Readit News logoReadit News
Posted by u/lakshikag 5 months ago
Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app – pure nostalgiabuzzed.chat...
I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic lately, so I decided to build a little web chat app inspired by Yahoo! Messenger. Right now it’s got group chat rooms. Super simple setup, no email required to register. You can create your own room or hop into one that’s already open.

Room owners can customize things like backgrounds and even cursors of their room. Users can format their messages with basic markdown like bold, italics, and color texts (kind of like the old Yahoo! days).

I even brought back the classic Yahoo! Messenger emoticons because… well, why not?

You can try it out here: https://buzzed.chat (Heads up: it's still pretty barebones, so excuse any bugs you might run into!)

I'm thinking of adding a few more features next, like:

• Audibles

• A buddy list so you can add friends

• Private chats between buddies

Before I keep building, I wanted to check in and see what people think. Anyone else remember using Yahoo! Messenger back in the day? Any features you’d love to see again?

Would genuinely love to hear your thoughts and ideas

fishgoesblub · 5 months ago
A missed opportunity to use XP.css!: https://github.com/botoxparty/XP.css
lakshikag · 5 months ago
Hey! Thanks for the link. I will look into this
navigate8310 · 5 months ago
This reminds me of these projects https://escargot.chat/ and https://nina.chat/
accrual · 5 months ago
Also Retro AIM server, a reimplementation of the OSCAR login server in Golang!

https://github.com/mk6i/retro-aim-server

ferguu_ · 5 months ago
Would be good to have a little dot next to a room if it has an unread message. Or a signpost telling you at which point unread messages begin. Basically just track read / unread messages.
lakshikag · 5 months ago
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try to implement this in a future update.
neogodless · 5 months ago
Was Yahoo! Messenger the one (or one of the) chat clients that let you find games to play with Buddies (or strangers?), like Pinochle or "drawing"?
giancarlostoro · 5 months ago
MSN did this, I dont remember the games, I believe Yahoo had games too though separate of YIM.
smusamashah · 5 months ago
Reminds of Pidgin messanger which was the universal chat client (connects with msn, yahoo, google chat etc). It was also shared here a while ago that its still being updated after all those years.

https://www.pidgin.im/

nsriv · 5 months ago
I miss Meebo.
dustincoates · 5 months ago
I used Meebo for a bit, but Trillian was my main cross-service chat app. Interestingly, they're still going, although apparently now as a Slack competitor.
upbeatlinux · 5 months ago
Yes! It really was the best way to stay connected to friends on all the chat platforms from the 90s and early aughts.
bigdang · 5 months ago
Not being able to move the window is a huge miss imo.
lakshikag · 5 months ago
Coming right up! :)
thecannoli · 5 months ago
Triggered that nostalgia for me too, thanks for that!

Can't wait for the ChatGPT powered Messenger Bots to return.

Shoutout to Smarter Child!