Nostalgia for Multi-IM Clients

Users reminisce about the era of fragmented instant messaging services like ICQ, AIM, MSN, IRC, and the multi-protocol clients such as Trillian, Pidgin, and Meebo that unified them.

📉 Falling 0.3x Other
2,677
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#678
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
4
2008
21
2009
56
2010
57
2011
77
2012
64
2013
77
2014
104
2015
88
2016
226
2017
198
2018
179
2019
147
2020
178
2021
281
2022
225
2023
243
2024
299
2025
150
2026
3

Keywords

HS ICQ US QIP OH IM UIN PC MSN FB msn aim messenger chat irc yahoo friends messaging im client

Sample Comments

nfriedly Dec 5, 2023 View on HN

This reminds me of using Trillian to connect to AIM, MSN, ICQ, etc. back in the day.

pocketarc Dec 18, 2023 View on HN

As someone who used to use multi-IM clients (Pidgin, Trillian, Meebo) back in the MSN/AIM/ICQ days, I have to say, it's surreal to see how the conversation has shifted to the point that this is now a reasonable-sounding comment.

michaelmior Mar 1, 2024 View on HN

Sounds like ICQ circa late 90s :)

BFatts Feb 12, 2019 View on HN

Reminds me of Trillian back in the days of AIM and Yahoo! Messenger.

k__ Oct 6, 2017 View on HN

End of an era.Back in the days there was AIM, ICQ, MSN, YIM and IRC and everyone had their own preferences.I started with ICQ, because it was the thing gamers used and the shorter your UIN, the cooler you were!Later I had to install MSN and AIM, because all the girls were using them.Then there were the occasional YIM contact, hehe.Most of the day I was in IRC, but this was a whole different beast.2005 or so I finally found Trillian to end the mess.Today I only use WhatsApp a

pvorb Mar 13, 2019 View on HN

AIM, ICQ, MSN, Jabber, Skype. There were as many options when I grew up.

grishka Jul 16, 2023 View on HN

ICQ was the messaging service everyone around me used in the late 00s. The two most popular clients were QIP and Miranda. Then VKontakte introduced instant messaging and ICQ was quickly forgotten. Then, around 5 years later, people started gradually switching to Telegram. Today almost everyone I chat with uses Telegram.

walteweiss Aug 22, 2023 View on HN

Yeah, it was irc or icq something, like 15 years ago :)

k__ Jan 22, 2021 View on HN

I used it back in the days with MSN, AIM, and ICQ. But it didn't work as good with the switch of communication to mobile and the rise of WhatsApp and FB Messenger.Anyone got fresh experience?

paul7986 Oct 4, 2021 View on HN

They relied on AOL Instant Messenger too...