AIM Screen Names
Since all of these screen names were registered in the middle 1990s, mostly by America Online members, these are a form of online "rarity", sought after by youths, hackers, or anyone wanting their screen name to appear impressive. 3chars are regularly sold or traded online. Many people have cracked the password of 3char accounts through brute-force search or using AOL Exploits and hacks to obtain the accounts.
Additionally, complex methods of screen name theft have been developed over time to allow AOL crackers to gain unauthorized access to rare screen names, including 3chars. In late 2000, one AOL cracker reportedly developed software which used an AOL security glitch to gain access to all three-character screen names vulnerable to that security issue, effectively bringing many thousands of these screen names under his control. This resulted in numerous long-time users losing their accounts, and began a cottage industry of screen name barter and sale.
Read more about this topic: 3char
Famous quotes containing the words aim, screen and/or names:
“Applause is the spur of noble minds, the end and aim of weak ones.”
—C.C. (Charles Caleb)
“Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.”
—Raoul Walsh, U.S. screen writer. Frisco Doll (Mae West)
“The world is never the same as it was.... And that’s as it should be. Every generation has the obligation to make the preceding generation irrelevant. It happens in little ways: no longer knowing the names of bands or even recognizing their sounds of music; no longer implicitly understanding life’s rules: wearing plaid Bermuda shorts to the grocery and not giving it another thought.”
—Jim Shahin (20th century)