What shocked Verizon more: The Yahoo! mega-hack or that it runs AIM (for not much longer)?

Your old ISP is finally going to kill off your old messaging software. AOL said it will wind down AIM, its much-loved [fact check this plz - ed.] instant messenger service after 20 years of operation. The now-Verizon-owned content network will pull the plug on December 15, disabling all remaining clients of the messaging tool …

[FordPrefect]

All three people left using AIM must be devastated!

[Anonymous Coward]

Going by the downvote count, only two still used it ;)

[gnarlymarley]

Actually, it is three, but I am not going to give a downvote. Looks like I need to get a cell phone so I can text as it looks like my texting app (called AIM) is going away.

[jelabarre59]

Looks like I need to get a cell phone so I can text as it looks like my texting app (called AIM) is going away.

You don't need to. Just use Google Hangouts in a web browser. It's how *i* send text/SMS messages. That or my 10" Android.

[Lysenko]

we hear ICQ is still going strong – as is IRC, of course.

... not to mention Signal, Wire, Discord, Telegram, Slack, Skype etc. The problem with AIM wasn't that its core function went obsolete, it was that it never had any real traction outside North America.

[a_yank_lurker]

Re: we hear ICQ is still going strong – as is IRC, of course.

Partly true, but many in NA never used them. However sending a text message on a phone to another phone is pretty easy with the added benefit one can text to any cellphone. The other services are trying to be more of a social network that are enough different than Failbook to not be Failbook. These other services also are platform and ISP independent from the start. At one point I believe AIM was AWOL only, so not an AWOL user you are SOL.

AOL = 'America OffLine' or 'Almost OnLine'

[Lysenko]

Re: we hear ICQ is still going strong – as is IRC, of course.

I'm old enough to remember Eternal September which lead to "A$$holes Online" becoming the standard interpretation ;)

[CrazyOldCatMan]

Re: we hear ICQ is still going strong – as is IRC, of course.

I'm old enough to remember Eternal September

AOL[1]

[1] UKRM-speak for 'me too'!.

Yes, Im old as well.

[keithzg]

My favourite current IM client is probably Riot.im, since not only does the federated backend (Matrix) mean that one can run their own server if one is crazy like that (which avoids the possibility of a big company buying another big company and shutting it all down like this), the protocol works really well on mobile devices and there's a server bridge from the matrix.org instance to IRC. Finally, a mobile-native interface for IRC!

[chivo243]

So long AIM

I used AIM quite a bit in the late 90's and beyond.

Looks like Verizon is sucking up all the starting to age old companies. I wonder who will be sucked up next?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So long AIM

Looks like Verizon is sucking up all the starting to age old companies. I wonder who will be sucked up next?

IBM? Nah, they'll probably get bought out by an even smaller and unrelated firm like Starsucks.

[Anonymous South African Coward]

IRC FTW

Had used ICQ back in the day, left it for good.

As for Skype *gibber* it is on its way out as well.