Many of us older people began our internet memories with the sounds of screeching and humming, and after glorious connection finally appeared, the famous “You’ve got mail!” announcement.

AOL Instant Messenger was integrated in the AOL program. Remember when you could get free hours of internet with a simple CD sent in the mail? The little yellow running man greeting us on the screen? Ah, fond memories of the late 90s.

There were competitors to the chat app, though. ICQ, and Yahoo! IM were some big rivals. When Facebook came along, there wasn’t much use for the app anymore, but there have still been users on a platform with some bare bones support.

From their blog on Tumblr, Michael Albers, VP of Communications Product at Oath announced,“AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed. As a result we’ve made the decision that we will be discontinuing AIM effective December 15, 2017. We are more excited than ever to continue building the next generation of iconic brands and life-changing products for users around the world.”

Thanks for the memories, AOL!