ICQ Client
ICQ, which is a phonetic synonym for “I seek you”, is an online chat client. It has been notoriously known for complaints about it changing home pages, searches, and being difficult to get rid of. However, it is true that it is loaded with the features people are looking for.
It does have its fair share of problems though. Additionally it is a know fact that spammers often go after ICQ users but it is possible to block users. Following is all that you need to know about ICQ.
Obviously, with ICQ you can chat one on one with people, but you can also create your own chat room, chat with people who share common interests. If you are bold enough, you can also do something that is unique: you can chat with a random stranger.
You can send messages to your friends by clicking their name on your contact list. Even though there is no limit to the length of messages to online friends, you are limited to 450 characters for offline messaging.
As it is one of the first messengers, the user interface looks a bit outdated, but ICQ still works well for connecting with others. For example, there is a built in spell checking function for those who need it which is simply everybody 
. There is a customizable word filter which prevents the display of words you find objectionable – a handy feature.
Similar to other messengers, ICQ gives users smileys emoticons, built-in games and avatars. However, you should remember that in the ICQ world, avatars are known as “Devils”. It is also possible to get downloadable skins and you can also send greeting cards.
Needless to say, you can find many plug-ins and add-ons for ICQ. Make sure you check out the ICQ Panels page where you will find options to integrate some of these features onto your web sites.
You can make PC-to-PC telephones using the ICQphone application, however, any voice and video chat requires the downloading of a version of the Real Time Communications software. Even though it is free to download, it is another step you have to go through which is not the case with other chat clients.
A good feature I have noticed is that file transfers that are interrupted can be resumed at a later time and in addition to this handy feature, ICQ does not limit the size of transmitted files. You can easily upload files to a shared directory where your friends can get them, and you can get files from your friends’ shared directories in the same way.
With its faults, it would be fair to say that ICQ isn’t perfect. Yet, it serves its function well enough and certainly has a lot of fans around the globe, and the latest version has taken steps to eliminate some of the previous problems.
