From...

August 25, 1999
Web posted at: 8:23 a.m. EDT (1223 GMT)

by Tom Spring

ALSO    AOL's AIM gets bugged    Sign up for the Computer Connection email service    For more computing stories  MESSAGE BOARDS:    Instant messaging wars

(IDG) -- Online chat leader America Online has debuted its next-generation instant messaging client, AOL Instant Messenger 3.0.

Announced Tuesday, the new version of the software incorporates a customizable news and stock ticker, tighter integration with AOL chat rooms, and a more secure registration process.

AOL, locked in a fierce battle with Microsoft over access to its AIM service, has announced collaborative agreements with Apple, EarthLink, MindSpring, Juno, and Novell to offer their customers co-branded AIM clients or their own instant messaging products linked to AIM.

AOL, with 45 million registered users, is the largest proprietor of online chatting software and has been under scrutiny for blocking access to its AIM network by Microsoft and others within the online industry.

On Tuesday, AOL reiterated its commitment to working with the Internet Engineering Task Force to establish an industry standard. AOL's AIM client is compatible with CompuServe, Netscape, IBM's Lotus Notes and Sametime, and RealNetworks.

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Bob Pittman, president and chief operating officer of America Online, says in a prepared statement: "AIM 3.0 will make the world's most popular and advanced instant messaging system even richer, easier to use, and more convenient for Internet consumers."

To that extent AIM 3.0 will now let you choose user names up to 16 characters long, according to AOL. You can also choose a Buddy Icon, a graphic image that represents you and appears in the Instant Messaging window.

A new Auto-Reconnect feature detects brief breaks in users' Internet connections and automatically keeps AIM active during the interruptions.