5 March 2008 - 21:12AOL “opens” AIM Protocol
For many years now the AOL Instant Messenger protocol OSCAR has been reverse engineered, enabling third party access to the AIM network. Open source libraries such as libpurple package this functionality, and are used by the Pidgin and Adium clients amongst others.
Recently, AOL has announced an OpenAIM initiative, billed as opening the network for third party clients. But check out the license agreement:
Additional Feature Requirements. Any Custom Client or Web AIM Developer Application that you distribute must include at least two of the following features or functionalities (”Additional Features”) as an integral part of such distributed Developer Application:
1. AIM Expressions. Inclusion of the capability for your users to choose and display a Buddy Icon to customize his or her user experience and provide a link to the AOL-Hosted AIM Expressions web page as documented in the AOL Additional Features document.
2. AIM Toolbar. Inclusion of the AIM Toolbar as a user-selected option during the registration/download/installation process for the Developer Application, as applicable.
3. AIM Start Page Launch. Inclusion of the launch of the AIM Start Page upon users. logon to your Site or to the Developer Application.
4. Buddy Info. Inclusion of content provided by AOL that includes information about a user’s online status, including the user’s AIM profile, and AOL-supplied advertising.
5. Advertisement. Inclusion of an AOL-provided display advertisement (”Advertisement”) within your Custom Client, Site or activity window. Unless otherwise provided in a written agreement, all revenue from such Advertisement will belong to AOL.
It isn’t open at all. You need to include specific functions. And even worse, if your client is used by more than 100,000 people, as determined by AOL, you must include advertising supplied by AOL. I’m glad that AOL has decided to get onto the “open” bandwagon but this is a PR move - the protocol hasn’t really been opened at all. In fact, it appears that this may even be a ploy to go after open source libraries like libpurple which currently use the reverse engineered OSCAR specification.
Google Talk is based on the open XMPP messaging protocol, also known as Jabber. It provides a true open interface, and interoperates freely with XMPP/Jabber servers operated by independent individuals (like myself). You can view the specification online without the stipulation of a license agreement. XMPP is the truly open instant message framework.
You can send me an instant message at spinfire@isomerica.net, and if you want to join XMPP users, register your own screen name at isomerica.net or Google Talk or any of the open Jabber/XMPP operators. Give it a try in the name of open specifications and interoperability!
1 Comment | Tags: computers
06 Mar 2008 - 1:30
Great that AOL gets to be more open. You probably already know that they run a testserver for ICQ where you can connect to the Jabber network with your ICQ account. So while not being so open with AIM they are sure doing a step in the right direction with ICQ. I love what google did with their google-talk based on Jabber/XMPP, it is only a shame that they promote it as being a closed network. Too little people know that google-talk is based on Jabber and too little people know what the benefits are of Jabber/XMPP. I registered with Jabberlive.org and I have to say that it is one of the most stable Jabber servers I used. They want to create a sort of database where people can register their JID (from whatever server incl. google-talk) so it will be easier in the future to find other Jabber users using other servers.