Monday Tip-Off: A Requiem for ICQAlright, so this topic isn't strictly related to basketball gaming, but hey, it's my column and I'm essentially the editor-in-chief here, so who's going to stop me? Besides, ICQ is certainly relevant in the history of our community, as plenty of people who were around in the early days - me included - used it to chat with each other. Indeed, for those of us who were online in the late 90s, ICQ was likely one of our first instant messaging clients along with AOL Instant Messenger, aka AIM. I'm guessing that most of us haven't used the program in years, but ICQ has remained active as of 2024.
Until now, that is. On May 24th 2024, it was announced on ICQ's official website that the service will be shut down on June 26th, after almost 30 years. As someone who used ICQ back in the day, I'm compelled to become the latest person to eulogise this vestige of 1990s internet. Considering that we've also been around since 1996 and will now outlast ICQ, it also has me thinking about the passage of time; what's come and gone, and what the internet has gained and lost over the years. I realise that this isn't Wayback Wednesday, but nevertheless, I wanted to reminisce about ICQ and reflect on its impressive longevity, as well as my nostalgia as an Elder Millennial.