I’m very excited to hear that AOL has decided to open up its AIM chat network and allow developers to easily access all the features that the network has to offer. This should mean that applications such as Adium, will be able to tie in all the features that the network allows, instead of a limited set like it is now.

AOL has done an about-face regarding third-party access to the company’s AIM chat network. AOL’s recently launched OpenAIM 2.0 provides open, uninhibited access to services like Meebo, or all-in-one IM clients like Pidgin, allowing them to freely and easily use the AIM instant messaging network. That’s quite a change from AOL’s previous stance toward such competitors, which seemed to be somewhere between sticking its head in the sand and unleashing a pack of angry lawyers. At the moment, multi-platform IM desktop clients like Pidgin or Adium (the popular Mac client) generally rely on hacking and reverse engineering access to chat networks run by AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft and others. Not only is that bad for developers since it means more work, it also means th [From AOL Opens Up the AIM Instant Messaging Network | Compiler from Wired.com]

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