In the beginning...
One of the first chatting protocols was a chat room network protocol known as Internet Relay Chat, or IRC. IRC was started in Finland in 1988 by Jarkko “WiZ†Oikarinen. Although there were other chat room protocols available, IRC gained popularity during the Soviet Coup of 1991, when a group of Soviet government leaders attempted to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev. While doing this, there was a media blackout. During this blackout, IRC was the only way to know what was happening in the Soviet Union until order was restored. Following the blackout, people started using IRC for other matters, such as technical support chat rooms.
The “Big Four†and Jabber
Today, things have come a long way from IRC. Nowadays, there are four major instant messaging clients known as the “Big Four†(ICQ, AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger). They support features such as microphones, webcams, file transfers, skins, and much more. Each have their own protocols (though some work with each other). But the Big Four aren’t the only options for instant messaging. There’s also a VoIP client that thinks it is a chatting program, an open protocol with many of its own clients, and Google’s approach.
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One of the first chatting protocols was a chat room network protocol known as Internet Relay Chat, or IRC. IRC was started in Finland in 1988 by Jarkko “WiZ†Oikarinen. Although there were other chat room protocols available, IRC gained popularity during the Soviet Coup of 1991, when a group of Soviet government leaders attempted to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev. While doing this, there was a media blackout. During this blackout, IRC was the only way to know what was happening in the Soviet Union until order was restored. Following the blackout, people started using IRC for other matters, such as technical support chat rooms.
The “Big Four†and Jabber
Today, things have come a long way from IRC. Nowadays, there are four major instant messaging clients known as the “Big Four†(ICQ, AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger). They support features such as microphones, webcams, file transfers, skins, and much more. Each have their own protocols (though some work with each other). But the Big Four aren’t the only options for instant messaging. There’s also a VoIP client that thinks it is a chatting program, an open protocol with many of its own clients, and Google’s approach.
Full Story
