What is ICQ?
ICQ is a client Instant Messenger, unlike AIM, MSN Messenger or Google Talk. ICQ is not actually an initialism, the name is instead of the game on the words: "I am looking for you", referring to the way ICQ can be used to find old or new friends, and communicate with them.
Since the beginning of 70. In this era, people would join one central computer and operate an operating system such as Unix, for work, publishing messages or socialization. Immediate messages on these old systems would sometimes communicate directly between two people and sometimes use a central server. Over time, this form of rapid sending of messages has become less popular, although some forms - such as the Internet relay Chat (IRC) - have remained very popular until the arrival of modern news and still have considerable tracking.
America online predecessor, Quantum Link, accepted their own form of immediate messages among users. And later when America onl was bornINE, was a part of this online sending message America Online. This early goal was not a strictly speaking graphic client, but included many known functions today.
In 1996, an Israeli company called Mirabilis released its product with quick sending: ICQ. Mirabilis was funded primarily by one of the founders and other small investors. The company relied very little on traditional marketing, instead of viral effect, when customers told their friends and their friends told their friends again.
ICQ was an innovator in the field of fast sending messages. It was the first Instant Messenger client to actually use the graphical user interface (GUI) and was easy to install and use it for almost anyone. There was a time when ICQ was by far the dominant Instant Messenger client, and for many companies for many companies dot-comPreferred way of communication between them and customers.
rather than using the unique screen identity selected by the user, as used by AIM, or the use of the user's e -mail, as the use of MSN Messenger and Google Talk, ICQ instead created a unique identification number (UIN) for each user. This allows ICQ to change all information about their account - screen name, e -mail address, real name, home city - and still has the same primary identification. Since UIN numbers increase gradually with the addition of new users, in some circles the length of the ICQ number is considered a sign of online "street credit". For example, a five -digit user is an apparently early adoptor because it was one of the first one hundred thousand users. Five and six Uins digits are often seen for sale on eBay, allowing newer ICQ users to get older UIN.
In 1997, America released online graphic moment Messenger, Aim. In 1998, only dFor years after ICQ, America Online has received a $ 407 million Mirabilis program, although it had no income at all. This allowed America online to have virtual hegemony compared to immediate messages until Google Talk and MSN Messenger started to grab market share.
ICQ still exists and is still regularly updated. The client has been maintained according to modern messages standards and now has functions such as Smilies, multiple user cottages, e-mail support, SMS and file conversions. Partly due to the relatively large problem with the SPAM and aggressive marketing campaigns AIM, Google Talk and MSN Messenger - all are also associated with very popular existing services - ICQ is no longer a dominant client for sending messages. Although it still survives and may be innovated again, it remains in a state of relative dormants.