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Apple Discontinues AIM Support for Many OS X Users With Legacy Mac.com/Me.com IDs
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Bash AIM all you want but it was a pretty awesome tool for messaging people back in the day. I'm 23 now but I remember in 2nd grade when I had maybe 2 friends on my buddy list and I was so happy when I heard the door *open*.
My friends and I still use AIM every day. We all have iMessage too but it's really annoying to have the iPhone and iPad ding or vibrate every five seconds when you're having a conversation. At least with the AIM app I can silence those when I'm talking on something else.
I remember the glory days of Adium. A single app that connected to every chat service. If you had told me that many years later my plain text messages would be lost in a sea of different incompatible services, I'd think you were crazy.
Today my messages are split between Facebook Messenger, Skype messenger, iMessages, plain SMS messages, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter DMs, short emails. And even sadder, it's often the same people sending messages to me on whatever they happen to have open. If I want to check a bit of info someone sent me, I have to search our chat across 5 different incompatible messenger services. Utter insanity.
Today my messages are split between Facebook Messenger, Skype messenger, iMessages, plain SMS messages, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter DMs, short emails. And even sadder, it's often the same people sending messages to me on whatever they happen to have open. If I want to check a bit of info someone sent me, I have to search our chat across 5 different incompatible messenger services. Utter insanity.
i'm a hardcore iMessage, FaceTime user. If someone I know wants to contact me and they say they don't use a mac or IOS device, i say buy one cause I'm not switching.
Not if they're your boss. Mine is the same age as me and social media is part of our team's strategy, so my boss contacts me on various different messenger services depending on what he has open at the moment.
It's annoying, yes. See my post above yours.
For those that cant log into aim via adium anymore using an @mac or @me account. Try log into your aol account via the messages app (messages -> add account -> aol), seemed to work here (on mavericks).
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That's exactly the way every Mac/iOS user should be thinking. Embrace the future and encourage your friends and family along for the ride too.
So even though a legacy AIM account still works I suppose it would be a good idea to create a new AIM account and use that. Any thought on doing this?
I still use MSN with Adium every day and haven't had any problems. Microsoft discontinued the official client last year but the servers are still up and running (and are used by Skype, so they're unlikely to vanish without any warning).
One could argue "the future" could be something more akin to Google Hangouts - given the way IT trends are moving; services are becoming more connected, integrated and more "open" (read: cross platform!) - and Hangouts provides a similar feature-set but with the added benefit of being truly cross platform!
If I were encouraging a friend to switch messaging platforms, I personally would rather encourage them to use one that's compatible with their friends all over the world working with different budgets or even just a basic web browser; rather than tying them into a "premium price" product that may leave them less connected than before (if they refuse to install additional apps of course
)Although in the spirit of openness; although Hangouts will always win for me for messaging, I've not found a commonly used service that yet brings me the same quality that FaceTime does for video! - Skype & hangouts on iOS just don't compare in terms of actual video quality/resolution!
ICQ?
Meh, doesn't work with iChat/Messages.
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These new messaging services are going backwards then slowly adding old features from AIM like they're so amazing and innovative. AIM already had for a long time free and good-quality audio/video messaging, screen sharing, integration with iChat/Messages, file sending, and compatibility with every device on the planet. iMessage sucks (won't even work half the time), and Facebook would be good if it wasn't text-only in iChat/Messages. Google is like Facebook, good but in-browser only.
So yeah, forget that. My friends and I still use AIM and will continue to do so until someone can make something that's actually better for us Mac users. We don't care if it's not #cool.
It's stopped working for me in Adium (Mavericks). Perhaps accounts are being switched off over time.
Problem partially caused by Apple failure to provide ID merger
I think a lot of the issues can be put down to Apples continuing failure to provide an ID merger service so that .me and .mac ID can be merged with Apple IDs. I have endless problems as my iCloud ID is my .me one whereas my iTunes ID is my Apple one. If I dump either one, I either lose all my iTunes downloads and updates for programs or all my iCloud data. I cannot understand why Apple will not do this. Yet another example of their being unresponsive to their customers needs.
I think a lot of the issues can be put down to Apples continuing failure to provide an ID merger service so that .me and .mac ID can be merged with Apple IDs. I have endless problems as my iCloud ID is my .me one whereas my iTunes ID is my Apple one. If I dump either one, I either lose all my iTunes downloads and updates for programs or all my iCloud data. I cannot understand why Apple will not do this. Yet another example of their being unresponsive to their customers needs.
I don't really get the barely-hidden snobbery from certain people who assume that because they don't use a service anyone who still does must be some kind of freak.
Not that I use AIM anymore myself either, but I'll always have fond memories... I first met my then-future wife on AIM
So good luck to anyone else who still finds it useful.
Not that I use AIM anymore myself either, but I'll always have fond memories... I first met my then-future wife on AIM
So good luck to anyone else who still finds it useful.
I can still login to my .Mac iChat account via Messages, but not via Adium -- for anyone on 10.9.4.
I don't use AIM/.Mac very much, but that account is different from my iCloud account and so it's frustrating to have to figure out another way to contact those people on my contact list. Or to have to have two separate contact lists open for like 10 people.
Le sigh.
AIM is a relic but ***** .Mac and iChat made me use it far longer than I would have. Alas.
Also: ICQ: 1845645. 1996, baby.
I don't use AIM/.Mac very much, but that account is different from my iCloud account and so it's frustrating to have to figure out another way to contact those people on my contact list. Or to have to have two separate contact lists open for like 10 people.
Le sigh.
AIM is a relic but ***** .Mac and iChat made me use it far longer than I would have. Alas.
Also: ICQ: 1845645. 1996, baby.
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