What's really sad is that they suck as they do, yet everyone oohs and aahs over them and despite the fact that the competition offers better service they are still #1.
I just don't get it.
But then VHS did win out over the superior Betamax didn't it?
There's no accounting for taste I suppose.
And I found this rather interesting...
Quote:
1989 - The Advent of Consumer Instant Messaging
AOL introduces consumer instant messaging (IM), pioneering a trend that would change the face of online communications. In addition to email, consumers can now send and receive real time text communications, previously available only on private networks.
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Last I checked ICQ (which AOL bought later on, as their timeline even states) was "The Advent of Consumer instant Messaging", and not AIM.
What's odd is they contradict themselves later on when they say...
Quote:
1998 - AOL Acquires ICQ
AOL purchases the pioneering ICQ® service, the first free IM service on the Web, which debuted in November 1996.
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Perhaps their
PR department needs to do better proofreading?
Now what I've always found interesting is that despite the fact that ICQ was not only the first IM service, but also offered message logging from the beginning (or close to it).
It took AOL (who has owned ICQ for most of it's existence) till late 2005 (or was it early this year) with AIM "Triton" to finally offer the ability to log Instant messages.
Meanwhile Yahoo!, MSN and their own ICQ had been offering this for years.
However, AOL kind of spoiled the party by throwing in all kinds of other crap like that AOL branded/tweaked Internet Explorer which you had no choice but to install if you wanted AIM Triton (I've heard that may have changed, I installed AIM some time ago).
And be it AIM or ICQ you also have the extra added bonus of "Join AOL" Icons being put wherever they felt you'd be most annoyed with them (e.g. desktop, start menu, and then some).
I really dislike AOL and it's products and am saddened by it's popularity, especially that of AIM.
The best Instant Messaging Programs out there are from Yahoo! and MSN (in that order). They are vastly superior to AIM.
It's too bad I'm one of the minority who realizes that.