Technology · 2
What was the first graphical instant messaging client for the public internet, released by Mirabilis in 1996, that introduced features like contact lists and online-status indicators?
Answer
ICQ
ICQ ('I Seek You'), developed by Israeli company Mirabilis and released in November 1996, was the first standalone graphical instant messaging application available to the general public. It introduced the contact list, presence status, and real-time messaging model that all later IM clients copied.
💡 Did you know?
ICQ's distinctive 'uh-oh' notification sound became so recognizable in the late 1990s that many users still describe it as one of the most nostalgia-triggering sounds of the internet era.
Other options people guess
- mIRC
- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
Topics
- 1990s
- instant-messaging
- internet
- nostalgia
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