ICQ

▪ Internet instant messaging software

       Internet instant messaging software.

      ICQ was created in 1996 by Mirabilis, an Israeli software company, which was acquired in 1998 by America Online, Inc. ( AOL). Software developers Yair Goldfinger, Arik Vardi, Sefi Vigiser, and Amnon Amir created ICQ so that personal computers (personal computer) (PCs) would, like computers running the UNIX operating system, allow users to instantly communicate with each other. Since its launch in November 1996, ICQ has grown dramatically, with millions of users around the world. ICQ was first available for PCs running Microsoft Corporation's Windows OS and Apple Inc.'s Mac OS, and ICQ-compatible software is now available for many UNIX-like operating systems and even for personal digital assistants ( PDAs) that use Pocket PC or Palm OS. Other chat applications can be used on the ICQ network, including some text-only programs that are meant for use in a UNIX console. There is also a Web-based ICQ2Go for computers that do not have ICQ software installed. To use ICQ, a user first has to download ICQ software or use ICQ2Go and then register on the ICQ Web site to get a unique identification number (UIN). Once this is done, a user can connect to a large network of ICQ servers and interact with millions of other users.

      ICQ was originally a simple chat program, but it quickly grew in popularity. It supports audio and video chat, text messages to cellular telephones (mobile telephone), e-mail, and file transfer. With ICQphone, ICQ can support IP telephony, allowing users to call other computers and telephones and even to carry out conference calls, all over the Internet.

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