a sexual convo?

Well yes and no. They did turn into sexual convos, but every other female counterpart was a dude.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Dublagent66 on October 09, 2017, 11:38:33 AM
LOL AOL.  What does that stand for again?   :rollin

Ancient history.  Even the dinosaurs are like...AOL?  :wtf:
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: JayOctavarium on October 09, 2017, 11:41:40 AM
And is it just me or did every other conversation with a female counterpart turn into a sexual convo?

Well yes and no. They did turn into sexual convos, but every other female counterpart was a dude.

Are you confessing?
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Stadler on October 09, 2017, 02:05:01 PM
And is it just me or did every other conversation with a female counterpart turn into a sexual convo?

Well yes and no. They did turn into sexual convos, but every other female counterpart was a dude.

I don't know if the ratio was that bad; I used it a little back in the early to mid 90's (when you got the disk in the mail for free; you could build a lolly column out of AOL disks if you wanted to) and there seemed to be a LOT of lonely women, about 26, 27, who were figuring out that the star QB in high school makes for a douchebag of a husband.   Maybe they were guys, but I can't tell you how many conversations ended right in the middle with some form of "gotta go, bye!" because someone walked in the room.
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Cyclopssss on October 10, 2017, 02:55:35 AM
And is it just me or did every other conversation with a female counterpart turn into a sexual convo?

Well yes and no. They did turn into sexual convos, but every other female counterpart was a dude.

LOL. As I learned later on.... :facepalm:
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: Cyclopssss on October 10, 2017, 02:58:09 AM
And is it just me or did every other conversation with a female counterpart turn into a sexual convo?

Well yes and no. They did turn into sexual convos, but every other female counterpart was a dude.

I don't know if the ratio was that bad; I used it a little back in the early to mid 90's (when you got the disk in the mail for free; you could build a lolly column out of AOL disks if you wanted to) and there seemed to be a LOT of lonely women, about 26, 27, who were figuring out that the star QB in high school makes for a douchebag of a husband.   Maybe they were guys, but I can't tell you how many conversations ended right in the middle with some form of "gotta go, bye!" because someone walked in the room.

Yeah, that too! It was just surprising to me. One moment you were talking to this cool, hip (forum) chick and the next it was like 'WTF?". Oh well...
Title: Re: R.I.P AOL Instant Messenger
Post by: MirrorMask on October 10, 2017, 03:02:26 AM
I remember it was a random girl on ICQ once starting to talk dirty to me. That opened suddenly a world for me, otherwise I would have kept on to talk with strangers about random stuff never realizing that, as that famous Warcraft-themed song goes, "the internet is for p0rn" (or for dirty stuff anyway)  :lol