What it is
ICQ has been around since late 1996 and has tens of millions of users. You can use it to find your friends online, and when you've found them you can chat and send them messages or files. ICQ sits in the system tray and pages you when there is a message or a chat request. It's a great way to talk to your friends or fellow gamers when you can't ring them because their phone is engaged. Since it lets you see who is online at any time you can see at a glance which of your usual online games partners are around for a quick blast. At the time of writing ICQ is freeware with no subscription charges.
How it works
When you install ICQ you will be asked to create a user account. Once you have done this you will be assigned a unique identifying number (UIN) ‚ this is what you will tell your friends to enable them to find you on the ICQ network. If you do not know the UIN of the person you are trying to contact you can search for them by nickname, real name or email address in the ICQ directory. If they are an ICQ registered user their UIN will appear and you can use this to page or chat with them. Every time you go online, ICQ will register the fact with the ICQ central server ‚ so people who have you listed in their ICQ can see at a glance if you are currently online. Get it at www.icq.com