Re: API to AOL AIM from OS/400

[Scott Klement <klemscot@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>          Have a customer looking for me to write a AOL Instant Message
> instead of an Email out of a CGI script running on the iSeries...

Seriously?  You're going to write your own AIM client for OS/400?

>          Anyone do this before ?  Know where the documentation might be
> found

One time while I was sitting on the MidrangeDotCom chat room on AIM, I
thought it would be neat to make a "AIM/400" that I could use the log on
to AIM from my '400.

I started reading some documentation -- but before long, I decided that it
sounded too much like work :)  Of course, I was doing it "just for fun"
not for business purposes.  If it had been for business purposes, I'm sure
I would've taken it further.

There are two protocols that can be used with AOL Instant Messenger.  They
are "OSCAR" (Open System for Communication in Realtime) which is what all
of the "real" AIM clients (including AOL's) use.  The other is TOC, which
as far as I know isn't really used by anyone...  not sure why it exists.

Here are some sites that have documentation of the OSCAR protocol:

http://iserverd1.khstu.ru/oscar/

http://aimdoc.sourceforge.net/

http://www.kingant.net/oscar/

I wouldn't recommend trying to implement OSCAR unless you're comfortable
with TCP/IP programming, in particular working with TCP and UDP via a
sockets interface.