WWW.Weekly Web Weview
This week: AIMutations.com Rating: C-
Kristen Buonfiglio
Issue date: 11/9/05 Section: Opinion
Some of you out there might have heard of a website that actually provides skins/layouts for AOL Instant Messenger, as well as new smiles, different features, etc, all for free. Well AIMutation.com is that site.
AIMutation is a website where professionals make different layouts with mostly original color and design to spruce up the default layout of AIM.
In order to use AIMutation on AIM, you need to download it first from the website with AIM turned off during installation. After that is done, you can download as many skins as one chooses from the website and it will automatically add them to the list of skins to use on AIM. The categories of skins as well as the amount of skins in each category include Cartoon (12), Colors and Shapes (30), Dark (12), Holiday (1), Miscellaneous (6), Operating Systems (2), Ports (8), Sports (1), and University (2).
There are also a variety of plug-ins that you can choose to use also with AIMutation as well, such as a plug-in that will allow users to choose a variety of different smiley choices over the default yellow ones.
There is also a message board attached to the website where users can get information about AIMutation as well as chat with other users and developers of the product. You need to sign up to use the message board but it is free to join. You do not need to sign up to download AIMutation or get skins.
Just the fact that this website is free and that it provides new skins and layouts for AIM would make people want to use it right? Well that was what drew me to the website anyway, but notice the C- grade I give it. AIMutation does have many flaws.
The website itself is filled with pop-ups and ads. Just now I tried to get onto the site so I could get some information on it, and it shut down my browser because of all the pop-ups and ads.
Another is that it has been almost a year since the last update to the AIMutation program. The website is updated daily but not the program, which would explain why AIMutation has asked users to stop asking when the next version is coming out.
AIMutation is a website where professionals make different layouts with mostly original color and design to spruce up the default layout of AIM.
In order to use AIMutation on AIM, you need to download it first from the website with AIM turned off during installation. After that is done, you can download as many skins as one chooses from the website and it will automatically add them to the list of skins to use on AIM. The categories of skins as well as the amount of skins in each category include Cartoon (12), Colors and Shapes (30), Dark (12), Holiday (1), Miscellaneous (6), Operating Systems (2), Ports (8), Sports (1), and University (2).
There are also a variety of plug-ins that you can choose to use also with AIMutation as well, such as a plug-in that will allow users to choose a variety of different smiley choices over the default yellow ones.
There is also a message board attached to the website where users can get information about AIMutation as well as chat with other users and developers of the product. You need to sign up to use the message board but it is free to join. You do not need to sign up to download AIMutation or get skins.
Just the fact that this website is free and that it provides new skins and layouts for AIM would make people want to use it right? Well that was what drew me to the website anyway, but notice the C- grade I give it. AIMutation does have many flaws.
The website itself is filled with pop-ups and ads. Just now I tried to get onto the site so I could get some information on it, and it shut down my browser because of all the pop-ups and ads.
Another is that it has been almost a year since the last update to the AIMutation program. The website is updated daily but not the program, which would explain why AIMutation has asked users to stop asking when the next version is coming out.
