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Chozo ,
@Chozo@fedia.io avatar

I had no idea ICQ was even still operational. Good on them for making it as long as they did.

I was never an ICQ user, but it's always sad seeing such long-standing icons of the internet shut down.

billiam0202 ,

it’s always sad seeing such long-standing icons of the internet shut down.

A reminder of how much fun Web 1.0 was, not the walled-gardened, enshittified, corporatized, ad-riddled rage baiter it is now.

bassomitron ,

I always said way back in the early 2000s that once corporations figured out the internet, it and society in general would be very screwed. Their early attempts at trying to make things go viral and create engagement were laughably bad. Then they hired a bunch of psychologists and sociologists, bought up everything, and the rest is history.

rottingleaf ,

That's the same with one armed conflict that bothers me much. In the 90s there it was called "blood vs oil" by one charismatic man (who also correctly predicted how it'd go further, though), and, well, then "blood" won, and "oil" looked miserable - evil, dishonorable and defeated, all at the same time. But in 10 years they figured it out completely, in 20 years applied that power in every area they needed (mostly not military), in 25 had a big military victory, and now the situation really sucks from the looks of it.

BatrickPateman ,

What?

rottingleaf ,

You don't understand something - you either explain what you don't understand or you remain silent. This "what" implies my comment is something weird which it isn't, you're just slow or apparently lack ability for doing philosophy.

If it's the bad English, "what" is also utterly useless.

Num10ck ,

you failed to convey context, and meaning. your response to the what is worse.

rottingleaf ,

nuts

jaybone ,

lol. Posts shitty nonsense and is then an asshole about it.

skillissuer ,
@skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

big military victory around 2015-now? what the fuck are you talking about

rottingleaf ,

It's amazing how retards love to blame themselves being retarded on others.

The comment was specifically formed so that you wouldn't have to know the context except that USSR was breaking up in the 90s.

The meaning was that just like with the Web, it seemed that something good and new has happened and is stronger than something old and evil, and there won't be a payback later. Just like with the Web it seemed that it's open and global and can't be corrupted. (There in my example - it seemed that freedom of nations is now a principle to respect.)

skillissuer ,
@skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

take your meds or get some sleep

jaybone ,

Don’t mind the ramblings of Nostradumbass over here.

aesthelete ,

The early version of what's now Microsoft's game suite in Windows was one of the coolest things I've seen on the Internet. It was a virtual gaming village where you could go sit at tables and play chess or checkers or cards with people from around the world. It worked 100% fine on 14.4k dialup.

Microsoft bought whatever that was and completely ruined it, just like they ruin everything else they buy.

Murdoc ,

That just reminded me of something I tried that was similar, I think it was called Visual Chat? It looked like a 2D cartoon, but each person controlled an avatar and could move around and talk to each other, go to other rooms, change expression, gesture, etc.

Microsoft bought whatever that was and completely ruined it, just like they ruin everything else they buy.

It's like the Midas touch: they make it shiny, expensive, and of little use.

bus_factor ,

You probably mean Comic Chat. It was actually just an IRC client, and I think it's still usable (but frustratingly ineffective) today. But there is a website where you can convert IRC logs to it, I think.

Murdoc ,

Yes, that's the one! Boy, it's been a long time.

A_Random_Idiot ,
@A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world avatar

Man, I am so sad now.

I miss the original internet. Back when it was a place for nerds and geeks, before commercial exploitation and SEO and Adpocalypse

db2 ,

Good on them for making it as long as they did.

They didn't though, it was sold to a Russian company many years ago.

enleeten ,

A fate worse than death.

pirrrrrrrr ,

ICQ was still online!?!?!

I stopped using that shit like 25 years ago.
Thought died in the late 90's

ohlaph ,

Same. Wow

bus_factor ,

Russians kept using it, just like Brazilians kept Orkut alive for years.

DudeImMacGyver ,
@DudeImMacGyver@sh.itjust.works avatar

TIL: ICQ was still around

ultratiem ,
@ultratiem@lemmy.ca avatar

Yeah I stopped around the same time. But I didn’t know they were run by VK. That’s interesting.

bus_factor ,

They were acquired recently.

Mirabilis created ICQ. AOL bought Mirabilis in 1998. Russian investor DST (which soon became Mail.ru and later VK) bought ICQ from AOL in 2010, probably because Russians were among the few nationalities still using it. Russians were over 25% of the hits, and it was the biggest instant messenger in Russia at the time. They also own VKontakte, hence why they're directing people there.

KonalaKoala ,
@KonalaKoala@lemmy.world avatar

This is mildly upsetting because I remember ICQ is where I first met a seer who I was referred to by someone else. This was back when I was looking for help regarding a number of strange dreams and spirit visitations I was dealing with.

rottingleaf ,

Should have been looking for a therapist (that said, I've done my deal of blabbering about occult stuff back then too)

KonalaKoala ,
@KonalaKoala@lemmy.world avatar

I didn't need a therapist back then.

BassTurd ,

How did that end? I need details about all of it. The dreams, the seer, the treatment, the outcome.

If you don't mind.

tsonfeir ,
@tsonfeir@lemmy.world avatar

They lost money.

Zos_Kia ,
@Zos_Kia@lemmynsfw.com avatar

Such a lazy take. Obviously you don't have any experience with the early internet occult scene. Why, then, would you give an opinion on something you know nothing about?

BassTurd ,

Early, late, or no Internet, the occult scene has always been a made up bunch of mumbo jumbo. One doesn't need experience with it to know that.

Zos_Kia ,
@Zos_Kia@lemmynsfw.com avatar

You seem to know the subject. Who exactly are you referring to ? Are there some practices in particular that have caught your attention ? Some specific communities maybe ?

BassTurd ,

Nothing specific. Talking to ghosts, spirits, or seeing visions is a child's game. Getting someone to pay you money to talk to spirits ghosts, or see visions, is a con man's game. Both are made up, one is acceptable.

Zos_Kia ,
@Zos_Kia@lemmynsfw.com avatar

Sounds like your view on the subject is mostly informed by Hollywood. A bit irrational if you ask me, and certainly very dogmatic.

If for some reason you decide to check out a fact-based approach on the subject i can recommend a few Youtube channels that are free, hosted by accredited scholars, and offer in-depth, well researched, long form content on the history of spiritual movements. It is so fucking interesting man. It's like the B-Sides of the history of ideas, and has a lot more impact on the Age of Science than you realize.

KonalaKoala ,
@KonalaKoala@lemmy.world avatar

I didn't lose money because no money was involved.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

How do you people remember your ICQ numbers? I don't remember what I did last week half the time.

Jhestyr ,

1646590

sunbeam60 ,

I used mine in my mail signature for a while and I’ve kept all my emails since late 90s.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Fair. My current mail signature has a dead link in it and I can't be bothered to do anything about it.

Orbituary ,
@Orbituary@lemmy.world avatar

What's with your pride in being complacent?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

What are you talking about?

Orbituary ,
@Orbituary@lemmy.world avatar

"I can't be bothered to update my signature" - you could fix it in half the time it takes to post here. It's just a weird... I'd say flex, but it's the opposite. It's like a sag or deflation.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I could, but I don't feel like it. Why do you care?

Orbituary ,
@Orbituary@lemmy.world avatar

For the same reasons you do not care.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Well that can't be true. I don't care because I'm lazy and you're making an effort.

Bishma OP , (edited )
@Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

For some reason short strings of digits have always stuck really well in my memory. I still remember my high school locker combos and every phone number I've ever had.

Orbituary ,
@Orbituary@lemmy.world avatar

813-823-6615 was my childhood number until I was 10. My mom sang it to us. Never thought to remember my lock code. 0-31-10.

radicalautonomy ,

I taught my kids our address and my telephone number through songs when they were little. Music makes learning abstract things like that way easier. I teach the quadratic formula wihh a song to my Algebra students every year.

ratherstayback ,

For some reason, I never used the "save login info" feature as a teen, I didn't trust that it was safe, so I typed it every time. Hundreds, if not thousands of times over the years. So even after 15 years or so of not using it, I still remember.

radicalautonomy ,

I am autistic.

Seriously, though, diagnosed autistic and I remember numbers exceptionally well.

  • ICQ number 6725571
  • Pi to 260 decimal places
  • My ex-wife's driver's license number
  • My 11-digit Blockbuster employee numbers from the two stores I used to work at
  • The nine-digit employee numbers of a few employees under me from when I worked at Six Flags in 1994
ThatKomputerKat ,
@ThatKomputerKat@lemmy.world avatar

42442595 I was still logging in until it stopped working with Adium. It'd been a long time since I'd seen any of my contacts login at that point though. Just downloaded the official app and yeah. still a ghost town lol.

altima_neo ,
@altima_neo@lemmy.zip avatar

Two wtf here.

One, icq was still online? I stopped using that one aim got popular and everyone had it.

And two, vk owns icq??

rottingleaf ,

VK bought it when it became completely irrelevant/

psmgx ,

Effective way for the GRU to trade info whilst overseas?

rottingleaf ,

I don't think even GRU is that stupid.

A_Random_Idiot ,
@A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world avatar

ICQ was still around? I thought it died ages ago!

rottingleaf ,

It had. This thing only has branding in common. A different protocol, a different set of features (no contact directory), and while they had the old database of everything, they deemed a good idea to not preserve it, so old UINs don't exist.

CAVOK ,

That's a shame, I still remember mine. Weird how you can remember 7 random digits from 30 years ago...

A_Random_Idiot ,
@A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world avatar

I couldnt remember mine if you put a gun to my head, and it was only 5 digits

rottingleaf ,

I have some of mine somewhere with partial message history (in MS Access databases). But I don't remember them.

GeekFTW ,
@GeekFTW@lemmy.zip avatar

Hell I still remember my Nintendo Power membership number.

makkurokurosuke ,

My 8 digit UIN has been used as a password for a lot of things

Meanwhile I’ve no idea what’s my partners phone number

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

I met my wife on ICQ. I had random chat turned on and she said, "Hello." That was a long time ago

Iheartcheese ,
@Iheartcheese@lemmy.world avatar

I met your wife there too.

SatansMaggotyCumFart ,

So what?

We all did.

kambusha ,

asl?

jawa21 ,
@jawa21@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

18/f/Sealand

cantrips ,

You sure it’s not 18/Jawa/Tatooine?

WorldwideCommunity ,

🤣

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

She told me she talked to a guy who just wanted to talk about WoW and his favourite Linux distro. She gave up when he didn't make a move and decided to look for a real man. Was that you?

Iheartcheese ,
@Iheartcheese@lemmy.world avatar

Would have been WoW and Star Trek if it was me.

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

Ah.

IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI ,

Is she single?

Iheartcheese ,
@Iheartcheese@lemmy.world avatar

Decapitated. Whole big thing. We had a funeral for a bird.

Bishma OP ,
@Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Did she ever meet anyone interesting doing that?

Jk, of course. It was just too good of a setup to ignore.

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

Not as far as I know.

macrocephalic ,

Me too. I hope they're different people

____ ,

I met someone I thought I'd marry there in the exact same way around '99.

That feature was powerful, and now we just can't be bothered because scammers and blah blah.

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

So many scams.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/121c8136-8b32-476d-b79a-c6297c6b4473.png

FauxPseudo ,
@FauxPseudo@lemmy.world avatar

My standard reply was "hailing frequencies open."
Needless to say it was the opening line that let multiple women know that I was single. Surprisingly it had a 100% success rate. I was the best nerd.

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

Did that line get you laid a lot?

FauxPseudo ,
@FauxPseudo@lemmy.world avatar

The data is conflicting. I think they had already made up their mind on that topic before messaging me. My reply just reinforced their decision. It's hard to separate causation and correlation in that case.

HarbingerOfTomb ,

And now you have grandchildren?

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

Not yet. Our son isn't quite 16 and our daughter is 18 and into girls. It may take a few years yet.

downhomechunk ,
@downhomechunk@midwest.social avatar

Did you wait until your wedding night to cyber for the first time?

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

Uh...no. It was all about sex. The whole getting married thing was an accident.

TrumpetX ,

2278311 🫡

nailbar ,
@nailbar@sopuli.xyz avatar

14204799 (I think) 👋

I've forgotten my password and never linked an email to the account.

To this day I still wonder if they have the old chat history stored.

maniajack ,

I got into my account the other day, it had a shit password from when I was a kid and no way for me to change it. Their web portal was barely functional.

bmeffer ,

409110

AlphaOmega ,

1698962 iirc

radicalautonomy ,

6725571

Matombo ,

icq died a long time ago, with its soul, the xtras, ripped out it remained an empty husk, a zombie walking under its new master, a russion company desperatly trying to have their own whats app clone

rottingleaf ,

with its soul, the xtras

RE-ED TU-URN ... BLUTURN!

Matombo ,

Hastalavista, MÄÄÄH!

brrt ,

I just recently tried to log into my old icq account. It didn’t let me unless I provided a phone number so I noped the fuck out.

cyberpunk007 ,

Cell phones were not really "a thing" when I had icq. No way I'll remember my number. But I definitely used it for a time...

Dultas ,

Could always just use a temp number from a burner app.

Imprudent3449 ,

I just logged into mine. It asks for your phone number, but if you hit cancel it will let you in. I can't believe I remembered my number. Crazy.

snowday ,

I wonder how many old accounts I have from my childhood floating around, long forgotten, created well before the days of using a password manager

Brkdncr ,

ICQ was still on?

Bonesince1997 , (edited )

Right?! Like it wasn't already shutdown. The news is that it was still operational!

Edit: grammar

captain_aggravated ,
@captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works avatar

I know, right? ICQ managed to survive when MSN, Yahoo and AIM were all killed by Facebook Messenger?

HarbingerOfTomb ,

Shit I wished I'd known

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@lemmy.world avatar

-Oh!

cantrips ,

ICQ may be going away but that message sound effect will continue living rent free in my brain until I’m dead.

piranhaphish ,

I've heard that exact sound used on some computers (lottery maybe?) in gas stations in the US. I'm not sure why they picked that exact sound, but it's definitely distinct and recognizable.

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