has long been heralded and perhaps this streamlining of services is just further evidence of the slow bowing out of the humble online messenger. Of course it can also be argued that as Microsoft are continuing to support, fund and grow Skype then they must still retain at least some faith in the concept and its future. Not to mention that such predictions of obsoleteness are often made all too hastily in the world of communications. Regardless of the technology's future, the fact still remains that one more IM has bitten the proverbial dust and with it another (perhaps less illustrious) chapter of my childhood has closed.