AOL to Test Opening IM System

MSNBC

July 23, 2001

America Online says it plans to test a system later this summer that would enable users of its popular instant messaging service to communicate with people who use other products, like Microsofts MSN Messenger.



AOL, THE NATIONS largest Internet service provider, said that it is almost done developing the technology that would allow its messaging services to operate with those offered by other industry players.



In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the company laid out the steps it has taken to reach this goal. The company has selected a standard, developed new customer software and created systems that enable different services to talk to one another.



AOL said it has been conducting internal trials using the system. It expects to complete an agreement with a leading technology company to conduct a live test between two different servers later this summer.



For consumers, that could one day mean a seamless communications system, in which they can send short real-time messages to each other regardless of which service they use.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/604184.asp