Thanks to the new MSN plugin IMTiger which got released today in a new version, MSN users can now again put AIM/AOL9/ICQ contacts on the MSN Buddy List.
Concentrated readers will ask “Why does this crazy guy say “again””?!
Because thanks to my friend AJ who pointed this out to me, I can say, that in 1999, MSN Messanger was compatible with AIM, so Microsoft and AOL teamed up here.
Let me quote a bit from this news article:
“In 1999, when Microsoft launched MSN Messenger, the software allowed users to communicate directly with AOL Instant Messenger users. AOL, then the largest IM network, blocked MSN. The two companies proceeded to play a game of cat and mouse for months, until MSN finally said it would no longer access AOL to protect customer “security.””
Oh by the way: Yet, it does not support UNICode, yet