Show HN: Retro AIM Server revives AOL Instant Messenger clients from the 2000s

I initially started Retro AIM Server to satisfy my own curiosity, not intending to publish it as an open source project. As I observed general interest in software that allows them to experience (or re-experience) instant messaging from a time when we weren’t always online, I became more serious about the project.

Reviving AIM is not an original idea of mine. Some revival AIM networks have been created since the official AIM’s 2017 shutdown, but their software is not open-source. There are some open source servers that implement subsets of AIM functionality. As far as I can tell, Retro AIM server is the most feature-complete open source implementation available.

The OSCAR protocol (AIM’s protocol) is proprietary and has never been officially documented in full. Implementing a server compatible with a defunct instant messaging service required a significant amount of detective work, drawing on scrappy community documentation created two decades ago, abandoned alternative AIM client source code from the 2000s, and observations made through simple trial and error.

I'm keen to hear your thoughts, constructive feedback, or even stories of your own AIM experiences. And, of course, PR’s are welcome!

Nice! Thank you for sharing this.

Interesting but not very useful without smartphone client apps.