AIM

AIM, also known as AOL Instant Messenger, requires no presentation, as it’s one of the first instant messaging applications to ever step into the scene back in 1997. Backed by the US Internet mogul America Online (AOL), this particular piece of software had a great run within its first ten years.

After that, AIM had one of the most amazing downfalls in recorded IT history, with a ravishing 0.73% market share reported in June 2011. It was all about the vulnerabilities its team was unable to fix and patch, thus the increased security weakness has taken its toll on the number of user sign-ins.

It all crumbled to pieces and once AIM fans have turned their backs on the application, migrating to other social networks and, implicitly, other instant messaging programs. From a staggering number of users around one hundred million in 2006, a mere four million active users have not taken sides with the competition.

Leaving QQ International aside, the community revolves around three major IM clients: Windows Live Messenger, Skype and Yahoo! Messenger with hundreds of millions of active users. AIM is clearly a shadow of the once great application. It stands as the most negative example of interest lack shown in the security of any IM client.

The reinvented version of AIM could not bring all the users back together. What it could do instead is coming up with a rather stylish new interface and pretty good integration of various must-have features. While these efforts were not totally in vain, with AIM being a decent application, its popularity does not seem to rise, but further fall.

It’s always a pity when great apps are neglected, thus ending up insignificantly on the bottom shelf of the people’s choice when it comes to any kind of software. The process is faster and more disastrous in the instant messaging client’s category. AIM used to be number one. It stumbled upon some security-related problems and collapsed. It never got back to the place it was before and maybe it never will.