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The older IM clients (AIM, MSN, Yahoo, et al.) could tell you if someone was typing or entered unsent text, but it never previewed what had been typed. At least

The older IM clients (AIM, MSN, Yahoo, et al.) could tell you if someone was typing or entered unsent text, but it never previewed what had been typed. At least that wasn't a default option back then.

sbuttgereit 8y ago
It wasn't the default option for sure and I remember having some extra add-on/plugin for it... ...but I recall that it was great fun (for about 5 minutes) answering questions before they had been fully typed and sent since I was the faster typist.
ben174 8y ago
ICQ had a character-by-character mode they experimented with for a while. It was kinda fun. BBSs too.
- copperx 8y ago
  Character by character IS fun. I've always wondered why newer messaging platforms haven't implemented it yet.
shpx 8y ago
The history of real-time text probably goes back to at least the 1960's on the Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_(software) if you're on macOS, you have this command installed http://mailman.postel.org/pipermail/internet-history/2002-December/000195.html http://mailman.postel.org/pipermail/internet-history/2002-De... (click on "Previous message" a few times too) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_text https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_text
stordoff 8y ago
Modern IM clients do the same. I noticed WhatsApp saying "+44... is typing..." earlier.