The America Online Protocol Revealed

Gods Misfit writes "The America Online protocol(Connecting, Logging In, Joining Chats, etc..) has remained a mystery for most of its life. The only way one could log into their AOL account was via the AOL software. A few months ago, some people set out to break down the AOL protocol and open the door for alternative America Online software. This document is the result: The AOL Protocol. A sign on example for Visual Basic programmers has been written and is available here." I suspect a fair number of people never try Linux or one of the BSDs because they're moderately happy with AOL as an ISP, and switching OSes would mean switching ISPs at the same time. A shame that AOL doesn't make this kind of information more easily available.

Comments

A Text File woudl be nice

[Anonymous Coward]

Not everyone can read .wri, a .txt and/or .pdf would be nice.

This is stupid.

[Wind_Walker]

AIM isn't just a "protocol", kids. It's a bunch of servers owned, run and paid for by AOL. AOL spends millions of dollars on Sybase licenses and support contracts alone to run AIM. Do you think it's peer-to-peer? That they track connection status in real time for millions of concurrent users without big, expensive databases running on big, expensive hardware?

Even if the Jabber team ever comes out with a stable, robust release, it's not going to be able to support even half as many users as Yahoo instant messaging without someone footing the bill for millions of dollars in servers and fiber-channel storage arrays, commercial database software, and tens of thousands of dollars a month in hosting and connectivity services.

Do you really think a multi-million concurrent-user instant messaging system can run on one rack of Postgres servers on a T1? Phooey.

You want free communication without ads or service charges? Buy a CB radio and talk to your neighbors. That's peer-to-peer.

I'd like to see a show of hands: how many of the people here calling for free access to AIM servers aren't (a) MSN and Yahoo employees or (b) people who have never had a job besides maybe cleaning trays in a dorm cafeteria?

Re:This is stupid.

[AaronStJ]

AIM isn't just a "protocol", kids. It's a bunch of servers owned, run and paid for by AOL. AOL spends millions of dollars on Sybase licenses and support contracts alone to run AIM

Umm, the artile talking about AOL itself, not AIM. And anyone using an alternate AOL client would still have to pay for AOL, so I don't see why it's a problem at all.

Re:This is stupid.

[SlamMan]

I so wish I had some mod points left...

Closed source video chat

[wiremind]

Something I recall reading a while back was that AOL's Instant Messanger program did NOT have video chat abilitys because if aol added that they would have to open up there protocol. and they did NOT want that. now that the protocol maybe there is a chance that Aol Instant Messanger will add the video chat feature, which would in effect challenge MSN's messanger.
That or AOL will just go and change everything now...

Microsoft, AOL, Borg, whats the diff.....

Re:Making it available means lost revenue

[billnapier]

Essentially it's THERE style of html distributed through a browser.

Oy Vey!!! Please learn about possesive pronouns! Try this instead:

Essentially it's THIER style of html distributed through a browser.

Nothing like a spelling/grammar flame war to get things going...

Universal communications?

[raam4122]

Pardon my ignorance, but does this mean we are a little closer to having a universal Instant Messaging program? I'm sick of needing to open so many programs (AIM, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger) to talk to different people. A single universal program would be awesome. I think the big companies should come together to create one standard (preferably open-source) for instant messaging, although I doubt it will happen. I know there are a bunch of people out there already attempting to do this (jabber.org).

Re:Making it available means lost revenue

[RobNich]

They're == They Are (apostrophe means letters are missing)
There == a place (has the word "here" in it, which is the opposite)
Their == Belongs to them

We're == We are (apostrophe!)
Where == a place (again, has the word "here" in it, also a location)
also, (pronounce("we're") != pronounce("where"))

I understand that people might get these confused, but certainly they could remember after seeing the above! I dropped out of high school after ninth grade! (Though it was to pursue programming...)