IP: AIMSTER MAY END IM INTEROPERABILITY DEBATE: Edupage, December 20, 2000

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> A new version of the file-sharing program Aimster is expected to
> debut this week, making America Online's instant messaging
> service interoperable with other such services. AOL has blocked
> its rivals from making their instant messaging systems compatible
> with its own systems in the past, and the FCC is considering
> forcing AOL to open its AIM and ICQ services as a condition for
> approval of its merger with Time Warner. However, interoperability
> might become a moot issue with the new version of Aimster, which
> makes it possible to send files among AIM and other services such
> as Microsoft's MSN Instant Messenger and Yahoo!'s Instant Messenger.
> "The FCC hasn't asked us to testify, but if they did we would say
> that AOL is interoperable now and has been for months," says a
> spokesperson for the programming group that created Aimster. AOL
> will be unable to block Aimster because Aimster relies on Aimster
> switches and does not use AOL's servers, the spokesperson says.
> (InfoWorld.com, 19 December 2000)



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