This guide explains how to install and configure TiK for Retro AIM Server.
TiK is an open source instant messenger developed by AOL in the late 1990s. It communicates with AIM servers using TOC, a text-based alternative to the OSCAR protocol.
Installation guides are available for the following operating systems:
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Install Tcl/Tk 8.x
Download and install the latest 8.x version of the Magicsplat Tcl/Tk distribution from Sourceforge.
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Download TiK
Download mk6i's fork of TiK v0.90, which includes compatibility fixes for modern systems.
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Create File Association
The following instructions show how to make .tcl files open with the wish interpreter.
- Extract the downloaded archive in File Explorer and open the TiK folder.
- In the file listing, right-click tik.tcl → Open with...
- Windows10: → Click More apps → Click Look for another app on this PC.
- Windows11: → Click Choose an app on your PC.
- In the Open with... dialog, navigate to the following path:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Apps\Tcl86\bin - Select wish.exe and click Open.
- Windows11: Click the Always button.
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Launch TiK
In the file listing, double-click tik.tcl to launch TiK. A setup window appears.
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Set Configuration
Click the Advanced button in the setup prompt. This closes the setup window.
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Configure TOC Hostname
From the login window, click the Configure button, which brings up the connection config window.
Enter the hostname and port of the TOC server you want to connect and click OK.
If running your own server, set the values that correspond to
TOC_HOSTandTOC_PORTin the settings.env config file. -
Sign On
Relaunch TiK and sign in!
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Install Tcl/Tk 8.x
Open a terminal and install Tcl/Tk 8.x. The following example works for Ubuntu. Install the analogous packages for your distro of choice.
apt install tcl tk
-
Download TiK
Download mk6i's fork of TiK v0.90, which includes compatibility fixes for modern systems.
In the terminal, extract the downloaded archive and cd into the tik-main directory.
tar xvf /path/to/downloads/tik-main.tar.gz cd /path/to/downloads/tik-main -
Launch TiK
Enter the following command in the terminal to launch TiK. A setup window appears.
./tik.tcl
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Set Configuration
Click the Advanced button in the setup prompt. This closes the setup window.
-
Configure TOC Hostname
From the login window, click the Configure button, which brings up the connection config window.
Enter the hostname and port of the TOC server you want to connect and click OK.
If running your own server, set the values that correspond to
TOC_HOSTandTOC_PORTin the settings.env config file. -
Sign On
Now enter your Screen Name and Password and sign on to AIM!
-
Install Tcl/Tk 8.x
Open a terminal and install Tcl/Tk 8.x using Homebrew.
brew install tcl-tk@8
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Verify Tcl/Tk Version
By default, macOS includes a Tcl/Tk version that does not support TiK. Verify that version 8.x installed in the previous step is in your PATH. Run the following command in a new terminal:
echo 'puts $tcl_version' | tclsh
If the reported version is not 8.x, run
brew link tcl-tk@8orbrew doctorto fix the installation. -
Download TiK
Download mk6i's fork of TiK v0.90, which includes compatibility fixes for modern systems.
In the terminal, extract the downloaded archive and cd into the tik-main directory.
unzip /path/to/downloads/tik-main.zip cd /path/to/downloads/tik-main -
Launch TiK
Enter the following command in the terminal to launch TiK. A setup window appears.
./tik.tcl
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Set Configuration
Click the Advanced button in the setup prompt. This closes the setup window.
-
Configure TOC Hostname
From the login window, click the Configure button, which brings up the connection config window.
Enter the hostname and port of the TOC server you want to connect and click OK.
If running your own server, set the values that correspond to
TOC_HOSTandTOC_PORTin the settings.env config file. -
Sign On
Now enter your Screen Name and Password and sign on to AIM!