ICQ for Mac OS X

Homepage: http://icq.com/download/mac/
Signup: http://icq.com/register/
Forum (Mac Topics): http://icq.com/boards/browse_folder.php?tid=4560
Knowledgebase: http://icq.com/help/help_cat.php?cat_id=2159
Help: http://www.icq.com/mac/help.html
Tips and Troubleshooting : http://icq.com/mac/tips.html
Platforms: Mac, Windows

Current Version: v3.4.23 Build #10340
released: 30 December 2002 / 31 July 2003
filename: icq_mac_3.2b5.sit
size: 3.73 Mb
downloads also available for MacOS 8.6 ICQ 3.2, MacOS 8.1 - 8.5 ICQ 3.02
see ICQ (Mac) version history

Features:
Compared to the features and services offered on ICQ for Windows (5.1, 6 preview, 2003b), ICQ for Mac is sadly lacking and as it hasn't been updated since 30 December 2002 it seems unlikely that it will be brought into line. ICQ for Mac has the very bare basics that one would consider essential for a IM client, you can send messages, store your archive / history, change status, set auto reply (which some of the major IM's still don't offer), SMS is noted as a feature (haven't tried it so wouldn't have a clue if it still works), it has sound alerts and email... and but that's about it.

What's New states that the last upgrade from v3.2 (released October 2002) to v3.4 (released July 2003, which is confusing in itself as the download states 30 December 2002) included:

- Interoperability with AIM and iChat instant messaging services. You can add users from those messengers to your Contact List and exchange instant messages with them.
- Better peer to peer connectivity: MacICQ now supports passive p2p connections for users behind firewalls.
- Users behind firewalls can now choose their listen port range.
- Auto-reconnect (available in the Connection panel of the Network and Security window). Users with a permanent internet connection should turn this on to avoid occasional disconnect messages.
- Easy way to enter active URLs directly into outgoing messages.
- New support for unicode text entry (e.g., for Arabic and Hebrew).
- Cosmetic issue: Incoming SMS messages are now displayed (as opposed to not displayed in the previous version, a feature which some of you did not appreciate).
- The Contact List can now display names in multiple languages.
- URLs are read from Safari.
- Clickable URLs in message windows.
- Many bug fixes

which I guess at the time what pretty exciting ;)

Gerry's ICQ use to be the one stop shop for making ICQ useable (as such) but sadly it appears that it is no longer supported, SIM-IM (v0.9.4.3 released 4 March 07) is meant to be really good as with Adium (v1.0.1 released 16 February 07), Fire (no longer in development, last released v1.5.6 on 15 February 2006), PSI (v0.10 released 12 January 06), Jabber (v0.4.1 released 22 March 2002), IXQ (SP10 released 4 March 2003) etc etc, all of which allow you to connect with your ICQ ID, and of course you can chat to your ICQ friends via iChat which, when coupled with Chax would be pretty hard to beat.