ICQ 99b
This is a revolutionary chat software that was released a few years ago by an Israeli company called Mirabilis. It has come a long way since then, being upgraded regularly. There are so many people using ICQ on the net that its THE most popular chat software around. You can find most of the cyber-world on ICQ. It offers various functions like Instant Messaging, Multi-person Chatting File Transfer, Voice Chat and Exchange of Contact Lists. You can have your info made visible to anyone accessing it and thus, practically have the potential to be known to the world. For security reasons, there is no compulsion to enter your info and publish your IP Address. You can choose to be 'Invisible' to a particular person or simply be 'Away'.
ICQ's Net Detect Agent can be turned on so as to auto-launch ICQ when you are connected to the net. One of the new features at icq.com is icqmail. For this, you need to have a valid ICQ number, which you get on installing ICQ. Once you get mail, you instantly get notified by ICQ.
On the whole, this is an excellent software to keep in touch with friends and family, and even useful for having a conference.