Google & AIM-Together Again

By

One thing you might have noticed if you've been online lately is that there are a lot of instant messenger suites out there. Yahoo Instant Messenger, MSN Instant Messenger and of course AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM) have been around for years.

One of the newest arrivals is Google, with its Gmail Chat and Google Talk services. And for a while, you could actually use AIM together with Google’s service. Though it was temporarily halted two weeks ago, the services are back up, and AIM users can now use their services with Google's once more.

Two weeks ago, spam was found flooding from AOL's Instant Messenger, which targeted both Gmail Chat and Google Talk. The two companies subsequently severed their programs' interoperability until a solution could be found. AOL had originally projected that the solution would be in play by Thursday of last week, but it took a bit longer than expected. It was finally ready for launch on Tuesday of this week. A day later, the problem returned, and on Wednesday, the services were officially declared interoperable once more.

The restoration of interoperability provides, once again, the capability for users on Google's networks to engage in IM conversations with those users on AOL networks – significantly more convenient than opening up a separate program specifically to handle users on that network.

This is good news at the right time for AOL, who was already planning layoffs, though not solely related to this latest issue. And since AOL reportedly generates $50 million annually but costs half that to operate, it's not surprising that the firm wants to trim costs. Some reports suggest that AOL wants to drop that cost down to around an eighth of what it's currently requiring, or under $3 million a year.

But whether you believe that such a move would come too little too late to do any real good for the struggling AOL, they're going ahead with it, and hopefully such a move can keep the entire company viable for years to come.




Edited by Braden Becker
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Contributing TechZone360 Writer

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Lessons Learned from Enterprise Oracle Cloud Migrations

By: Contributing Writer    7/1/2025

Switching to Oracle Cloud can feel daunting. Security risks, unexpected expenses, and performance troubles often turn what seems like an effortless up…

Read More

Protecting Business Assets with Smarter Security Frameworks

By: Contributing Writer    7/1/2025

Protecting your business is more challenging than ever. Cyber threats are increasing every day. Hackers target small and large businesses alike, searc…

Read More

Emerging Trends in Technology and Their Impact on Future Innovations

By: Contributing Writer    7/1/2025

Technology is changing faster than ever. Business owners often struggle to keep up. What's trending today might be outdated tomorrow. Falling behind c…

Read More

Tech Podcast Award Winners Bring Excitement and Enthusiasm to a Range of Important Tech Topics

By: TMCnet Staff    6/18/2025

Tech Podcast Award winners produce engaging, informative, and often entertaining content, bringing valuable insight from industry front lines to the e…

Read More

How Mobile Technology is Driving the Shift to Casino Apps

By: Contributing Writer    6/12/2025

Recent years have seen casino apps completely changing the online casino experience. Thanks to mobile-first technology, apps are becoming the default.…

Read More