AOL to support third-party developers

AOL L.L.C. is the latest Internet and mobile player to woo third-party developers, announcing the launch of Open AIM 2.0.
The program is designed to give developers “unprecedented access” to AOL’s popular AIM messaging network in an effort to spur the creation of third-party chat services and enterprise applications both on computers and mobile phones. Open AIM will work hand-in-hand with AIM Money, a new ad-revenue-sharing platform expected to debut next month.
“As part of the new openness, AOL is publishing . the OSCAR protocol, the proprietary instant messaging and presence information protocol used by AIM,” the company said in a press release. “This will enable developers to build fully compatible, full-featured and secure AI services for use on platforms that also host other chat services, both on the desktop and on mobile devices.”
Yahoo Inc. earlier this year unveiled its attempt at openness, launching support for mobile-optimized applications such as widgets from third-party developers. That move followed Google Inc.’s announcement of Android and the Open Handset Alliance.