Windows Phone Thoughts: AOL Seeks Release from IM Interoperability Order.

"America Online may soon be able to launch advanced instant messaging services, such as streaming video, if U.S. regulators drop interoperability requirements imposed on the company as a condition of its 2001 merger with Time Warner. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Friday that AOL Time Warner had applied to be released from the requirement that it make its AOL Instant Messenger service interoperable with other providers' services. IM interoperability was a condition of the 2001 merger of AOL and Time Warner. The company now contends that interoperability no longer serves the public interest and is not a necessity because there has been a material change in the circumstance."

Not that I needed any more reasons to dislike AOL, but this one really takes the cake. In order for IM to truly reach its potential, we need interoperability between clients. Tools like Trillian help to bridge that gap, but they're constantly fighting to keep up with the mainstream IM companies that don't want to cooperate. Can you imagine the chaos if companies like Microsoft and AOL were allowed to have their own versions of the HTTP protocol? 8O I'm all for free enterprise and letting the market pick the best solution, but a real IM protocol sure would bridge the gap among IM users around the world...