ICQ will stop working from June 26

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Nostalgia and Personal Impact

  • Many recall ICQ as their first or formative online chat experience (school, university, early jobs).
  • Large number of commenters still remember their numeric UINs and even passwords decades later, often more easily than phone numbers or birthdays.
  • ICQ is tied to major life events for some: first romantic relationships, long‑term friendships, even meeting future spouses.
  • People remember specific sensory details: the “uh‑oh” sound, the spinning flower logo, away messages, and the feel of chatting from a desktop at home.

Features, UX, and Protocol

  • ICQ is praised for:
    • Offline/store‑and‑forward messages (seen as a key innovation vs AIM/MSN for some).
    • Early presence states (away, invisible, DND).
    • Random chat / user search for meeting strangers.
  • Some report ICQ used peer‑to‑peer messaging and file transfer with server‑side presence and offline queueing.
  • Others highlight downsides: unencrypted by default, security issues, bloated official client, adware, and protocol changes that broke third‑party clients.

Regional Use and Ownership

  • ICQ had strong, long‑lasting adoption in Russia and nearby countries; many there used it into the 2010s before moving to VK, Telegram, etc.
  • Polish clone Gadu‑Gadu is mentioned as still existing but largely abandoned or spammy.
  • Several note ICQ’s sale from its original creators to AOL and later to a Russian company (now VK); some are wary of VK‑linked replacements and surveillance, others are indifferent.

Comparisons to Other Messengers and Open Protocols

  • ICQ is contrasted with AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Skype, and later Discord/Slack/WhatsApp/Telegram.
  • Many miss the era of multi‑protocol clients (Pidgin, Trillian, Miranda, Adium) where one app handled all networks, versus today’s siloed, mobile‑centric messengers.
  • IRC is repeatedly cited as “never dying” due to open protocol and self‑hostability, though some say it has shrunk drastically compared to its peak.
  • Matrix, XMPP, Zulip, and bridges/bouncers are discussed as modern open alternatives, with mixed views on usability vs centralized apps.

Cultural Reflections

  • Strong sentiment that the shutdown marks “end of an era” and symbolizes the loss of the early, more “frontier” internet.
  • Multiple long subthreads reflect on:
    • The shift from “offline by default” to “always online.”
    • How constant connectivity, mobile notifications, and platform lock‑in changed social behavior.
    • A sense that earlier internet interactions felt more thoughtful, less commercialized, and less optimized for “engagement.”