In what feels like a death blow to everyone’s early-Aughts nostalgia, it looks like AOL will soon cut off third-party access to its famous Instant Messenger service. The service turns 20 years old this year, and at this point, it’s unclear if it will see its 21st birthday.
AOL shared news of this tragedy quietly. Adium users, at least, got a brief warning when they signed on Wednesday morning, explaining that their AIM access had less than a month to live. It reads like sad notice for an imminent memorial service.
Adium was one of the first apps I installed when I switched to the Mac in 2008. (Does anyone remember checking out the latest Adium skins and icons on MacThemes?)
End of an era, though AIM feels like a lifetime ago in the age of Facebook and iMessage.