ICQ – the U.S., and until 1998, Israeli central office of instant messaging on the Internet, is now owned by the company AOL.

Review

ICQ is a centralized instant messaging, using protocol OSCAR.

User Service works with the client program (the so-called messenger), running on the device connected to the Internet. Messenger is connected to the server.

Through the server the search and communication with other clients are held, and exchange of office data and messages between users can be done via the server and without it.

Like most powerful network systems serving a huge number of client requests, this server is not the onlyone and some of them are clusters of servers.

Service is commercial, but its use is free. ICQ, Inc. runs the service – a subdivision of AOL, a member of the conglomerate Time Warner.

Since the foundation of the service it is owned by its developer, the company “Mirabilis”, but in 1998 it was sold to the current owner.

Besides the operation of the service, the company develops software-clients and supports additional web portal.

Over the previous years, ICQ has released a lot of clients who have gone through many changes.

It is estimated that the service is actively used by about 15 million people, and registrated users amount about 400 million people.

Some companies indicate numbers UIN on the list of contacts on the official websites. ICQ is frequently used by services of technical support for immediate assistance.