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ICQ is the first instant messaging computer program created by start-up Israeli company Mirabilis and first released in November, 1996. The name ICQ is a play on the phrase "I seek you".In june 2004 ICQ celebrated its 300 millionth download from download.com where it kept the number 1 most popular software for 7 consecutive years
ICQ was founded by Yair Goldfinger , Arik Vardi , Sefi Vigiser and Amnon Amir and managed by Ariel Yarnitsky .
ICQ allows the sending of text messages, URLs, multi-user chats, file transfers, greeting cards and more.
ICQ users are identified by numbers called UIN, distributed in sequential order (though it is rumored there are gaps in the sequence). New users are now given a UIN of well over 100,000,000, and low numbers (six digits or less) have been auctioned on eBay by users who signed up in ICQ's early days.
AOL acquired Mirabilis and ICQ in 1998.
1 Clients
AOL's OSCAR network protocol used by ICQ is proprietary, but a number of people have created more or less compatible third-party clients, including:
- Adium - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN and Jabber, for Mac OS XMac OS X is the latest version of the Mac OS operating system for Macintosh computers. Developed and published by Apple Computer, it provides the stability of a Unix operating environment and adds popular features of the traditional Macintosh user interfa
- AyttmAyttm is an instant messaging (aka chat) client that provides all-in-one chat functionality for several major instant messaging services from one simple program. Ayttm "Contacts" allow you to refer to several accounts of the same person from a single cont - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, and Jabber
- centericqCentericq is a text mode menu- and window-driven IM interface that supports the ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, and Jabber protocols. It allows you to send, receive, and forward messages, URLs, SMSes (both through the ICQ server and email gateways supported b - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC and Jabber
- FireFire is the first instant messenger client for Mac OS X (previously for OPENSTEP), that can access IRC, Jabber, AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo! Messenger. All services are built off of GPLd libraries, including firetalk, libfaim, libicq2000, libmsn, jabber, and - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, and Jabber
- GaimThis article is about the instant messaging software. For the fictional alien race in Babylon 5, see Gaim (Babylon 5 . Windows XP, connected to AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger and ICQ Gaim is a multi-platform instant messaging client program that sup - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, Jabber and Gadu-Gadu
- GnomeICU (previously GtkICQ)
- Jimm (previously "MobICQ")
- KopeteKopete is a multi-protocol instant messenger, supporting Jabber, ICQ, AIM, Gadu-Gadu, IRC,. NET Messenger Service, and Yahoo! Messenger. Although it can run in numerous environments, it was designed for and integrates with the KDE desktop environment.
- LicqIn computing, Licq is a free clone of the official ICQ client that runs on Linux and on other Unix systems. Licq has many of the features of the official client, and has the advantage of not having built-in ads like the AOL's client. In addition, it is po
- mICQmICQ is a free text-based ICQ instant messaging application that runs on a wide variety of platforms, including AmigaOS, BeOS, Windows either using Cygwin or MinGW, OS X, NetBSD/ OpenBSD/ FreeBSD, the Sharp Zaurus and of course Linux and most commercial U
- Miranda IM - plugin based, supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, BNet, and others
- Proteus - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, Yahoo Japan!, AIM, MSN, Jabber and iChat Rendezvous, for Mac OS X
- Trillian - supports ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, Jabber and others
- YSM
AOL has recently begun making its ICQ software more AIM-like by adding AIM Smilies, as well as introducing cross AIM/ICQ communication. Users on ICQ are able to communicate with AIM users, however such capability is in beta stages.
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