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Good-bye ICQ

2009-08-11 18:15:48 • by Brian Verkley
About two weeks ago I upgraded kopete, my IM client.  This new version didn't come with the ICQ protocol by default.  I didn't notice for a few days.

When I did notice, I was a bit sad.  I have been on ICQ since Steve made me join back in like 1995, or maybe early '96.  That is over a decade of using the same software (protocol).  

I had repeatedly avoided moving to AIM or MSN in the past.  If people wanted to chat with me, they could find me on ICQ.  If they didn't want to, well, then they didn't want to chat, did they.  

I had started a google g-talk / jabber a while ago.  Many of my friends were on both ICQ and jabber, and I often didn't know which protocol we were actually using (my kopete would happily abstract that away for me by combining their IDs).

Having no ICQ now, I can still chat with the people I talk to most so it is time to cut the cord, let my ICQ number die, and finally declare the end of an era.  The end of the first IM client. The end of the first "social" app on the net.  At least for me.

Is anyone still on ICQ only?  Was anyone maintaining ICQ just to talk to me?  or just to talk to one other person?

Comments

by julie • 2009-08-11 19:18:12
I changed from ICQ to MSN a long time ago, and I think that you were the only person that I couldn't talk to anymore.... sorry, you are cool and all, but not enough for me to keep ICQ for you.
by brian jackson • 2009-08-11 19:40:55
When AOL bought ICQ it became pretty redundant for anyone to start using.  That said, I still use it to maintain the old connections.  There aren't many though, you were one of the last.

The end of an era indeed.
by Joe • 2009-08-11 23:19:08
up untill about a month ago I was using a program called Trillian and it combined MSN, ICQ, and a few others that I was never on. When wipped my laptop clean I never bothered to instal it back on.

I could think of about 2-3 people who never bothered with MSN but I found once Facebook chat caught on that any of my ICQ only friends were accessible on there most of the time.
by brian jackson • 2009-08-12 05:40:45
Digsby has basically supplanted Trillian as the de facto multi-protocol IM client.  It supports most of the same protocols (all of the major ones), as well as "social networking chat" with Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and Linked In.

Not sure where Trillian is going with a for-pay client with Astra, as Digsby seems to be ahead of the game.
by brian jackson • 2009-08-13 22:24:46
Not long after recommending Digsby, this comes out:
http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joins-the-dark-side-uses-your-pc-to-make-money

So sad.  Do not use!
by Joe • 2009-08-14 18:35:54
too bad,  I like 1 program combining all of them rather then having like 4 chats programs opened

Thanx for the Info tho :)
by brian jackson • 2009-08-15 00:00:02
Pidgin is still a good alternative that can communicate with all the major protocols, and there are lots plugins.
Same with Miranda IM...

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