<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
(	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
)	O
was	O
an	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
and	O
presence	B-Protocol
computer	B-Application
program	I-Application
created	O
by	O
AOL	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
the	O
proprietary	B-Application
OSCAR	B-Application
instant	I-Application
messaging	I-Application
protocol	I-Application
and	O
the	O
TOC	B-Application
protocol	I-Application
to	O
allow	O
registered	O
users	O
to	O
communicate	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
was	O
popular	O
by	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
in	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
other	O
countries	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
leading	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
application	O
in	O
that	O
region	O
into	O
the	O
following	O
decade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Teens	O
and	O
college	O
students	O
were	O
known	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
messenger	B-Protocol
's	O
away	O
message	O
feature	O
to	O
keep	O
in	O
touch	O
with	O
friends	O
,	O
often	O
frequently	O
changing	O
their	O
away	O
message	O
throughout	O
a	O
day	O
or	O
leaving	O
a	O
message	O
up	O
with	O
one	O
's	O
computer	O
left	O
on	O
to	O
inform	O
buddies	O
of	O
their	O
ongoings	O
,	O
location	O
,	O
parties	O
,	O
thoughts	O
,	O
or	O
jokes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
's	O
popularity	O
declined	O
as	O
AOL	O
subscribers	O
started	O
decreasing	O
and	O
steeply	O
towards	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
as	O
Gmail	B-Application
's	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
,	O
SMS	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Internet	O
social	O
networks	O
,	O
like	O
Facebook	B-Application
gained	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
fall	O
has	O
often	O
been	O
compared	O
with	O
other	O
once-popular	O
Internet	O
services	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Myspace	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Verizon	O
combined	O
AOL	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
into	O
its	O
subsidiary	O
Oath	O
Inc	O
.	O
(	O
now	O
called	O
Yahoo	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
discontinued	O
AIM	B-Protocol
as	O
a	O
service	O
on	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
1997	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
was	O
released	O
unceremoniously	O
as	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
download	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
was	O
an	O
outgrowth	O
of	O
"	O
online	O
messages	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
platform	O
written	O
in	O
PL/1	O
on	O
a	O
Stratus	O
computer	O
by	O
Dave	O
Brown	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
one	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
software	O
had	O
the	O
largest	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
market	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
(	O
with	O
52%	O
of	O
the	O
total	O
reported	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
does	O
not	O
include	O
other	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
software	O
related	O
to	O
or	O
developed	O
by	O
AOL	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
and	O
iChat	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
heyday	O
,	O
its	O
main	O
competitors	O
were	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
(	O
which	O
AOL	O
acquired	O
in	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	O
</s>
<s>
Messenger	B-Protocol
and	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
particularly	O
had	O
a	O
rivalry	O
or	O
"	O
chat	O
war	O
"	O
with	O
PowWow	B-Protocol
and	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
starting	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
several	O
attempts	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
simultaneously	O
log	O
into	O
their	O
own	O
and	O
AIM	B-Protocol
's	O
protocol	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
was	O
not	O
happy	O
about	O
this	O
and	O
started	O
blocking	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
from	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
access	O
AIM	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
mobile	O
versions	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
appeared	O
as	O
early	O
as	O
2001	O
on	O
Palm	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
through	O
the	O
AOL	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Third-party	O
applications	O
allowed	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
2002	O
for	O
the	O
Sidekick	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
2012	O
,	O
stand-alone	O
official	O
AIM	B-Protocol
client	O
software	O
includes	O
advertisements	O
and	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
,	O
Classic	B-Application
Mac	I-Application
OS	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
OS	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
2011	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
started	O
to	O
lose	O
popularity	O
rapidly	O
,	O
partly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
quick	O
rise	O
of	O
Gmail	B-Application
and	O
its	O
built-in	O
real-time	O
Google	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
instant	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
integration	O
in	O
2011	O
and	O
because	O
many	O
people	O
migrated	O
to	O
SMS	B-Device
or	O
iMessages	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
and	O
later	O
,	O
social	O
networking	O
websites	O
and	O
apps	O
for	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
,	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
application	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
made	O
a	O
partnership	O
to	O
integrate	O
AIM	B-Protocol
messaging	B-Protocol
in	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
,	O
and	O
had	O
a	O
feature	O
for	O
AIM	B-Protocol
users	O
to	O
send	O
SMS	B-Device
messages	O
directly	O
from	O
AIM	B-Protocol
to	O
any	O
number	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
SMS	B-Device
users	O
to	O
send	O
an	O
IM	O
to	O
any	O
AIM	B-Protocol
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
one	O
source	O
reported	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
market	O
share	O
had	O
collapsed	O
to	O
0.73	O
%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
engineers	O
responsible	O
for	O
AIM	B-Protocol
claimed	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
unable	O
to	O
convince	O
AOL	O
management	O
that	O
free	O
was	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
3	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
AOL	O
ended	O
employment	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
's	O
development	O
staff	O
while	O
leaving	O
it	O
active	O
and	O
with	O
help	O
support	O
still	O
provided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
6	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
service	O
would	O
be	O
discontinued	O
on	O
December	O
15	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
a	O
non-profit	O
development	O
team	O
known	O
as	O
Wildman	O
Productions	O
started	O
up	O
a	O
server	O
for	O
older	O
versions	O
of	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
known	O
as	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Phoenix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AIM	B-Protocol
mascot	O
was	O
designed	O
by	O
JoRoan	O
Lazaro	O
and	O
was	O
implemented	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
release	O
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mascot	O
appeared	O
on	O
all	O
AIM	B-Protocol
logos	O
and	O
most	O
wordmarks	O
,	O
and	O
always	O
appeared	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
buddy	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
's	O
popularity	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
and	O
the	O
2000s	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
Running	O
Man	O
"	O
becoming	O
a	O
familiar	O
brand	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
over	O
14	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
iconic	O
logo	O
disappeared	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
rebranding	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
standard	O
protocol	O
that	O
AIM	B-Protocol
clients	O
used	O
to	O
communicate	O
is	O
called	O
Open	B-Application
System	I-Application
for	I-Application
CommunicAtion	I-Application
in	I-Application
Realtime	I-Application
(	O
OSCAR	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
AOL-produced	O
versions	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
and	O
popular	O
third	O
party	O
AIM	B-Protocol
clients	O
use	O
this	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
AOL	O
also	O
created	O
a	O
simpler	O
protocol	O
called	O
TOC	B-Application
that	O
lacks	O
many	O
of	O
OSCAR	O
's	O
features	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
sometimes	O
used	O
for	O
clients	O
that	O
only	O
require	O
basic	O
chat	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TOC/TOC2	O
protocol	O
specifications	O
were	O
made	O
available	O
by	O
AOL	O
,	O
while	O
OSCAR	O
is	O
a	O
closed	O
protocol	O
that	O
third	O
parties	O
had	O
to	O
reverse-engineer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2008	O
,	O
AOL	O
introduced	O
experimental	O
Extensible	B-Protocol
Messaging	I-Protocol
and	I-Protocol
Presence	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
)	O
support	O
for	O
AIM	B-Protocol
,	O
allowing	O
AIM	B-Protocol
users	O
to	O
communicate	O
using	O
the	O
standardized	O
,	O
open-source	B-Application
XMPP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2011	O
,	O
AOL	O
started	O
offering	O
limited	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
AOL	O
announced	O
(	O
via	O
XMPP-login-time	O
messages	O
)	O
that	O
the	O
AOL	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
gateway	O
would	O
be	O
desupported	O
,	O
effective	O
March	O
28	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
privacy	O
regulations	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
had	O
strict	O
age	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
accounts	O
are	O
available	O
only	O
for	O
people	O
over	O
the	O
age	O
of	O
13	O
;	O
children	O
younger	O
than	O
that	O
were	O
not	O
permitted	O
access	O
to	O
AIM	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Privacy	O
Policy	O
,	O
AOL	O
had	O
no	O
rights	O
to	O
read	O
or	O
monitor	O
any	O
private	O
communications	O
between	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2002	O
,	O
AOL	O
targeted	O
the	O
corporate	O
industry	O
with	O
Enterprise	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Services	O
(	O
EAS	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
higher	O
security	O
version	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
's	O
security	O
was	O
called	O
into	O
question	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
was	O
different	O
from	O
other	O
clients	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	O
</s>
<s>
Messenger	B-Protocol
,	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
approval	O
from	O
users	O
to	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
other	O
users	O
 '	O
buddy	O
lists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
and	O
various	O
other	O
companies	O
supplied	O
robots	O
(	O
bots	O
)	O
on	O
AIM	B-Protocol
that	O
could	O
receive	O
messages	O
and	O
send	O
a	O
response	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
bot	O
's	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
were	O
made	O
to	O
relate	O
to	O
children	O
and	O
teenagers	O
,	O
like	O
Spleak	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
's	O
installation	O
process	O
automatically	O
installed	O
an	O
extra	O
URI	B-Protocol
scheme	I-Protocol
(	O
"	O
protocol	O
"	O
)	O
handler	O
into	O
some	O
Web	O
browsers	O
,	O
so	O
URIs	B-Protocol
beginning	O
"	O
aim	B-Protocol
:	O
"	O
could	O
open	O
a	O
new	O
AIM	B-Protocol
window	O
with	O
specified	O
parameters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
similar	O
in	O
function	O
to	O
the	O
mailto	O
:	O
URI	B-Protocol
scheme	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
created	O
a	O
new	O
e-mail	O
message	O
using	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
default	O
mail	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
a	O
webpage	O
might	O
have	O
included	O
a	O
link	O
like	O
the	O
following	O
in	O
its	O
HTML	B-Language
source	O
to	O
open	O
a	O
window	O
for	O
sending	O
a	O
message	O
to	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
user	O
notarealuser	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
placing	O
this	O
inside	O
a	O
URL	O
link	O
,	O
an	O
AIM	B-Protocol
user	O
could	O
click	O
on	O
the	O
URL	O
link	O
and	O
the	O
away	O
message	O
"	O
Hello	O
,	O
my	O
name	O
is	O
Bill	O
"	O
would	O
instantly	O
become	O
their	O
away	O
message	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
had	O
security	O
weaknesses	O
that	O
have	O
enabled	O
exploits	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
that	O
used	O
third-party	O
software	O
to	O
perform	O
malicious	O
acts	O
on	O
users	O
 '	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
most	O
were	O
relatively	O
harmless	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
being	O
kicked	O
off	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
service	O
,	O
others	O
performed	O
potentially	O
dangerous	O
actions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
sending	O
viruses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
these	O
exploits	O
relied	O
on	O
social	O
engineering	O
to	O
spread	O
by	O
automatically	O
sending	O
instant	B-Application
messages	I-Application
that	O
contained	O
a	O
Uniform	O
Resource	O
Locator	O
(	O
URL	O
)	O
accompanied	O
by	O
text	O
suggesting	O
the	O
receiving	O
user	O
click	O
on	O
it	O
,	O
an	O
action	O
which	O
leads	O
to	O
infection	O
,	O
i.e.	O
,	O
a	O
trojan	O
horse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
also	O
have	O
reported	O
sudden	O
additions	O
of	O
toolbars	O
and	O
advertisements	O
from	O
third	O
parties	O
in	O
the	O
newer	O
version	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
6	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
during	O
Apple	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
SDK	I-Operating_System
event	O
,	O
AOL	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
releasing	O
an	O
AIM	B-Protocol
application	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
application	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
from	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
company	O
also	O
provides	O
a	O
paid	O
version	O
,	O
which	O
displays	O
no	O
advertisements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
were	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AIM	B-Protocol
client	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
supported	O
standard	O
AIM	B-Protocol
accounts	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
MobileMe	B-Application
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
also	O
an	O
express	O
version	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
accessible	O
through	O
the	O
Safari	B-Application
browser	I-Application
on	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
AOL	O
launched	O
an	O
overhaul	O
of	O
their	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Included	O
in	O
the	O
update	O
was	O
a	O
brand	O
new	O
iOS	B-Application
application	I-Application
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
that	O
incorporated	O
all	O
the	O
latest	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
brand	O
new	O
icon	O
was	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
application	O
,	O
featuring	O
the	O
new	O
cursive	O
logo	O
for	O
AIM	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user-interface	O
was	O
entirely	O
redone	O
for	O
the	O
features	O
including	O
:	O
a	O
new	O
buddy	O
list	O
,	O
group	O
messaging	B-Protocol
,	O
in-line	O
photos	O
and	O
videos	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
improved	O
file-sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
5.0.5	O
,	O
updated	O
in	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
it	O
supported	O
more	O
social	O
stream	O
features	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
send	O
voice	O
messages	O
up	O
to	O
60	O
seconds	O
long	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
this	O
newly	O
released	O
device	O
AOL	O
released	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
application	O
for	O
iPad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
built	O
entirely	O
from	O
scratch	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
version	O
iOS	B-Application
with	O
a	O
specialized	O
user-interface	O
for	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
supports	O
geo	O
location	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
status	O
updates	O
and	O
chat	O
,	O
Myspace	B-Application
,	O
Twitter	O
,	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
Foursquare	O
and	O
many	O
social	O
networking	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Express	O
ran	O
in	O
a	O
pop-up	O
browser	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
intended	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
people	O
who	O
are	O
unwilling	O
or	O
unable	O
to	O
install	O
a	O
standalone	O
application	O
or	O
those	O
at	O
computers	O
that	O
lack	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Express	O
supported	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
standard	O
features	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
stand-alone	O
client	O
,	O
but	O
did	O
not	O
provide	O
advanced	O
features	O
like	O
file	O
transfer	O
,	O
audio	O
chat	O
,	O
video	O
conferencing	O
,	O
or	O
buddy	O
info	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
implemented	O
in	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Express	O
and	O
Quick	O
Buddy	O
were	O
similar	O
to	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Web	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	O
</s>
<s>
Web	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
web	O
version	O
evolved	O
into	O
com	O
's	O
web-based	O
messenger	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Pages	O
was	O
a	O
free	O
website	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2006	O
by	O
AOL	O
in	O
replacement	O
of	O
AIMSpace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anyone	O
who	O
had	O
an	O
AIM	B-Protocol
user	O
name	O
and	O
was	O
at	O
least	O
16	O
years	O
of	O
age	O
could	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
web	O
page	O
(	O
to	O
display	O
an	O
online	O
,	O
dynamic	O
profile	O
)	O
and	O
share	O
it	O
with	O
buddies	O
from	O
their	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Buddy	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Pages	O
included	O
links	O
to	O
the	O
email	O
and	O
Instant	B-Application
Message	I-Application
of	O
the	O
owner	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
section	O
listing	O
the	O
owners	O
"	O
buddies	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
AIM	B-Protocol
user	O
names	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
possible	O
to	O
create	O
modules	O
in	O
a	O
Module	O
T	O
microformat	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
hosting	O
sites	O
like	O
Netflix	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
could	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
ones	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Page	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
sites	O
like	O
Amazon.com	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
insert	O
HTML	B-Language
code	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
focus	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Pages	O
was	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
external	O
modules	O
,	O
like	O
those	O
listed	O
above	O
,	O
into	O
the	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
2007	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Pages	O
had	O
been	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Pages	O
shutdown	O
,	O
links	O
to	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Pages	O
were	O
redirected	O
to	O
AOL	O
Lifestream	O
,	O
AOL	O
's	O
new	O
site	O
aimed	O
at	O
collecting	O
external	O
modules	O
in	O
one	O
place	O
,	O
independent	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
buddies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
released	O
an	O
all-new	O
AIM	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
Mac	B-Device
on	O
September	O
29	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
final	O
build	O
on	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
redesigned	O
AIM	B-Protocol
for	O
Mac	B-Device
is	O
a	O
full	O
universal	B-Operating_System
binary	I-Operating_System
Cocoa	B-Operating_System
API	I-Operating_System
application	O
that	O
supports	O
both	O
Tiger	O
and	O
Leopard	O
—	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
10.4.8	O
(	O
and	O
above	O
)	O
or	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
10.5.3	O
(	O
and	O
above	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
AOL	O
released	O
AIM	B-Protocol
2.0	O
for	O
Mac	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
AIM	B-Protocol
7	O
and	O
allows	O
for	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
see	O
what	O
the	O
other	O
is	O
typing	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
being	O
done	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
application	O
to	O
work	O
users	O
must	O
have	O
AIM	B-Protocol
6.8	O
or	O
higher	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
compatible	O
with	O
older	O
versions	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
software	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
for	O
Mac	B-Device
or	O
iChat	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
allows	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
to	O
a	O
phone	O
number	O
(	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
is	O
less	O
functional	O
than	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Phoneline	I-Protocol
was	O
a	O
Voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
PC-PC	O
,	O
PC-Phone	O
and	O
Phone-to-PC	O
service	O
provided	O
via	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
known	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
Apple	O
's	O
iChat	B-Protocol
Client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Phoneline	I-Protocol
website	O
was	O
recommending	O
users	O
switch	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
service	O
named	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Call	I-Protocol
Out	I-Protocol
,	O
also	O
discontinued	O
now	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Launched	O
on	O
May	O
16	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Phoneline	I-Protocol
provided	O
users	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
have	O
several	O
local	O
numbers	O
,	O
allowing	O
AIM	B-Protocol
users	O
to	O
receive	O
free	O
incoming	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
use	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Phoneline	I-Protocol
users	O
had	O
to	O
install	O
the	O
latest	O
free	O
version	O
of	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Triton	I-Protocol
software	O
and	O
needed	O
a	O
good	O
set	O
of	O
headphones	O
with	O
a	O
boom	O
microphone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
Call	I-Protocol
Out	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
discontinued	O
Voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
PC-PC	O
,	O
PC-Phone	O
and	O
Phone-to-PC	O
service	O
provided	O
by	O
AOL	O
via	O
its	O
AIM	B-Protocol
application	O
that	O
replaced	O
the	O
defunct	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Phoneline	I-Protocol
service	O
in	O
November	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
did	O
not	O
depend	O
on	O
the	O
AIM	B-Protocol
client	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
only	O
an	O
AIM	B-Protocol
screenname	O
via	O
the	O
WebConnect	O
feature	O
or	O
a	O
dedicated	O
SIP	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Call	I-Protocol
Out	I-Protocol
service	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
March	O
25	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
4	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
scored	O
one	O
out	O
of	O
seven	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
's	O
secure	O
messaging	B-Protocol
scorecard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AIM	B-Protocol
received	O
a	O
point	O
for	O
encryption	O
during	O
transit	O
,	O
but	O
lost	O
points	O
because	O
communications	O
are	O
not	O
encrypted	O
with	O
a	O
key	O
to	O
which	O
the	O
provider	O
has	O
no	O
access	O
,	O
i.e.	O
,	O
the	O
communications	O
are	O
not	O
end-to-end	O
encrypted	O
,	O
users	O
ca	O
n't	O
verify	O
contacts	O
 '	O
identities	O
,	O
past	O
messages	O
are	O
not	O
secure	O
if	O
the	O
encryption	O
keys	O
are	O
stolen	O
,	O
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
does	O
not	O
provide	O
forward	O
secrecy	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
code	O
is	O
not	O
open	O
to	O
independent	O
review	O
,	O
i.e.	O
,	O
the	O
code	O
is	O
not	O
open-source	B-Application
)	O
,	O
the	O
security	O
design	O
is	O
not	O
properly	O
documented	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
has	O
not	O
been	O
a	O
recent	O
independent	O
security	O
audit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
,	O
Ebuddy	B-Application
XMS	I-Application
,	O
Hushmail	B-Application
,	O
Kik	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
Skype	B-Application
,	O
Viber	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	O
</s>
<s>
Messenger	B-Protocol
also	O
scored	O
one	O
out	O
of	O
seven	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
