Appelman used this knowledge base to create the buddy list, a tool that would show when users were online. Unlike other companies of the era, AOL was unique in that it knew a lot about its account holders, including when they logged on and which users they were. The biggest difference, and perhaps the dirty little secret about AIM that you may not know, is that AOL never commissioned its creation.ĪIM was the brainchild of Barry Appelman, a Unix programmer that had been hired by AOL in 1993. They all basically accomplished the same thing, letting you create buddy lists and chat with pals. Truth be told, it wasn't all that different from other chat apps like ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger of the era. Being able to see when people you know in real life signed on was next level cool. Sure, I'd tinkered around in chat rooms before but it was always with random people. "Look mom, I'm chatting with Keith on the computer, and it's live!" "Oh, that's neat." she said before going back into the living room, clearly not amused.Īs for me, I was spellbound. Of course, the first thing I did was download AIM and connect with my best friend who lived a few minutes away. After the local ISP got me set up with a Road Runner cable modem, I was off to the races. It was 1998 and I'd just received my first computer for Christmas. One of my earliest computer memories involves AIM. The program was quietly released in the spring of 1997 for Microsoft Windows, allowing users to register an online handle, create buddy lists, and chat with friends in near real-time.
One of my earliest computer memories involves AIM.Īrguably one of the greatest tools to be spun out of the core AOL experience was its standalone instant messaging client, affectionately known as AIM. This early Internet venture was wildly successful, largely in part due to AOL's web portal for beginners which featured casual and classic games, news and sports sections, chat rooms, tips on finance, and more.Īt a time when it wasn't readily apparent just what to do once you'd gotten online, AOL's web portal served as a good starting place for many. By the middle of the decade, however, management restructured the company as an online service provider for those new to the Internet. AOL was founded in the early 80s as Control Video Corporation, focusing exclusively on an online service for the Atari 2600. America Online had the whole digital world in its hands by the mid-1990s, but nothing can last forever.
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