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Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app – pure nostalgia

https://buzzed.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

( 33 comments | 3 points | on HN )
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by neogodless on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @08:58AM (#43631538)
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"?
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by giancarlostoro on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @09:25AM (#43631796)
MSN did this, I dont remember the games, I believe Yahoo had games too though separate of YIM.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by Falimonda on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @09:03AM (#43631578)
a/s/l?

also, will I be able to play pool?

Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:01AM (#43632933)
Who knows? probably :D
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by bigdang on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @09:14AM (#43631693)
Not being able to move the window is a huge miss imo.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @10:52AM (#43632817)
Coming right up! :)
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by causality0 on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @09:16AM (#43631715)
Now the real question, can I make five hundred accounts and use them with a booter program to crash the chat clients of preteens who get on audio and start screaming? Good times, good times.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by fishgoesblub on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @09:52AM (#43632118)
A missed opportunity to use XP.css!: https://github.com/botoxparty/XP.css
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @10:52AM (#43632829)
Hey! Thanks for the link. I will look into this
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by crossroadsguy on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @10:09AM (#43632328)
If I go to cyber cafes can I find profile details of people who have used Buzzed Chat before me on that machine? If not, then you must implement that feature ASAP.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by notpublic on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @10:15AM (#43632407)
Thanks! I really missed yahoo's :rofl: emoji
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by 101008 on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @10:42AM (#43632699)
awesome!
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by navigate8310 on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:12AM (#43633056)
This reminds me of these projects https://escargot.chat/ and https://nina.chat/
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by accrual on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @01:23PM (#43634742)
Also Retro AIM server, a reimplementation of the OSCAR login server in Golang!

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

Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by ferguu_ on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:12AM (#43633058)
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.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:41PM (#43640399)
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try to implement this in a future update.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by thecannoli on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:20AM (#43633135)
Triggered that nostalgia for me too, thanks for that!

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

Shoutout to Smarter Child!

Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by anon115 on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @12:00PM (#43633593)
i have to refresh to see new chats,(im on firefox)
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:42PM (#43640407)
Could you please see if it's still the same?
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by nsriv on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @12:29PM (#43633987)
I miss Meebo.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by upbeatlinux on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @01:10PM (#43634587)
Yes! It really was the best way to stay connected to friends on all the chat platforms from the 90s and early aughts.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by dustincoates on Thursday April 10, 2025 @12:38AM (#43640660)
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.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by andrewstuart on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @01:41PM (#43634942)
Layout on mobile is quite broken.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:42PM (#43640411)
I'm aware of this. Will look into asap
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by data_spy on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @01:41PM (#43634951)
a/s/l
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by ugh123 on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @02:01PM (#43635209)
Looks great! Might be helpful to have a few demo accounts
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by lakshikag on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:41PM (#43640404)
You don't need an email account to create an account, so you can simply wind up an account
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by floralhangnail on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @10:00PM (#43639927)
Pretty good, but what I really want is this skin and MSN messenger skin for Signal desktop.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by _0xdd on Wednesday April 09, 2025 @11:38PM (#43640384)
Bring back Yahoo Pool next :)
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by smusamashah on Thursday April 10, 2025 @05:15AM (#43642174)
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/

Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by debschillin on Friday April 11, 2025 @08:25AM (#43653020)
This brings back a lot of memories. Such a nice idea.
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by umutdev on Friday April 11, 2025 @04:29PM (#43658181)
why not real MSN
Re:Show HN: I built a Yahoo Messenger-inspired web chat app ... by hoatimmuaxuan on Saturday April 19, 2025 @04:17PM (#43739156)
Toi thích chat Yahoo messenger