[JDEV] OT: AOL Patents IM (Patent creates IM wrinkle )

[Pete Chown]

Van Gale wrote:

> As for IRC and VAX phone, yes they're clearly earlier examples of chatting,
> but I think it's stretching it to say they had presence.

We had presence in Cambridge in 1990.  Also, in response to the other 
comment, it was network location independent.  For example I could log 
on from a Computer Lab DECstation.  The presence information was then 
available University-wide.  No one had to ask that specific workstation 
for my details.  However, anyone who wanted could see which DECstation I 
was logged in from, what room in the CL I was sitting in, and so on.

Funny, it didn't seem at all profound at the time, but it was years 
ahead of the competition... :-)

-- 
Pete