iChat FAQs Index

These iChat (Version 1) pages are coloured Blue and have the iChat (1) icon on them that was in use at the time, so you know where you are. The icon differs from later ones by having the Running Man.

These pages have sat here since 2008 with no update. In that time the AIM servers have been closed down (2017) and iChat has been superceded by Messages. That effectively make this a sort of Historical Document of how it worked.

iChat

These pages are about iChat.

They consist of old info about iChat 1, 2 (AV), 3 and 4 as well as new stuff about the latest incarnation, iChat 5.

The info in these pages has been somewhat reorganized. I hope to make sure that things are grouped in a more logical order to explain somewhat how iChat has got from iChat (ver 1) though to the current iChat 5.x.x

There is also a section about the External iSight in use at the begining of iChat 2 along with info about Apps and Add-ons that enhanced the use of iChat.

The Menu at the top will contain everything but may change from page to page.

Areas Covered By the Site as a Whole

The basic info from the previous layout remains and has been updated.

The new sections are:-

iChat Verisons with each containing links to functions and Pics for that version.
How-tos. A common set of How-To for each of the main functions of iChat such as adding Buddies and Starting Chats.
Problem solving and related info expanded in to iChat 3 and 4, particularly after the Error Log was introduced at OS 10.4.7

iChat (1)

iChat was the Name. for the purposes of these pages it will be referred to as iChat 1 (or (1) when needed).

It was an AIM Client (an App). This meant it could login into the AIM Service. The AIM Service was acronym for AOL Instant Messenger. You could register for an AIM name on their web Pages, acquire one when using certian browers like Netscape or use the @mac.com email IDs that Apple were issuing at the time (Apple had an agreement with AIM that @mac.com emails would be AIM valid names.) At the time the .Mac service was paid for but also allowed Trial Accounts. Trial Account names and lapsed Paid for names would still would as AIM names

To clarify further, firstly AIM was a Service. Secondly it was also an APP on PCs, iChat was the first AIM client (app) for OS X as the previous version that ran in OS 9 needed Classic to be running in OS X. Thirdly with iChat it could also link to other Macs on your LAN that were also running iChat using Rendezvous (later Bonjour) which basically means the Buddy List containing the AIM valid Buddies also was broadly referred to as the AIM one. So:- Service, App and Buddy List, which in turn lead to much confusion on the Apple Discussion Boards in trying to sort out a common parlance when talking about issues.

Review

iChat (called iChat 1 as later versions came on line) is an App that can/Could join the AIM Network (Edit 2024:- AIM closed the service down in 2017 and Apple had moved to Messages as well.)

It could Text Chat to AIM Buddies (Those Buddies also using Apps that used the AIM Service)

It could also send Files and Pictures to those same Buddies.

Apps that could join/use the AIM Service tended to be called AIM clients. iChat was such a client.

AIM or rather AOL released their own clients for Macs and for Windows.

As noted on the left this could create some confusion when talkiing about
1) The App that (predominately) Windows users used.
2) The Service that they ran.
3) To a lesser extent to the Buddies or Buddy Lists within iChat.

Apple also allowed the App to use it's Zero Configuration set up (Rendezvous) to connect to other people on your LAN and did so with a second Buddy List.

Revised and Edited Links and Content with corrections and updates Nov 19th 2024.

Information Block

This 2024 Edit/Update does make some tense changes to the Contents but mostly it stands as written. The general purpose of the update was to move, as much as possible to HTML 5 compliance where I could.

This site is about iChat from Version 1 through to iChat 5.x.x

It has a mixture of basic info and problem solving help.

This Information Block will change for Specifics about info on the page on view

About This Page

Essentially this page is about a rough guide to iChat (1).

This is the first iChat version and a number is not included in it's offical name.

It is an AIM client. AIM stood for AOL's Instant Messenger and could send Text chats to what were referred as Buddies. AIM there for was a Service run by AOL. It also was an App on PCs and soon after on Macs on Mac OS X (it did have a version running on Mac OS 9 which needed to run in Classic in OS X). Apple had an Agreement with AIM that the emails end @mac.com (At the time) would be recognised as valid AIM Screen Names. At this point in time iChat had two Buddy Lists - those using the AIM Service and those using Rendezvous who were other Users of Macs with iChat open on your LAN.

The App came with Mac OS 10.2 and it's Aqua 3D look and coloured interface. Apple also decorated the way iChat looked with speech Bubbles when sending or reciving Text with User choices as to Font, Font Colour and Bubble Colour.

Compatibility

As mentioned above this has had a major Edit/Update in September 2024 meaning that the Browsers listed below are likely to no longer work.

I have tested in Safari 18.1, Firefox 130.x and 131.0, Vivaldi 6.9.3447.48 and iCab 6.2.3 (All Mac Browsers) I don't have access to a PC let alone multiple browsers to test on.

The original pages worked with Win/IE 5.5 and later (should work in 5.0, but not confirmed), Firefox 2, Safari 3, Opera 9, iCab 3.02 and later, Mac/IE 5, Netscape 6 and later

Old browsers (IE version 4 or earlier, Netscape 4 or earlier) should only see a text-based page which, while not the prettiest option, is still entirely usable.

Ralph Johns