Instant messaging apps today just don’t have the same charm as the OGs. Some are a bloated mess of read receipts and stickers, while others are super minimal and boring. Inspired by AOL Instant Messenger, a 15-year-old UI designer wanted to change that. He built a throwback to early messaging apps, complete with a Windows 98-inspired theme.
The designer’s name is Owen, and the idea came to him after listening to a podcast episode about AOL Instant Messenger. He calls the app “pingPong,” and while most modern apps try to hide their edges behind rounded corners and soft gradients, this project leans into the gray, blocky aesthetic of a classic Windows desktop environment. You get a buddy list, a status area, and a chat window.
You may have clocked that Owen is only 15 and therefore has limited experience with pre-2010s software. But as someone who actually used AIM and Windows 98, I’m impressed with the details. The interface layout shifts smartly depending on your device, keeping the buddy list and chat box side-by-side on your monitor while stacking them for your phone. It’s pretty cool to see an ancient interface mixed with modern flexibility.
One feature in particular that’s cool to see make a comeback is the away message. Nowadays, we’re expected to be reachable at all times and reply to messages quickly. But with pingPong—as it was with AIM back in the day—you can only message someone if they are actually online. If they aren’t, you’re greeted with a static, customizable text note. That’s what it was like in the early days of instant messaging. You actually had to wait for a friend to sign on before you could talk to them.
Now, obviously, pingPong suffers from the same thing that all messaging apps do: the “network effect.” I can sit here and tell you all the ways in which pingPong is cool and better than alternatives, but if you don’t have anyone to talk to, there’s no reason to use it. So, at the end of the day, this is an impressive project from a kid who was born many years after Windows 98 and AIM were popular. Nice job, Owen.
AOL Dial-Up Internet Is Dead
Remember the times when you had to make sure no one in your household was using the phone before logging online? The age of dial-up internet is distant now, with broadband and fiber internet being present in most households, but the service has been kept around. Now, though, it’s going offline in less than a couple of months.