(1) (AOL Instant Messenger) America Online's instant messaging service, which supports text chat, photo sharing, online gaming and PC to PC voice. An AIM list of Instant Messenger contacts is called a "Buddy List." See instant messaging.

(2) (Application Integration Middleware) An umbrella term for middleware software that ties applications together. See application integration, middleware and PPMW.

(3) (Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility, Warrendale, PA, www.aimglobal.org) The trade association for the automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) industry. Established in 1982 as a product division of the Material Handling Institute (MHI), AIM is involved in setting standards for bar codes, magnetic stripes and RFID technology. See also AIIM.

(4) (Apple/IBM/Motorola) The alliance of Apple, IBM and Motorola, which developed the PowerPC chip and formed Taligent, Kaleida, etc. See Apple-IBM alliance.