> > My email is the usual Rinkworks one, I can access it from nearly anywhere. And you find AIM is that much better (in terms of speed and *reliability*) than ICQ? Since AOL also owns ICQ, whatever connection problems the latter has, AIM has too, I imagine.
>
> I find that AIM works through my firewall, and ICQ doesn't.

I use AIM because when I did use ICQ, I couldn't go 15 minutes without getting some goofy chain letter. Most of them came from some weird guy who just added me to his list for no reason other than to send me dumb messages and refute my claims that they would not bring him love, wealth, fame or power. Nothing of that sort has happened with AIM.