I recreated AOL Instant Messenger in the browser

Details

External ID

48453978

Source

HN

Company

—

Product

I recreated AOL Instant Messenger in the browser

Website domain

webaim.xyz

Launched

June 8, 2026

Cohort

—

Upvotes

5

Upvotes percentile

0.12568306010928962

Tags

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Fetched at

Sept. 7, 2026, 9:26 p.m.

Updated at

Sept. 7, 2026, 9:26 p.m.

Description

What's under the hood: - Real-time messaging powered by Firebase - Buddy lists, groups & online presence - Away messages with auto-reply (and the classic %n, %d, %t variables) - Buddy icons & editable profiles - Group chat rooms - The actual AIM sounds - Full Windows 98 desktop UI — taskbar, desktop icons, start menu, the works.If you have any suggestions or feedback I would greatly appreciate hearing it. There's still more work to be done with it, but it's been a labor of love.Right now every user that logs on is automatically put on to your Buddy list. I thought this would be a great way to get people to start chatting with each other.The other day I had a conversation with this guy about skateboarding in the 90's, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and he sent me a photo through an IM of his CCS magazine they occasionally send him.

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