Macromedia Adds AIM, ICQ to Central

Macromedia Adds AIM, ICQ to Central: "'This is huge for us,' said AOL spokesman Derick Mains. 'Flash developers are the third largest community of developers behind Windows and Java, and this gives us access to that entire community. And for the Flash developers, it gives them this great tool for building in presence and messaging.'
Additionally, it's also a plus for Macromedia, which becomes the first channel by which independent developers can gain access to an AIM/ICQ SDK and APIs. Until now, most independent development work has been subject to retaliation by AOL because it leveraged AIM's OSCAR protocol without permission.
'This can help AOL and Macromedia, but it also helps the whole developer community,' said Lea Hickman, senior director of market development at Macromedia. 'It's added functionality that they could do in Central that they couldn't do anywhere else ... This is the first time that AOL has opened up and licensed out their messaging, so it's actually a huge deal.' "

SAD: Saying it's a huge deal is an understatement, speaking from personal experience...