AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) has always made it easy to exchange quick messages with your buddies.
Over time, AIM has accumulated a number of features and gimmicks. Not all of them are essential for an instant messaging client, and the news ticker in particular looks a bit anachronistic.
Other features are wonderful to see implemented. There's secure, encrypted messaging, for example. Or the option to automatically run incoming files through a virus checker. Or Talk and Video, which make it easy to exchange voice messages or chat via live video. The way AIM lets you sign in with different buddy names simultaneously sharing one window is really useful.
Unfortunately, there's still some functionality I miss in AOL Instant Messenger. It would be nice if messages could be sent to offline buddies, for example, and an automatic, fast and searchable message history is essential.
While AOL Instant Messenger comes with a basic black and white list of allowed contacts and includes a warning system, it lacks more advanced filtering, and the per-buddy settings are limited.
You can set your own icon, though, and customize AIM with "Expressions" (window backgrounds). You can also send greetings via instant messages easily with AOL Instant Messenger, indulge in group chats or play a number of games. What you cannot do, of course, is send anything to people not on the AIM or ICQ networks.
Over time, AIM has accumulated a number of features and gimmicks. Not all of them are essential for an instant messaging client, and the news ticker in particular looks a bit anachronistic.
Other features are wonderful to see implemented. There's secure, encrypted messaging, for example. Or the option to automatically run incoming files through a virus checker. Or Talk and Video, which make it easy to exchange voice messages or chat via live video. The way AIM lets you sign in with different buddy names simultaneously sharing one window is really useful.
Unfortunately, there's still some functionality I miss in AOL Instant Messenger. It would be nice if messages could be sent to offline buddies, for example, and an automatic, fast and searchable message history is essential.
While AOL Instant Messenger comes with a basic black and white list of allowed contacts and includes a warning system, it lacks more advanced filtering, and the per-buddy settings are limited.
You can set your own icon, though, and customize AIM with "Expressions" (window backgrounds). You can also send greetings via instant messages easily with AOL Instant Messenger, indulge in group chats or play a number of games. What you cannot do, of course, is send anything to people not on the AIM or ICQ networks.
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