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AOL Opens Up the AIM Instant Messaging Network

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the horse-of-a-different-color dept.

AVIDJockey writes "In a pleasantly surprising move, AOL has changed its tune when it comes to third-party access to the company's chat network. America Online has recently launched a service called OpenAIM 2.0, which provides open, uninhibited access to services like Meebo, or all-in-one IM clients like Pidgin, allowing them to freely and easily use the AIM instant messaging network. 'At the moment, multi-platform IM desktop clients like Pidgin or Adium (the popular Mac client) generally rely on hacking and reverse engineering access to chat networks run by AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft and others. Not only is that bad for developers since it means more work, it also means that such clients often can't use all the features of a particular network.'"

2 of 209 comments (clear)

  1. Required features by Schraegstrichpunkt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Can GPL-compatible software (or really any kind of open-source software) be written, given these restrictions?

    Open AIM Additional Feature Requirements

    Welcome to Open AIM! If you intend to develop and distribute an AIM Custom Client (including mobile versions) or Web AIM Developer Application, you must pick 2 of the 5 options listed below and incorporate them into your Developer Applications. These options include

    • Advertising
    • Buddy Info
    • Expressions and Buddy Icons
    • AIM Start Page
    • AIM Toolbar

    Just to be clear, these requirements don't apply to Plugins, Bots or the use of the Presence Indicators. Please note that if your application exceeds 100,000 peak simultaneous users, you must implement Advertising as described below as one of your two options.

    Not sure what will work best for your application? Don't worry. You can always change your selections to suit your needs as you grow.

    This is starting to look as if now that everyone knows the OSCAR protocol anyway, AOL is trying to make a power grab under the guise of openness...

    --
    http://outcampaign.org/
    1. Re:Required features by gparent · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This is really not useful at all, then. Any decent application will have 100,000 users at a time, so this means we're getting advertising in Pidgin if they decide to implement it (I hope not). Self-Compile with stripped advertising, anyone?