fbpx
Wikipedia

Windows Live Messenger

January 29, 2023

MSN Messenger (also known colloquially simply as "Messenger"[1][2]), later rebranded as Windows Live Messenger, was a cross-platform instant-messaging client developed by Microsoft.[3] It connected to the Microsoft Messenger service and, in later versions, was compatible with Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook Messenger. Versions were developed for Windows, Xbox 360, Mac OS X (later under the name Microsoft Messenger for Mac), BlackBerry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x, MSN TV, Zune HD,[4] Windows Phone, Windows Mobile and Windows CE.

Windows Live Messenger
Screenshot
Windows Live Messenger, c. 2011
Other namesMSN Messenger
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseJuly 22, 1999; 23 years ago (1999-07-22)
Final release2012 (v16.4.3508.205) (August 7, 2012; 10 years ago (2012-08-07)) [±]
Operating system
SuccessorSkype
Available in50 languages
TypeInstant messaging
LicenseProprietary (Freeware or bundled)
Websitemessenger.live.com 

The client was first released as MSN Messenger Service on July 22, 1999, and was marketed under the MSN brand until 2005, when it was rebranded under the Windows Live name. It has since been officially known by the latter name, although its first name remained in common use.[5][6] In June 2009, Microsoft reported the service attracted over 330 million active users each month, placing it among the most widely used instant-messaging clients in the world.[7]

Following its acquisition of Skype Technologies in May 2011, Microsoft added interoperability between Skype and Microsoft accounts, allowing Skype—which had features unique to its platform and a wider user base—to communicate with Windows Live Messenger contacts. In 2013, the product was discontinued, and Microsoft began cutting service to existing clients. It remained active in China for another 18 months and ceased operations there on October 31, 2014.

History

MSN Messenger 1.0–7.5 (1999–2005)

 
MSN Messenger logo, 1999–2006
 
MSN Messenger 1.0

Before the product was renamed Windows Live Messenger, it was named "MSN Messenger" from 1999 to 2006. During that time, Microsoft released seven major versions as follows. The first version of MSN Messenger Service, version 1.0 (1.0.0863), was released July 22, 1999. It included only basic features, such as plain text messaging and a simplistic contact list.[8] When it was first released, it featured support for access to America Online's AIM network. America Online continually tried to block Microsoft from having access to their service until eventually the feature was removed, and it has not re-surfaced in any later versions of the software.[9] AOL did this by exploiting a buffer overflow bug in AIM, which causes it to execute a bit of machine code sent by the server. When this code runs, it determines if the client is AIM and sends a message back to verify the client.[10] Since then, the software has only allowed connections to its own service, requiring a Windows Live ID (.NET Passport at that time) account to connect. Microsoft released the first major update, version 2.0 (2.0.0083), on November 16, 1999. It included a rotating advertising banner and the ability to customize the appearance of the chat window. It came as an install option for Windows Me. This version was followed the next year by version 3.0 (3.0.0080), which was released May 29, 2000. It included file transfers and PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone audio capabilities with Net2Phone and Callserve,[11] two of the larger VoIP providers.[12]

 
MSN Messenger 4.6

Along with the release of Windows XP came version 4.6 of MSN Messenger, on October 23, 2001. It included major changes to the user interface, the ability to group contacts, and support for voice conversations.[13] In this version, the client software was renamed from "MSN Messenger Service" to just "MSN Messenger", while the underlying service became known as ".NET Messenger Service". This version was only compatible with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0, and 2000, because Microsoft provided a scaled-down new program for Windows XP, called Windows Messenger. Version 5.0 of MSN Messenger was released on October 24, 2002. It was the first version that was allowed to be installed along with Windows Messenger on Windows XP.[14] It included UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) based file transfers, minor changes to the user interface artwork, and a Windows Media Player interface plug-in.[15]

Version 6.0 of MSN Messenger was released July 17, 2003. MSN Messenger 6.0 was a major overhaul of the whole platform, upgrading its simple text-based interface to include customizable elements such as emoticons, personalized avatars, and backgrounds. An update, version 6.1, focused on improvements to the conversation window, enabling users to hide the window frame and menu bar, and also the ability to change the theme color. The theme color could be set differently for each user. Another update, version 6.2, was released April 22, 2004, and it was the last version of the MSN Messenger 6 series. The most notable changes were a dedicated Mobile group for mobile contacts, a connection troubleshooter, and the Launch Site feature was renamed to Fun & Games.

MSN Messenger received a major upgrade to version 7.0 on April 7, 2005. This version brought wink features that were previously only available in threedegrees. This version also advertised items to sell to you including animated display pictures, emoticons and backgrounds. The contact list window style was also updated to match instant message windows. This version also introduced the Xbox Live Integration feature. This version also introduced digital ink and handwriting recognition support. It is the last version of MSN Messenger to support Windows 98, Windows Me and Windows 2000.

The last version of MSN Messenger before the name change, version 7.5, was released August 23, 2005. New features included the Dynamic Backgrounds feature and the "msnim" protocol handler, which allowed Web sites to provide links which automatically add a contact or start conversations. Additionally, a new Voice Clips feature allowed users to hold down F2 and record a message for a maximum of 15 seconds and send it to the recipient. The window for conversations was changed slightly with an added video button. This version also introduced the Windows Installer for its auto-update feature.[16]

Windows Live Messenger 8.0–8.5 (2005–2009)

 
Windows Live Messenger 8.0

As part of Microsoft's Windows Live effort, which rebranded many existing MSN services and programs, MSN Messenger was renamed "Windows Live Messenger" beginning with version 8.0.

The first beta of the newly renamed Windows Live Messenger, Beta 1, was released on December 13, 2005.[6] Major changes and additions included offline messaging, an option to change the color theme of the windows, separated send and search boxes, a word wheel search box in the main window, and additional details for contacts when hovering over their names in the contact list window.

The second beta of version 8.0, Beta 2, was released on February 26, 2006.[6] The overall theme of this version was improved, fixing and improving several smaller places in the program. Major changes and additions included the introduction of Windows Live Contacts, the reintroduction of single file transfer, improvements to the "Add a Contact" dialog box, improved color themes, minor changes in the conversation window, and revert of the "Busy" status icon back to the normal dash icon.[17]

The final beta version, Beta 3, was released on May 2, 2006.[6] Major changes and additions included new icons for the program, PC-to-phone calling, an updated look for the Windows Live Call window, a new default display picture, the Windows Live Today window, improvements to the grouping of sequential messages from each contact, Rhapsody integration in the U.S., and an option for sounds to be edited and/or turned off.[18]

The official release of Windows Live Messenger version 8.0 was on June 19, 2006.[6] Although no notable changes were made between Beta 3 and the final version,[19] the change from MSN Messenger to Windows Live Messenger brought some additional changes, such as customization for the nicknames of individual contacts, timestamps on messages, the ability to see a contact's name only once if the same person writes multiple messages in a row, and color schemes for the entire application. The main authentication system, Microsoft Passport Network, was replaced with Windows Live ID at the same time. A refresh to version 8.0 was released on August 10, 2006.[6] It included audio and video improvements and fixed up minor bugs.[20]

The first update to Windows Live Messenger was previewed on October 30, 2006, with the release of Beta 1 of version 8.1.[6] No major changes were made, but several minor changes were included. These include the addition of the roaming identity feature (so that the same user's display name and picture would appear on any computer), a new contact card appearance, a "recently used" list for the emoticon, wink, display picture and background menus, an SMS phone book in the main menu allowing the association and editing of a phone number to the contact and allowing text messaging to a contact, a "sign out" button, a "report abuse" option in the help menu, interoperability with Yahoo! Messenger, and improvements to user status on Windows Vista[21]

A minor update, the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta 1 Refresh, was released on December 13, 2006,[6] and fixed bugs that were causing some people to be unable to sign in and others unable to see their contact list.[22]

The final version 8.1 was released on January 29, 2007.[6] No changes were made from the Beta 1 Refresh.[23] All versions of Windows Live Messenger below version 8.1 were rendered obsolete on September 12, 2007, due to a security issue identified when a user accepts a webcam or video chat invitation from an attacker.[24]

On September 12, 2007, the Windows Live Messenger blog posted a fix that resolved a security problem. It reported of a security vulnerability in versions of Messenger older than 8.1, that the released fix would resolve. This led to an auto-update being released to all older versions. Versions running on Windows 2000 and below were required to update to a new version of MSN Messenger 7.0, and versions running on Windows XP and above were required to update to Windows Live Messenger 8.1.[24]

On August 27, 2009, the Windows Live Messenger blog posted that due to a security problem, all users of versions 8.1 and newer need to update to the latest version, 14.0.8089. The mandatory upgrade requirement would be fully phased in by late October 2009 and began on September 15, 2009.

The first beta of Windows Live Messenger 8.5, Beta 1, was released on May 31, 2007.[6] An update was released on June 21, 2007, to test updates being installed by Microsoft Update. This version required Windows XP SP2, compared to previous versions requiring Windows XP SP1. It was the first version to be installed in a "Windows Live" folder under "Program Files", with the shortcuts placed in a "Windows Live" folder in the Start Menu.

Major changes and additions in Beta 1 included a new installation program in conjunction with the release of Windows Live 2.0, a new look for all of its windows that matches the aesthetic styles of Windows Vista,[25] a new "bunny" emoticon,[26] and integration with Windows Live OneCare Family Safety.[27] Beginning with this version, updates could be downloaded and installed through Microsoft Update.

The second beta of Windows Live Messenger 8.5, Beta 2, was released on September 5, 2007.[28] Several issues were fixed in Beta 2, but no significant changes were applied. Compared with the first beta, the build does not say "Beta" on the top of the window, although developers had noted that it was not the final release. The new Windows Live Installer, which is used to install Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Beta 2, does not run on Windows Server 2003.

The final release of Windows Live Messenger version 8.5 was released on November 6, 2007, and it introduced no major changes.[29]

Windows Live Messenger 14.0–16.4 (2009–2012)

Windows Live Messenger 2009 was originally designated version 9.0, it was later assigned the technical version number 14.0, in order to be unified with the other Windows Live programs and Microsoft Office programs.

In a presentation to the Georgia Institute of Technology's IEEE Student Branch, Microsoft employee Andrew Jenks reported that the Messenger team had been working on multi-person audio/video chat, and they are also attempting to create interoperability with AIM/XMPP/ICQ. There is a basic internal version that works with XMPP already.[30] However, these features were not seen in any versions of Windows Live Messenger 2009.

Microsoft sent an invitation to participate in the Windows Live Messenger "9" beta program to Microsoft Connect members on November 20, 2007; a week later, Microsoft began sending out emails welcoming them to the Windows Live Messenger "9" beta program for the first release, known as Beta 0.

A fan site for Windows Live Messenger, Mess.be, claimed to have a new build of Windows Live Messenger "9" on August 11, 2008, and published screenshots along with a brief summary of new features. The screenshots featured a new user interface design matching the "Wave 3" design in development by Microsoft. The images were later removed by the site after a DMCA notice was received.[31] The installer for the same build was leaked through private forums on August 23, 2008. It would later be discovered this build was a preview of Milestone 2, or M2.

News web site LiveSide published an article on September 4, 2008, with screenshots of M2 of the newly minted "Windows Live Messenger 2009", which had become version 14.0 instead of 9.0 as previously expected. LiveSide summarized its new features, including protection against messaging spam, the ability to stay signed into the application from several computers (referred to as "Multiple Points of Presence Support"), animated GIF files in the photo area, per-contact customized sounds for various user actions, and clickable URLs in the status area.[32]

Microsoft began the official beta program for Windows Live Messenger 2009 on September 17, 2008, when it released a new beta officially known as Windows Live Messenger 2009 Beta (Milestone 3, Build 14.0.5027.908), which was made available to the general public as a free download. The ability to submit feedback, however, was restricted to select participants of the Microsoft Connect closed beta program.

Notable changes in Milestone 3 include a new revamped and refined user interface to follow suit with the rest of the Windows Live "Wave 3" design, the ability to set a "Scene" by customizing the background image and color of the contact list, and the display of these scenes in conversation windows for improved contact identification and window management.

Milestone 3 also brings a new "Groups" feature that allows users to create a continuous group conversation between select contacts, newly redesigned status icons which now resemble small gems rather than the previous "Messenger Buddy" icons, a new default "Favorites" category in which you can place your favorite contacts for easy access to them, a new Photo Sharing utility that allows contacts to quickly and easily browse photos together, and a "What's New" section at the bottom of the contact list to outline recent contact updates. Display pictures have been moved over to the left side of conversation windows, and new colorful borders appear around display pictures to display the current status of that contact. Milestone 3 is the first version of Windows Live Messenger to use the standard window frame on Windows Vista in accordance with the user experience guidelines.

Several features were removed in version 9.0 however, such as the ability to use add-ins, the ability to transfer files when the recipient is signed in as offline, the "Be right back", "Out to lunch", and "In a call" status options,[33] the Go to my space button, the ability to adjust webcam settings during a video call, the Send button,[34] some games (depending on your localization) and integration with Windows Contacts.[35] Other features were replaced, such as Sharing Folders[36] (replaced by integration with Windows Live SkyDrive) and background sharing (replaced by the "Scene" feature).

On December 15, 2008, Windows Live Messenger 2009 RC (Build 14.0.8050.1202) was released together with the other Windows Live Wave 3 software applications, now renamed as Windows Live Essentials.[37] This version saw a removal of the custom sign-in sound feature however it is still possible to select a sound for other individuals, as well as changes to how the background image chosen is applied to the conversation windows. This build also included over 200 bug fixes including the "Custom Emoticon Bug" and saving of pictures when using the Photo sharing feature. On January 7, 2009, the same build was released as the final version of Windows Live Messenger 2009.[38]

The last QFE update for Wave 3 was released on May 12, 2010, and saw the removal of some features from Windows Live Messenger. Specifically, the ability to independently show only your own webcam or your contacts' webcam (one way webcam) and without an audio call is gone.[39] It is only possible to start a video call which starts the webcams of both people communicating, and which also automatically starts audio calling. Also removed is the ability to import and save/export instant messaging contacts to and from .CTT files.[40]

On June 14, 2012, Microsoft has made the update from 2009 to 2011 mandatory for those using Windows Vista or 7. 2009 continues to be usable for those still running XP.[41] This can be circumvented by running Windows Live Messenger in Windows XP compatibility mode, thus making it believe it is running on Windows XP.[42]

In late March 2010, a beta of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 was leaked onto the internet and has since spread to various BitTorrent networks, which included a private beta build of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4. However, as the software was designed for private beta testing, non-beta testers cannot sign into this leaked build.[43]

The new software features a revamped interface which brings the "What's new" section of Windows Live to the new "social pane", similar to the way a social networking site presents updates. Among the new features are tabbed conversations, a redesign of the old emoticons, integration of Bing results, built-in video message support, HD video chat, in-line commenting of social updates, a new social photo viewer that supports commenting (for Facebook and SkyDrive photos), badges support, synchronized status updates, availability by categories, as well as integration with Facebook chat. However, several features had also been removed from the previous version, such as the removal of display names, handwriting tool,[44] one-way webcam requests and import/export of instant messaging contacts feature. The "Wave 4" release of Windows Live Essentials, which includes Messenger, also dropped compatibility with Windows XP and only runs on Windows Vista or Windows 7.[45]

The new Windows Live Messenger for the iOS became available on the App Store on June 21, 2010, in addition to other mobile versions of Windows Live Messenger for Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Symbian mobile platforms.[46]

On June 24, 2010, a public beta of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 was released as part of the new Windows Live Essentials beta.[47] A "beta refresh" of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 was released on August 17, 2010, as part of an upgraded Windows Live Essentials beta.[48] The final version of Windows Live Messenger 2011 (Wave 4) was released on September 30, 2010.[49] On the same date, a version of Windows Live Messenger for Zune HD also became available.[50][51]

On August 7, 2012, Microsoft delivered a new version of the Windows Essentials 2012 suite, which includes Windows Live Messenger 2012.[52][53]

Discontinuation

On November 6, 2012, Microsoft announced that Messenger and Skype services would merge in the first quarter of 2013. According to Tony Bates (president of Skype Division at the time), Messenger users could sign into Skype using their Microsoft accounts, access their Messenger contacts and communicate as usual.[54][55] On January 8, 2013, Microsoft emailed Messenger users and informed them that with the exception of mainland China, the Messenger service would stop working on March 15, 2013, and users would not be able to sign in.[56]

On February 15, 2013, ZDNet wrote the discontinuation email was only sent to one percent of Messenger users, a test group.[57] On the same day, Microsoft announced its plans to phase out Messenger: the process would start on April 8, 2013, with English users and would end on April 30, 2013; Messenger would remain available in mainland China.[58] According to ZDNet, this might only apply to the ability to sign in with Messenger client; Microsoft would keep its Messenger service running for another year.[57] "Windows Live Messenger Upgrades to Skype", as they were referred to by Microsoft, started on April 8, 2013. This transition took place language by language. Brazil was the last country to be "upgraded", on April 30.

Chinese Messenger users received an email from Microsoft in August 2014, containing an announcement that Messenger service in China would end on October 31, 2014; users were advised to migrate to Skype and receive free credits.[59][60]

Features

In addition to its basic functionality and general capability as an instant messaging client, the latest version of Windows Live Messenger offered the following features:

Album Viewer

See also: Windows Photo Gallery

Windows Live Messenger's album viewer is based on Windows Photo Gallery and provides users a photo viewing experience for photo albums shared via SkyDrive and Facebook. The album viewer is interactive and supports full screen and slideshow modes, as well as viewing and uploading comments on Facebook and SkyDrive albums. It also supports people tagging for SkyDrive. The album viewer closely resembles the Microsoft Silverlight counterpart for web photo albums present on SkyDrive.

Appear offline to individuals or categories

Windows Live Messenger allows users to appear offline to particular individual contacts, as well as to an entire category within Windows Live Messenger, while appearing online to other contacts.

This is a recent feature of Windows Live Messenger 2011, and is a departure from the previous versions of Windows Live Messenger, where blocking a contact would prevent the "blockee" from sending the user any messages to the "blocker". With the "appear offline to" configuration currently implemented, "hidden from" users can still send "offline messages" to the target.[61]

Social networks integration

Users can connect services such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn using Windows Live Profile, and display their contact's Messenger social updates within the "Full view" of Windows Live Messenger. Users can also post status updates and photos directly to the connected services within Windows Live Messenger. Additionally, Messenger also imports all contacts from the connected services and integrates with Facebook Chat (via the XMPP protocol) for instant messaging support with users on Facebook.

Offline messaging

One can send messages to contacts who are offline; they will receive the messages once they come online. Additionally, a user can start conversations even when their status is set to Appear Offline in Windows Live Messenger 2009 or before.

Games and applications

Main article: Games and applications for Windows Live Messenger

There are various games and applications available in Windows Live Messenger that can be accessed via the conversation window by clicking on the games icon, and challenging your friend or contact to a competition in a game, or inviting them to launch a shared external application.

Messenger Companion

 
Windows Live Messenger Companion

Windows Live Messenger Companion was an add-in for Windows Internet Explorer that detects when a user is on a website that one of their friends has shared content from and surfaces that update so that the user can instantly view what their friends have shared and leave a comment to the shared content on Windows Live.[62] The service utilizes Windows Live ID and integrates tightly with Windows Live Messenger to obtain the user's contact list and their shared contents. The features of Windows Live Messenger Companion include:

  • Sharing links to web pages with the user's friends on Windows Live within the web browser
  • See links to web pages the user's friends have shared
  • Add comments to the links the user's friends have shared

Windows Live Messenger Companion was made available as part of Windows Live Essentials 2011. However, Microsoft discontinued Messenger Companion in its newer Windows Essentials 2012 suite.

Protocol

Main article: Microsoft Notification Protocol

Windows Live Messenger used the Microsoft Notification Protocol (MSNP) over TCP (and optionally over HTTP to deal with proxies) to connect to Microsoft Messenger service—a service offered on port 1863 of "messenger.hotmail.com."

The protocol is not completely secret; Microsoft disclosed version 2 (MSNP2) to developers in 1999 in an Internet Draft,[63] but never released versions 8 or higher to the public. The Messenger service servers currently only accept protocol versions from 8 and higher, so the syntax of new commands sent from versions 8 and higher is only known by using packet sniffers like Wireshark. This has been an easy task because – in comparison to many other modern instant messaging protocols, such as XMPP – the Microsoft Notification Protocol does not provide any encryption and everything can be captured easily using packet sniffers. The lack of proper encryption also makes wiretapping friend lists and personal conversations a trivial task, especially in unencrypted public Wi-Fi networks.

Content filtering

The content of users' messages is filtered on server side of the client. For example, the user can't send the links to The Pirate Bay's pages neither from the Windows Live Messenger, nor through other clients supporting the protocol. However, links to other P2P networks are allowed.[64]

"i'm" initiative

The i'm initiative was a program Microsoft launched in March 2007, that connects the user with ten organizations dedicated to social causes through Windows Live Messenger, only for conversations sent or received in the USA. Every time someone had a conversation using i'm, Microsoft Corp. shared a portion of the program's advertising revenue with the organization of the user's choice. There was no set cap on the amount donated to each organization. The more i'm conversations the user had, the more money went to one of the ten causes. Each participating organization was guaranteed a minimum donation of $100,000 during the first year of the program. The i'm initiative worked with version 8.1 and above.

In March 2010, the initiative concluded, having raised over 3 million dollars.[65]

Platforms

 
Messenger Mobile WAP version

Messenger Mobile (formerly named Windows Live Messenger Mobile) was the version of Messenger that was aimed to be used on mobile devices over a cellular data plan or Wi-Fi (if supported by the phone). There was also a WAP-compatible version that may be used on any mobile device, and also specific client versions designed for Windows Mobile, iOS, BlackBerry and Nokia Series 60 devices.

Windows Mobile

A client version of Windows Live Messenger Mobile was a part of client application named "Windows Live for Windows Mobile" included with the Windows Mobile 6 operating system. It was included on both Windows Mobile 6 smartphone edition (non-touch screen phones) and professional (touch screen phones). Among other features you could send voice-clips (max 10 seconds), pictures & emoticons.

Xbox

Windows Live Messenger support was included in the Xbox 360 spring 2007 dashboard update released on May 9, 2007.[66] It was known as Xbox Live Messenger.[67]

Those using Windows Live Messenger were able to see the Gamertags of friends logged into Xbox Live, including the games that they were playing. Xbox 360 users could chat in-game or while watching a movie. Although only text chat was supported, Microsoft suggested that voice and video chatting may come in a future update.[citation needed] Support for child accounts was added in December 2007.

To coincide with the arrival of the integration of Windows Live Messenger with Xbox Live, Microsoft released a new Xbox 360 keyboard adapter called the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit for easier text input. The keyboard device attaches to the standard Xbox 360 controller through the headphone jack and features a QWERTY-style key layout with 47 backlit keys. However, any USB keyboard is also compatible with the Xbox 360.

Microsoft also announced on June 14, 2010, that users on Xbox LIVE with the controller-free Kinect could have real-time video conversations with Windows Live Messenger contacts. This feature was enabled at launch.[68]

MSN TV (WebTV)

 
MSN Messenger on MSN TV 2

Starting in the summer of 2000, the Microsoft-owned web access product MSN TV (then known as WebTV) introduced a software upgrade for users of its internet terminals that added a basic messaging client among other features. The messaging client was designed to work with the Microsoft Messenger service and was simply named MSN Messenger.[69] The client for the original WebTV/MSN TV internet terminals supported basic presence, plain text messages (no graphical emoticons), and buddy lists, with the overall WebTV/MSN TV service hosting services for users to add, remove, or block Messenger contacts and manage their Messenger settings. Windows Live Messenger support was later added to the MSN TV 2, introducing a new UI to fit the rest of the MSN TV 2's interface and support for graphical emotions. It's believed these clients still worked up until the discontinuation of the MSN TV service in September 2013.

Although WebTV was also available in Japan well before the Summer 2000 upgrade was introduced in the U.S., it does not appear that Japanese WebTV users ever received this Messenger feature.

Mac

Microsoft Messenger for Mac (previously MSN Messenger for Mac) was the official Mac OS X instant messaging client for use with Microsoft Messenger service, developed by the Macintosh Business Unit, a division of Microsoft. Its feature list was limited in comparison to that of its counterpart Windows Live Messenger; the client lacked a number of features that its Windows counterpart contained.

The versions 3.x and later of Microsoft Messenger for Mac featured new Aqua graphics, whereas version 2.x and below have graphics similar to Windows Messenger 4.0. Versions 5.x used the brushed metal theme.

  • Version 2.5.1, update to version 2.5, which is a mandatory update to version 2.1 that is available for users running Mac OS 9.2.2.
  • Version 3.5 for Mac OS X revisions older than 10.2.8
  • Version 4.0.1 for Mac OS X revisions 10.2.8 and newer
  • Version 5.1.1 for Mac OS X revisions 10.3 and newer
  • Version 6.0.3 for Mac OS X revisions 10.3.9 and newer
  • Version 7.0.0 for Mac OS X 10.4.9 or newer was released on April 29, 2008.
  • Version 7.0.1 for Mac OS X 10.4 or later includes minor bug fixes.
  • Version 7.0.2 for Mac OS X 10.4 or later: improves overall quality and conversations with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2.
  • Version 8.0.0 beta for Mac OS X 10.5 or later, for Intel Macs only: Official Beta released on March, 24th 2010. Adds A/V conferencing between Mac OS X users and Windows Live Messenger 2009 users.
  • Version 8.0.0 for Mac OS X 10.5 or later, for Intel Macs only: Released with Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac in October 2010 and bears a visual similarity to previous Windows counterparts. It features somewhat more stable functional voice and video calls.

With the release of Microsoft Messenger for Mac 7.0, Microsoft has discontinued the client's support for older versions of their Corporate messaging systems (such as Live Communications Server 2005).[citation needed] The latest version to support these older systems is Version 6.0.3, which is still available for download on the Microsoft website.

Webcam and audio support was delayed due to Windows Live Messenger's webcam and audio engine being reworked, which meant that the Mac version had to wait until this was complete in order for both platform releases to function correctly.

iOS

The Windows Live Messenger for iOS client supported receiving of instant messaging notifications even when the application closed, and allowed Multiple Points of Presence (MPOP) such that a user can be signed into multiple locations at the same time. Photos and albums could also be uploaded from the mobile devices onto Windows Live Photos, based on SkyDrive, and the application allowed simple image editing capabilities and people tagging within the photos. The application also supported the "Messenger social" feed on Windows Live Profile, allowing users to view and comment on the social updates and activities of their contacts on Windows Live, as well as those on Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn once these social networks had been connected to Windows Live as a "Service".

Java ME

Nokia Series 40

The Windows Live Messenger Mobile client came as a Java ME mobile application pre-loaded on devices such as Nokia 7610, Nokia 7510, Nokia 7210, Nokia 6700c, Nokia 6600s, Nokia 6303c, Nokia 6260s, Nokia 5220, Nokia 5130XM, Nokia 3720c, Nokia 3710f, Nokia, 3600s, Nokia 2730c, Nokia 2700c, Nokia 5530, Nokia 6303c and Nokia X3.

Sony Ericsson

A version of the Windows Live Messenger Mobile client was also pre-loaded on most Sony Ericsson mobile devices as a Java ME application.[70]

Symbian

 
Windows Live Messenger running on an S60 Platform device.

A client for Windows Live Messenger was developed by Microsoft for the Symbian S60 Platform commonly used on mobile phones such as Nokia smartphones and released on August 23, 2007, to selected markets. In May 2009, the client was made available on the Ovi Store. This version of Windows Live Messenger included many of the features of the Windows Live Messenger client, including grouped contacts, voice clips (max 10 seconds), image and file sending; as well as features unique to S60 such as tabbed chat windows and integration with contact list and other features of the S60 platform.[71] When the trial expires the cost to users of Messenger for S60 is £1.50/$2.94 for 30 calendar days of use.[72] As of February 2009, Microsoft stopped charging for Windows Live Mobile and the service is now offered for free.[73]

Interoperability

On October 13, 2005, Yahoo! and Microsoft announced plans to add interoperability between their messenger services.[74] The announcement came after years of third-party interoperability success (most notably, PowWow by Tribal Voice,[75][76] Trillian, Pidgin) and criticisms from Tribal Voice and iCast that the major real time communications services were locking their networks.[77] Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger became interoperable on July 12, 2006.[78][79] For six years, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger users in possession of up-to-date software could communicate across the two networks. Instant messaging as well as transmission of emoticons, nudges, offline messages, presence information and personal status messages were supported.[80] On December 14, 2012, the interoperability ended.[81]

Interoperability with Facebook Chat was added on September 30, 2010, with the launch of Windows Live Messenger 2011.

See also

References

  1. ^ Billington, James (September 1, 2014). "10 things we remember about MSN Messenger". News.com.au. from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Basa, Eul (December 2015). "30 MSN Memories Everybody Knows All Too Well". Narcity. from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Warren, Tom (August 29, 2014). "MSN Messenger is shutting down after 15 years of memories". The Verge. from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  4. ^ . 1800PocketPC. October 3, 2010. Archived from the original on September 6, 2011.
  5. ^ "Microsoft Launches MSN Messenger Service". News Center. Microsoft. July 21, 1999. from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j . Inside Windows Live Messenger. Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 23, 2008.
  7. ^ Protalinski, Emil (June 15, 2009). "Windows Live Messenger Has 330 Million Active Users." January 31, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Ars Technica. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Majid, Akbar (June 29, 2009). RIP: MSN Web Messenger, July 22, 1999 – June 30, 2009 September 18, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. merinews.com.
  9. ^ "AOL blocks Microsoft Net messaging". CNET News.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012.
  10. ^ "America Online Exploits Bug In Own Software". from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  11. ^ . m2.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ Crouch, Cameron (July 20, 2000). MSN gives Messenger a voice April 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Networkworld.com.
  13. ^ Keizer, Gregg (February 26, 2002). Instant Messaging Road-Test – Messenger 4.6 September 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. ZDNet.
  14. ^ Wilcox, Joe (September 25, 2002). Microsoft puts a price on IM features May 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. CNET Networks.
  15. ^ Flickinger, Derek R. (July 2003). Windows XP interactions with UPnP-based IDGs version 1.0 April 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Home Toys.
  16. ^ "Patching". Microsoft Developer Network.
  17. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.0 Beta 2 blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (February 27, 2006). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  18. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.0 Beta 3 blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (May 2, 2006). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  19. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.0 Final release blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (June 19, 2006). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  20. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.0 Final Refresh blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (August 10, 2006). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  21. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta 1 blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (October 30, 2006). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  22. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta Refresh blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (December 13, 2006). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  23. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Final blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (January 29, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Windows Live Messenger blog: Upgrading to 8.1 December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (September 12, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  25. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Beta 1 blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (May 30, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  26. ^ Details about the bunny emoticon at the Windows Live Messenger blog December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (May 30, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  27. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta available from June 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. LiveSide.net (May 30, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  28. ^ Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Beta 2 blog entry December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (September 5, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  29. ^ Official Windows Live Messenger team blog: Announcing Windows Live Messenger 8.5! December 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Messengersays.spaces.live.com (November 6, 2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  30. ^ . Liveside.net. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  31. ^ News post at Mess.be of exclusive 9.0 build October 19, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Mess.be. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  32. ^ Jeremy Kirk. "Microsoft to clamp down on spam over IM". IDG News. from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  33. ^ Get back the statuses which were removed from WLM 2009 March 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Msghelp.net (January 13, 2009). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  34. ^ Unable to send typed messages – no send button April 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Vistax64.com (December 29, 2008). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  35. ^ Where has the "encrypt contact list data" option gone? May 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Vistax64.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  36. ^ Windows Live Messenger 9.0, No Sharing Folders? June 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Aeroxp.org. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  37. ^ Refreshing the Windows Live Essentials beta December 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Windowslivewire.spaces.live.com (December 15, 2008). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  38. ^ Windows Live Essentials is ready to download December 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Windowslivewire.spaces.live.com (January 7, 2009). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  39. ^ Messenger 2009 QFE3 update removes Webcam feature and the I'm (*help) emoticon March 22, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. Messengergeek.spaces.live.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  40. ^ Save/import of contacts also gone in latest QFE3 update of Messenger 2009 March 22, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. Messengergeek.spaces.live.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  41. ^ R., Rudi (June 15, 2012). "Mandatory Update to Windows Live Essentials is now available". Microsoft Community. Microsoft. from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  42. ^ "How to Disable Windows Live Messenger 2009 Force to Update". Web Talk. January 25, 2011. from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  43. ^ "Windows Live Messenger 2010 leaked: Details and screenshots inside", , archived from the original on December 6, 2010, retrieved April 20, 2012
  44. ^ "Wave 4: What's New in Messenger?", , April 28, 2010, archived from the original on May 3, 2010, retrieved May 17, 2010
  45. ^ "Getting ready for Windows Live Wave 4", Windows team (blog), Microsoft, from the original on May 3, 2010, retrieved April 20, 2012
  46. ^ Rosa Golijan (April 27, 2010). "Windows Live Messenger iPhone App Almost Looks Better Than Desktop Version". Gizmodo. from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  47. ^ . Microsoft. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  48. ^ Jones, Chris (August 17, 2010). "Windows Live Essentials 2011 beta refresh". Microsoft. from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  49. ^ Jones, Chris (September 30, 2010). "Windows Live Essentials 2011 available for download now". from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  50. ^ LeBlanc, Brandon (October 1, 2010). "Windows Live Messenger for the Zune HD". Blogging Windows. Microsoft. from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  51. ^ Warren, Tom (October 1, 2010). "Windows Live Messenger for Zune HD released". Neowin. from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  52. ^ "Windows Essentials 2012 released, comes with new Movie Maker and Photo Gallery". WinBeta. August 7, 2012. from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  53. ^ Serea, Razvan (August 8, 2012). "Windows Essentials 2012 (16.4.3503.0728) released". Neowin. from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  54. ^ Wilhelm, Alex (November 6, 2012). "Confirmed: Microsoft to retire its Messenger IM service in Q1 2013, moving 100M+ users to Skype in single act". The Next Web. from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  55. ^ Bates, Tony (November 6, 2012). "Talk to your Messenger Contacts on Skype". Skype Blog. Microsoft. from the original on April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  56. ^ Protalinski, Emil (January 9, 2013). "Microsoft confirms Messenger will be retired and users migrated to Skype on March 15". The Next Web. from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  57. ^ a b Foley, Mary Jo (April 1, 2013). "Countdown clock: Microsoft marches toward its Messenger phase-out". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  58. ^ Munsell, Parri (February 15, 2013). "Skype and Messenger Coming Together: The Next Chapter". Skype Blog. Microsoft. from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  59. ^ "MSN Messenger Is Shutting Down In Oct, 31". TechieSmith. August 31, 2014. from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  60. ^ Xiang, Tracey (August 29, 2014). "The Once-beloved Microsoft Messenger to Finally Shut Down in Mainland China". TechNode. from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  61. ^ (review), Menthix, archived from the original on March 3, 2012, retrieved April 20, 2012
  62. ^ What's New in Messenger: Windows Live Reviewer's Guide May 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Windowslivepreview.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  63. ^ draft-movva-msn-messenger-protocol-00 – MSN Messenger Service 1.0 Protocol. Tools.ietf.org (August 31, 1999). Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  64. ^ Van Der Sar, Ernesto (March 24, 2012). "Microsoft Censors Pirate Bay Links in Windows Live Messenger". TorrentFreak. from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012. Whatever Microsoft's reason for monitoring private conversations and then swallowing Pirate Bay links, the Redmond-based company's censorship policies are not very consistent. All of the other large BitTorrent sites remain unaffected, even though they offer content that's identical to The Pirate Bay.
  65. ^ . Windows Live website. Microsoft Corporation. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  66. ^ News on Spring 2007 Update December 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from Xbox.com.
  67. ^ Support page September 26, 2020, at the Wayback Machine from Xbox.com. Retrieved on December 16, 2009.
  68. ^ -Inside Windows Live: Connecting Windows Live Messenger and Xbox LIVE June 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  69. ^ Davenport, Dexter. . Net4TV Voice. Archived from the original on February 27, 2002. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  70. ^ "Sony Ericsson support website: Windows Live Messenger". Sonyericsson.com. from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  71. ^ . Europe.nokia.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  72. ^ Metz, Cade (January 9, 2008). "Microsoft set to milk mobile Messenger mavens?". The Register. from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  73. ^ "Nokia Europe - Frequently asked questions about Windows Live". Europe.nokia.com. from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  74. ^ "Yahoo and MSN marry IM services, vnunet.com, October 13, 2005". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2006.
  75. ^ Hansen, Evan (December 10, 1999). "AOL, Tribal Voice exchange messaging blows". CNet.com. from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  76. ^ Hu, Jim (December 4, 2000). "AOL rival drops instant messaging service". CNet.com. from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  77. ^ Hu, Jim (April 25, 2000). "AOL instant messaging rivals file complaint with FCC". Cnet.com. from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  78. ^ Yahoo Interoperability Arrives July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Bigblueball.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  79. ^ Microsoft Press Release: Yahoo! and Microsoft Bridge Global Instant Messaging Communities January 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Microsoft.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2012.
  80. ^ Talk to your Yahoo! friends from Windows Live Messenger October 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Inside Windows Live Messenger. Microsoft. Retrieved on December 20, 2012.
  81. ^ MSN Messenger interoperability discontinuing on December 14 December 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Yahoo.com. Retrieved on December 17, 2012.

January 29, 2023
windows, live, messenger, messenger, also, known, colloquially, simply, messenger, later, rebranded, cross, platform, instant, messaging, client, developed, microsoft, connected, microsoft, messenger, service, later, versions, compatible, with, yahoo, messenge. MSN Messenger also known colloquially simply as Messenger 1 2 later rebranded as Windows Live Messenger was a cross platform instant messaging client developed by Microsoft 3 It connected to the Microsoft Messenger service and in later versions was compatible with Yahoo Messenger and Facebook Messenger Versions were developed for Windows Xbox 360 Mac OS X later under the name Microsoft Messenger for Mac BlackBerry OS iOS Java ME S60 on Symbian OS 9 x MSN TV Zune HD 4 Windows Phone Windows Mobile and Windows CE Windows Live MessengerScreenshotWindows Live Messenger c 2011Other namesMSN MessengerDeveloper s MicrosoftInitial releaseJuly 22 1999 23 years ago 1999 07 22 Final release2012 v16 4 3508 205 August 7 2012 10 years ago 2012 08 07 Operating systemWindows 98 to Windows 8 Mac OS X Windows Mobile Windows Phone Symbian OS 9 x BlackBerry OS iOS Windows CE Xbox 360 MSN TV WebTV SuccessorSkypeAvailable in50 languagesTypeInstant messagingLicenseProprietary Freeware or bundled Websitemessenger wbr live wbr com The client was first released as MSN Messenger Service on July 22 1999 and was marketed under the MSN brand until 2005 when it was rebranded under the Windows Live name It has since been officially known by the latter name although its first name remained in common use 5 6 In June 2009 Microsoft reported the service attracted over 330 million active users each month placing it among the most widely used instant messaging clients in the world 7 Following its acquisition of Skype Technologies in May 2011 Microsoft added interoperability between Skype and Microsoft accounts allowing Skype which had features unique to its platform and a wider user base to communicate with Windows Live Messenger contacts In 2013 the product was discontinued and Microsoft began cutting service to existing clients It remained active in China for another 18 months and ceased operations there on October 31 2014 Contents 1 History 1 1 MSN Messenger 1 0 7 5 1999 2005 1 2 Windows Live Messenger 8 0 8 5 2005 2009 1 3 Windows Live Messenger 14 0 16 4 2009 2012 1 4 Discontinuation 2 Features 2 1 Album Viewer 2 2 Appear offline to individuals or categories 2 3 Social networks integration 2 4 Offline messaging 2 5 Games and applications 2 6 Messenger Companion 2 7 Protocol 2 8 Content filtering 2 9 i m initiative 3 Platforms 3 1 Windows Mobile 3 2 Xbox 3 3 MSN TV WebTV 3 4 Mac 3 5 iOS 3 6 Java ME 3 6 1 Nokia Series 40 3 6 2 Sony Ericsson 3 7 Symbian 4 Interoperability 5 See also 6 ReferencesHistoryMSN Messenger 1 0 7 5 1999 2005 MSN Messenger logo 1999 2006 MSN Messenger 1 0 Before the product was renamed Windows Live Messenger it was named MSN Messenger from 1999 to 2006 During that time Microsoft released seven major versions as follows The first version of MSN Messenger Service version 1 0 1 0 0863 was released July 22 1999 It included only basic features such as plain text messaging and a simplistic contact list 8 When it was first released it featured support for access to America Online s AIM network America Online continually tried to block Microsoft from having access to their service until eventually the feature was removed and it has not re surfaced in any later versions of the software 9 AOL did this by exploiting a buffer overflow bug in AIM which causes it to execute a bit of machine code sent by the server When this code runs it determines if the client is AIM and sends a message back to verify the client 10 Since then the software has only allowed connections to its own service requiring a Windows Live ID NET Passport at that time account to connect Microsoft released the first major update version 2 0 2 0 0083 on November 16 1999 It included a rotating advertising banner and the ability to customize the appearance of the chat window It came as an install option for Windows Me This version was followed the next year by version 3 0 3 0 0080 which was released May 29 2000 It included file transfers and PC to PC and PC to phone audio capabilities with Net2Phone and Callserve 11 two of the larger VoIP providers 12 MSN Messenger 4 6 Along with the release of Windows XP came version 4 6 of MSN Messenger on October 23 2001 It included major changes to the user interface the ability to group contacts and support for voice conversations 13 In this version the client software was renamed from MSN Messenger Service to just MSN Messenger while the underlying service became known as NET Messenger Service This version was only compatible with Windows 95 98 ME NT 4 0 and 2000 because Microsoft provided a scaled down new program for Windows XP called Windows Messenger Version 5 0 of MSN Messenger was released on October 24 2002 It was the first version that was allowed to be installed along with Windows Messenger on Windows XP 14 It included UPnP Universal Plug and Play based file transfers minor changes to the user interface artwork and a Windows Media Player interface plug in 15 Version 6 0 of MSN Messenger was released July 17 2003 MSN Messenger 6 0 was a major overhaul of the whole platform upgrading its simple text based interface to include customizable elements such as emoticons personalized avatars and backgrounds An update version 6 1 focused on improvements to the conversation window enabling users to hide the window frame and menu bar and also the ability to change the theme color The theme color could be set differently for each user Another update version 6 2 was released April 22 2004 and it was the last version of the MSN Messenger 6 series The most notable changes were a dedicated Mobile group for mobile contacts a connection troubleshooter and the Launch Site feature was renamed to Fun amp Games MSN Messenger received a major upgrade to version 7 0 on April 7 2005 This version brought wink features that were previously only available in threedegrees This version also advertised items to sell to you including animated display pictures emoticons and backgrounds The contact list window style was also updated to match instant message windows This version also introduced the Xbox Live Integration feature This version also introduced digital ink and handwriting recognition support It is the last version of MSN Messenger to support Windows 98 Windows Me and Windows 2000 The last version of MSN Messenger before the name change version 7 5 was released August 23 2005 New features included the Dynamic Backgrounds feature and the msnim protocol handler which allowed Web sites to provide links which automatically add a contact or start conversations Additionally a new Voice Clips feature allowed users to hold down F2 and record a message for a maximum of 15 seconds and send it to the recipient The window for conversations was changed slightly with an added video button This version also introduced the Windows Installer for its auto update feature 16 Windows Live Messenger 8 0 8 5 2005 2009 Windows Live Messenger 8 0 As part of Microsoft s Windows Live effort which rebranded many existing MSN services and programs MSN Messenger was renamed Windows Live Messenger beginning with version 8 0 The first beta of the newly renamed Windows Live Messenger Beta 1 was released on December 13 2005 6 Major changes and additions included offline messaging an option to change the color theme of the windows separated send and search boxes a word wheel search box in the main window and additional details for contacts when hovering over their names in the contact list window The second beta of version 8 0 Beta 2 was released on February 26 2006 6 The overall theme of this version was improved fixing and improving several smaller places in the program Major changes and additions included the introduction of Windows Live Contacts the reintroduction of single file transfer improvements to the Add a Contact dialog box improved color themes minor changes in the conversation window and revert of the Busy status icon back to the normal dash icon 17 The final beta version Beta 3 was released on May 2 2006 6 Major changes and additions included new icons for the program PC to phone calling an updated look for the Windows Live Call window a new default display picture the Windows Live Today window improvements to the grouping of sequential messages from each contact Rhapsody integration in the U S and an option for sounds to be edited and or turned off 18 The official release of Windows Live Messenger version 8 0 was on June 19 2006 6 Although no notable changes were made between Beta 3 and the final version 19 the change from MSN Messenger to Windows Live Messenger brought some additional changes such as customization for the nicknames of individual contacts timestamps on messages the ability to see a contact s name only once if the same person writes multiple messages in a row and color schemes for the entire application The main authentication system Microsoft Passport Network was replaced with Windows Live ID at the same time A refresh to version 8 0 was released on August 10 2006 6 It included audio and video improvements and fixed up minor bugs 20 The first update to Windows Live Messenger was previewed on October 30 2006 with the release of Beta 1 of version 8 1 6 No major changes were made but several minor changes were included These include the addition of the roaming identity feature so that the same user s display name and picture would appear on any computer a new contact card appearance a recently used list for the emoticon wink display picture and background menus an SMS phone book in the main menu allowing the association and editing of a phone number to the contact and allowing text messaging to a contact a sign out button a report abuse option in the help menu interoperability with Yahoo Messenger and improvements to user status on Windows Vista 21 A minor update the Windows Live Messenger 8 1 Beta 1 Refresh was released on December 13 2006 6 and fixed bugs that were causing some people to be unable to sign in and others unable to see their contact list 22 The final version 8 1 was released on January 29 2007 6 No changes were made from the Beta 1 Refresh 23 All versions of Windows Live Messenger below version 8 1 were rendered obsolete on September 12 2007 due to a security issue identified when a user accepts a webcam or video chat invitation from an attacker 24 On September 12 2007 the Windows Live Messenger blog posted a fix that resolved a security problem It reported of a security vulnerability in versions of Messenger older than 8 1 that the released fix would resolve This led to an auto update being released to all older versions Versions running on Windows 2000 and below were required to update to a new version of MSN Messenger 7 0 and versions running on Windows XP and above were required to update to Windows Live Messenger 8 1 24 On August 27 2009 the Windows Live Messenger blog posted that due to a security problem all users of versions 8 1 and newer need to update to the latest version 14 0 8089 The mandatory upgrade requirement would be fully phased in by late October 2009 and began on September 15 2009 The first beta of Windows Live Messenger 8 5 Beta 1 was released on May 31 2007 6 An update was released on June 21 2007 to test updates being installed by Microsoft Update This version required Windows XP SP2 compared to previous versions requiring Windows XP SP1 It was the first version to be installed in a Windows Live folder under Program Files with the shortcuts placed in a Windows Live folder in the Start Menu Major changes and additions in Beta 1 included a new installation program in conjunction with the release of Windows Live 2 0 a new look for all of its windows that matches the aesthetic styles of Windows Vista 25 a new bunny emoticon 26 and integration with Windows Live OneCare Family Safety 27 Beginning with this version updates could be downloaded and installed through Microsoft Update The second beta of Windows Live Messenger 8 5 Beta 2 was released on September 5 2007 28 Several issues were fixed in Beta 2 but no significant changes were applied Compared with the first beta the build does not say Beta on the top of the window although developers had noted that it was not the final release The new Windows Live Installer which is used to install Windows Live Messenger 8 5 Beta 2 does not run on Windows Server 2003 The final release of Windows Live Messenger version 8 5 was released on November 6 2007 and it introduced no major changes 29 Windows Live Messenger 14 0 16 4 2009 2012 Windows Live Messenger 2009 was originally designated version 9 0 it was later assigned the technical version number 14 0 in order to be unified with the other Windows Live programs and Microsoft Office programs In a presentation to the Georgia Institute of Technology s IEEE Student Branch Microsoft employee Andrew Jenks reported that the Messenger team had been working on multi person audio video chat and they are also attempting to create interoperability with AIM XMPP ICQ There is a basic internal version that works with XMPP already 30 However these features were not seen in any versions of Windows Live Messenger 2009 Microsoft sent an invitation to participate in the Windows Live Messenger 9 beta program to Microsoft Connect members on November 20 2007 a week later Microsoft began sending out emails welcoming them to the Windows Live Messenger 9 beta program for the first release known as Beta 0 A fan site for Windows Live Messenger Mess be claimed to have a new build of Windows Live Messenger 9 on August 11 2008 and published screenshots along with a brief summary of new features The screenshots featured a new user interface design matching the Wave 3 design in development by Microsoft The images were later removed by the site after a DMCA notice was received 31 The installer for the same build was leaked through private forums on August 23 2008 It would later be discovered this build was a preview of Milestone 2 or M2 News web site LiveSide published an article on September 4 2008 with screenshots of M2 of the newly minted Windows Live Messenger 2009 which had become version 14 0 instead of 9 0 as previously expected LiveSide summarized its new features including protection against messaging spam the ability to stay signed into the application from several computers referred to as Multiple Points of Presence Support animated GIF files in the photo area per contact customized sounds for various user actions and clickable URLs in the status area 32 Microsoft began the official beta program for Windows Live Messenger 2009 on September 17 2008 when it released a new beta officially known as Windows Live Messenger 2009 Beta Milestone 3 Build 14 0 5027 908 which was made available to the general public as a free download The ability to submit feedback however was restricted to select participants of the Microsoft Connect closed beta program Notable changes in Milestone 3 include a new revamped and refined user interface to follow suit with the rest of the Windows Live Wave 3 design the ability to set a Scene by customizing the background image and color of the contact list and the display of these scenes in conversation windows for improved contact identification and window management Milestone 3 also brings a new Groups feature that allows users to create a continuous group conversation between select contacts newly redesigned status icons which now resemble small gems rather than the previous Messenger Buddy icons a new default Favorites category in which you can place your favorite contacts for easy access to them a new Photo Sharing utility that allows contacts to quickly and easily browse photos together and a What s New section at the bottom of the contact list to outline recent contact updates Display pictures have been moved over to the left side of conversation windows and new colorful borders appear around display pictures to display the current status of that contact Milestone 3 is the first version of Windows Live Messenger to use the standard window frame on Windows Vista in accordance with the user experience guidelines Several features were removed in version 9 0 however such as the ability to use add ins the ability to transfer files when the recipient is signed in as offline the Be right back Out to lunch and In a call status options 33 the Go to my space button the ability to adjust webcam settings during a video call the Send button 34 some games depending on your localization and integration with Windows Contacts 35 Other features were replaced such as Sharing Folders 36 replaced by integration with Windows Live SkyDrive and background sharing replaced by the Scene feature On December 15 2008 Windows Live Messenger 2009 RC Build 14 0 8050 1202 was released together with the other Windows Live Wave 3 software applications now renamed as Windows Live Essentials 37 This version saw a removal of the custom sign in sound feature however it is still possible to select a sound for other individuals as well as changes to how the background image chosen is applied to the conversation windows This build also included over 200 bug fixes including the Custom Emoticon Bug and saving of pictures when using the Photo sharing feature On January 7 2009 the same build was released as the final version of Windows Live Messenger 2009 38 The last QFE update for Wave 3 was released on May 12 2010 and saw the removal of some features from Windows Live Messenger Specifically the ability to independently show only your own webcam or your contacts webcam one way webcam and without an audio call is gone 39 It is only possible to start a video call which starts the webcams of both people communicating and which also automatically starts audio calling Also removed is the ability to import and save export instant messaging contacts to and from CTT files 40 On June 14 2012 Microsoft has made the update from 2009 to 2011 mandatory for those using Windows Vista or 7 2009 continues to be usable for those still running XP 41 This can be circumvented by running Windows Live Messenger in Windows XP compatibility mode thus making it believe it is running on Windows XP 42 In late March 2010 a beta of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 was leaked onto the internet and has since spread to various BitTorrent networks which included a private beta build of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 However as the software was designed for private beta testing non beta testers cannot sign into this leaked build 43 The new software features a revamped interface which brings the What s new section of Windows Live to the new social pane similar to the way a social networking site presents updates Among the new features are tabbed conversations a redesign of the old emoticons integration of Bing results built in video message support HD video chat in line commenting of social updates a new social photo viewer that supports commenting for Facebook and SkyDrive photos badges support synchronized status updates availability by categories as well as integration with Facebook chat However several features had also been removed from the previous version such as the removal of display names handwriting tool 44 one way webcam requests and import export of instant messaging contacts feature The Wave 4 release of Windows Live Essentials which includes Messenger also dropped compatibility with Windows XP and only runs on Windows Vista or Windows 7 45 The new Windows Live Messenger for the iOS became available on the App Store on June 21 2010 in addition to other mobile versions of Windows Live Messenger for Windows Phone BlackBerry and Symbian mobile platforms 46 On June 24 2010 a public beta of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 was released as part of the new Windows Live Essentials beta 47 A beta refresh of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 was released on August 17 2010 as part of an upgraded Windows Live Essentials beta 48 The final version of Windows Live Messenger 2011 Wave 4 was released on September 30 2010 49 On the same date a version of Windows Live Messenger for Zune HD also became available 50 51 On August 7 2012 Microsoft delivered a new version of the Windows Essentials 2012 suite which includes Windows Live Messenger 2012 52 53 Discontinuation On November 6 2012 Microsoft announced that Messenger and Skype services would merge in the first quarter of 2013 According to Tony Bates president of Skype Division at the time Messenger users could sign into Skype using their Microsoft accounts access their Messenger contacts and communicate as usual 54 55 On January 8 2013 Microsoft emailed Messenger users and informed them that with the exception of mainland China the Messenger service would stop working on March 15 2013 and users would not be able to sign in 56 On February 15 2013 ZDNet wrote the discontinuation email was only sent to one percent of Messenger users a test group 57 On the same day Microsoft announced its plans to phase out Messenger the process would start on April 8 2013 with English users and would end on April 30 2013 Messenger would remain available in mainland China 58 According to ZDNet this might only apply to the ability to sign in with Messenger client Microsoft would keep its Messenger service running for another year 57 Windows Live Messenger Upgrades to Skype as they were referred to by Microsoft started on April 8 2013 This transition took place language by language Brazil was the last country to be upgraded on April 30 Chinese Messenger users received an email from Microsoft in August 2014 containing an announcement that Messenger service in China would end on October 31 2014 users were advised to migrate to Skype and receive free credits 59 60 FeaturesIn addition to its basic functionality and general capability as an instant messaging client the latest version of Windows Live Messenger offered the following features Album Viewer See also Windows Photo Gallery Windows Live Messenger s album viewer is based on Windows Photo Gallery and provides users a photo viewing experience for photo albums shared via SkyDrive and Facebook The album viewer is interactive and supports full screen and slideshow modes as well as viewing and uploading comments on Facebook and SkyDrive albums It also supports people tagging for SkyDrive The album viewer closely resembles the Microsoft Silverlight counterpart for web photo albums present on SkyDrive Appear offline to individuals or categories Windows Live Messenger allows users to appear offline to particular individual contacts as well as to an entire category within Windows Live Messenger while appearing online to other contacts This is a recent feature of Windows Live Messenger 2011 and is a departure from the previous versions of Windows Live Messenger where blocking a contact would prevent the blockee from sending the user any messages to the blocker With the appear offline to configuration currently implemented hidden from users can still send offline messages to the target 61 Social networks integration Users can connect services such as Facebook MySpace and LinkedIn using Windows Live Profile and display their contact s Messenger social updates within the Full view of Windows Live Messenger Users can also post status updates and photos directly to the connected services within Windows Live Messenger Additionally Messenger also imports all contacts from the connected services and integrates with Facebook Chat via the XMPP protocol for instant messaging support with users on Facebook Offline messaging One can send messages to contacts who are offline they will receive the messages once they come online Additionally a user can start conversations even when their status is set to Appear Offline in Windows Live Messenger 2009 or before Games and applications Main article Games and applications for Windows Live Messenger There are various games and applications available in Windows Live Messenger that can be accessed via the conversation window by clicking on the games icon and challenging your friend or contact to a competition in a game or inviting them to launch a shared external application Messenger Companion Windows Live Messenger Companion Windows Live Messenger Companion was an add in for Windows Internet Explorer that detects when a user is on a website that one of their friends has shared content from and surfaces that update so that the user can instantly view what their friends have shared and leave a comment to the shared content on Windows Live 62 The service utilizes Windows Live ID and integrates tightly with Windows Live Messenger to obtain the user s contact list and their shared contents The features of Windows Live Messenger Companion include Sharing links to web pages with the user s friends on Windows Live within the web browser See links to web pages the user s friends have shared Add comments to the links the user s friends have sharedWindows Live Messenger Companion was made available as part of Windows Live Essentials 2011 However Microsoft discontinued Messenger Companion in its newer Windows Essentials 2012 suite Protocol Main article Microsoft Notification Protocol Windows Live Messenger used the Microsoft Notification Protocol MSNP over TCP and optionally over HTTP to deal with proxies to connect to Microsoft Messenger service a service offered on port 1863 of messenger hotmail com The protocol is not completely secret Microsoft disclosed version 2 MSNP2 to developers in 1999 in an Internet Draft 63 but never released versions 8 or higher to the public The Messenger service servers currently only accept protocol versions from 8 and higher so the syntax of new commands sent from versions 8 and higher is only known by using packet sniffers like Wireshark This has been an easy task because in comparison to many other modern instant messaging protocols such as XMPP the Microsoft Notification Protocol does not provide any encryption and everything can be captured easily using packet sniffers The lack of proper encryption also makes wiretapping friend lists and personal conversations a trivial task especially in unencrypted public Wi Fi networks Content filtering The content of users messages is filtered on server side of the client For example the user can t send the links to The Pirate Bay s pages neither from the Windows Live Messenger nor through other clients supporting the protocol However links to other P2P networks are allowed 64 i m initiative The i m initiative was a program Microsoft launched in March 2007 that connects the user with ten organizations dedicated to social causes through Windows Live Messenger only for conversations sent or received in the USA Every time someone had a conversation using i m Microsoft Corp shared a portion of the program s advertising revenue with the organization of the user s choice There was no set cap on the amount donated to each organization The more i m conversations the user had the more money went to one of the ten causes Each participating organization was guaranteed a minimum donation of 100 000 during the first year of the program The i m initiative worked with version 8 1 and above In March 2010 the initiative concluded having raised over 3 million dollars 65 Platforms Messenger Mobile WAP version Messenger Mobile formerly named Windows Live Messenger Mobile was the version of Messenger that was aimed to be used on mobile devices over a cellular data plan or Wi Fi if supported by the phone There was also a WAP compatible version that may be used on any mobile device and also specific client versions designed for Windows Mobile iOS BlackBerry and Nokia Series 60 devices Windows Mobile A client version of Windows Live Messenger Mobile was a part of client application named Windows Live for Windows Mobile included with the Windows Mobile 6 operating system It was included on both Windows Mobile 6 smartphone edition non touch screen phones and professional touch screen phones Among other features you could send voice clips max 10 seconds pictures amp emoticons Xbox Windows Live Messenger support was included in the Xbox 360 spring 2007 dashboard update released on May 9 2007 66 It was known as Xbox Live Messenger 67 Those using Windows Live Messenger were able to see the Gamertags of friends logged into Xbox Live including the games that they were playing Xbox 360 users could chat in game or while watching a movie Although only text chat was supported Microsoft suggested that voice and video chatting may come in a future update citation needed Support for child accounts was added in December 2007 To coincide with the arrival of the integration of Windows Live Messenger with Xbox Live Microsoft released a new Xbox 360 keyboard adapter called the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit for easier text input The keyboard device attaches to the standard Xbox 360 controller through the headphone jack and features a QWERTY style key layout with 47 backlit keys However any USB keyboard is also compatible with the Xbox 360 Microsoft also announced on June 14 2010 that users on Xbox LIVE with the controller free Kinect could have real time video conversations with Windows Live Messenger contacts This feature was enabled at launch 68 MSN TV WebTV MSN Messenger on MSN TV 2 Starting in the summer of 2000 the Microsoft owned web access product MSN TV then known as WebTV introduced a software upgrade for users of its internet terminals that added a basic messaging client among other features The messaging client was designed to work with the Microsoft Messenger service and was simply named MSN Messenger 69 The client for the original WebTV MSN TV internet terminals supported basic presence plain text messages no graphical emoticons and buddy lists with the overall WebTV MSN TV service hosting services for users to add remove or block Messenger contacts and manage their Messenger settings Windows Live Messenger support was later added to the MSN TV 2 introducing a new UI to fit the rest of the MSN TV 2 s interface and support for graphical emotions It s believed these clients still worked up until the discontinuation of the MSN TV service in September 2013 Although WebTV was also available in Japan well before the Summer 2000 upgrade was introduced in the U S it does not appear that Japanese WebTV users ever received this Messenger feature Mac Microsoft Messenger for Mac previously MSN Messenger for Mac was the official Mac OS X instant messaging client for use with Microsoft Messenger service developed by the Macintosh Business Unit a division of Microsoft Its feature list was limited in comparison to that of its counterpart Windows Live Messenger the client lacked a number of features that its Windows counterpart contained The versions 3 x and later of Microsoft Messenger for Mac featured new Aqua graphics whereas version 2 x and below have graphics similar to Windows Messenger 4 0 Versions 5 x used the brushed metal theme Version 2 5 1 update to version 2 5 which is a mandatory update to version 2 1 that is available for users running Mac OS 9 2 2 Version 3 5 for Mac OS X revisions older than 10 2 8 Version 4 0 1 for Mac OS X revisions 10 2 8 and newer Version 5 1 1 for Mac OS X revisions 10 3 and newer Version 6 0 3 for Mac OS X revisions 10 3 9 and newer Version 7 0 0 for Mac OS X 10 4 9 or newer was released on April 29 2008 Version 7 0 1 for Mac OS X 10 4 or later includes minor bug fixes Version 7 0 2 for Mac OS X 10 4 or later improves overall quality and conversations with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Version 8 0 0 beta for Mac OS X 10 5 or later for Intel Macs only Official Beta released on March 24th 2010 Adds A V conferencing between Mac OS X users and Windows Live Messenger 2009 users Version 8 0 0 for Mac OS X 10 5 or later for Intel Macs only Released with Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac in October 2010 and bears a visual similarity to previous Windows counterparts It features somewhat more stable functional voice and video calls With the release of Microsoft Messenger for Mac 7 0 Microsoft has discontinued the client s support for older versions of their Corporate messaging systems such as Live Communications Server 2005 citation needed The latest version to support these older systems is Version 6 0 3 which is still available for download on the Microsoft website Webcam and audio support was delayed due to Windows Live Messenger s webcam and audio engine being reworked which meant that the Mac version had to wait until this was complete in order for both platform releases to function correctly iOS The Windows Live Messenger for iOS client supported receiving of instant messaging notifications even when the application closed and allowed Multiple Points of Presence MPOP such that a user can be signed into multiple locations at the same time Photos and albums could also be uploaded from the mobile devices onto Windows Live Photos based on SkyDrive and the application allowed simple image editing capabilities and people tagging within the photos The application also supported the Messenger social feed on Windows Live Profile allowing users to view and comment on the social updates and activities of their contacts on Windows Live as well as those on Facebook MySpace and LinkedIn once these social networks had been connected to Windows Live as a Service Java ME Nokia Series 40 The Windows Live Messenger Mobile client came as a Java ME mobile application pre loaded on devices such as Nokia 7610 Nokia 7510 Nokia 7210 Nokia 6700c Nokia 6600s Nokia 6303c Nokia 6260s Nokia 5220 Nokia 5130XM Nokia 3720c Nokia 3710f Nokia 3600s Nokia 2730c Nokia 2700c Nokia 5530 Nokia 6303c and Nokia X3 Sony Ericsson A version of the Windows Live Messenger Mobile client was also pre loaded on most Sony Ericsson mobile devices as a Java ME application 70 Symbian Windows Live Messenger running on an S60 Platform device A client for Windows Live Messenger was developed by Microsoft for the Symbian S60 Platform commonly used on mobile phones such as Nokia smartphones and released on August 23 2007 to selected markets In May 2009 the client was made available on the Ovi Store This version of Windows Live Messenger included many of the features of the Windows Live Messenger client including grouped contacts voice clips max 10 seconds image and file sending as well as features unique to S60 such as tabbed chat windows and integration with contact list and other features of the S60 platform 71 When the trial expires the cost to users of Messenger for S60 is 1 50 2 94 for 30 calendar days of use 72 As of February 2009 Microsoft stopped charging for Windows Live Mobile and the service is now offered for free 73 InteroperabilityOn October 13 2005 Yahoo and Microsoft announced plans to add interoperability between their messenger services 74 The announcement came after years of third party interoperability success most notably PowWow by Tribal Voice 75 76 Trillian Pidgin and criticisms from Tribal Voice and iCast that the major real time communications services were locking their networks 77 Yahoo and Windows Live Messenger became interoperable on July 12 2006 78 79 For six years Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger users in possession of up to date software could communicate across the two networks Instant messaging as well as transmission of emoticons nudges offline messages presence information and personal status messages were supported 80 On December 14 2012 the interoperability ended 81 Interoperability with Facebook Chat was added on September 30 2010 with the launch of Windows Live Messenger 2011 See alsoComparison of instant messaging clients Comparison of instant messaging protocols Microsoft Lync Messenger Plus Live Windows Live Web MessengerReferences Billington James September 1 2014 10 things we remember about MSN Messenger News com au Archived from the original on November 2 2020 Retrieved May 13 2020 Basa Eul December 2015 30 MSN Memories Everybody Knows All Too Well Narcity Archived from the original on July 14 2020 Retrieved May 13 2020 Warren Tom August 29 2014 MSN Messenger is shutting down after 15 years of memories The Verge Archived from the original on November 14 2021 Retrieved November 14 2021 Metro inspired Windows Live Messenger caught on Video 1800PocketPC October 3 2010 Archived from the original on September 6 2011 Microsoft Launches MSN Messenger Service News Center Microsoft July 21 1999 Archived from the original on August 19 2017 Retrieved August 19 2017 a b c d e f g h i j Lists Releases Inside Windows Live Messenger Microsoft Archived from the original on February 23 2008 Protalinski Emil June 15 2009 Windows Live Messenger Has 330 Million Active Users Archived January 31 2019 at the Wayback Machine Ars Technica Retrieved August 3 2020 Majid Akbar June 29 2009 RIP MSN Web Messenger July 22 1999 June 30 2009 Archived September 18 2020 at the Wayback Machine merinews com AOL blocks Microsoft Net messaging CNET News com Archived from the original on May 26 2012 America Online Exploits Bug In Own Software Archived from the original on July 20 2012 Retrieved July 4 2012 Callserve registers over a half million Microsoft Messenger users m2 com Archived from the original on November 24 2016 Retrieved November 23 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Crouch Cameron July 20 2000 MSN gives Messenger a voice Archived April 17 2012 at the Wayback Machine Networkworld com Keizer Gregg February 26 2002 Instant Messaging Road Test Messenger 4 6 Archived September 4 2009 at the Wayback Machine ZDNet Wilcox Joe September 25 2002 Microsoft puts a price on IM features Archived May 12 2011 at the Wayback Machine CNET Networks Flickinger Derek R July 2003 Windows XP interactions with UPnP based IDGs version 1 0 Archived April 27 2010 at the Wayback Machine Home Toys Patching Microsoft Developer Network Windows Live Messenger 8 0 Beta 2 blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com February 27 2006 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 0 Beta 3 blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com May 2 2006 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 0 Final release blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com June 19 2006 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 0 Final Refresh blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com August 10 2006 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 1 Beta 1 blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com October 30 2006 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 1 Beta Refresh blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com December 13 2006 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 1 Final blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com January 29 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 a b Windows Live Messenger blog Upgrading to 8 1 Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com September 12 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 5 Beta 1 blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com May 30 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Details about the bunny emoticon at the Windows Live Messenger blog Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com May 30 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 5 beta available from Archived June 2 2007 at the Wayback Machine LiveSide net May 30 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 8 5 Beta 2 blog entry Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com September 5 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Official Windows Live Messenger team blog Announcing Windows Live Messenger 8 5 Archived December 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine Messengersays spaces live com November 6 2007 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Messenger 9 GTalk integration Messenger API new client for Mac OS X news unveiled at Georgia Tech presentation whew Liveside net October 31 2007 Archived from the original on November 1 2007 Retrieved April 20 2012 News post at Mess be of exclusive 9 0 build Archived October 19 2017 at the Wayback Machine Mess be Retrieved on April 20 2012 Jeremy Kirk Microsoft to clamp down on spam over IM IDG News Archived from the original on December 16 2019 Retrieved November 24 2007 Get back the statuses which were removed from WLM 2009 Archived March 27 2009 at the Wayback Machine Msghelp net January 13 2009 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Unable to send typed messages no send button Archived April 1 2009 at the Wayback Machine Vistax64 com December 29 2008 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Where has the encrypt contact list data option gone Archived May 5 2009 at the Wayback Machine Vistax64 com Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Messenger 9 0 No Sharing Folders Archived June 11 2009 at the Wayback Machine Aeroxp org Retrieved on April 20 2012 Refreshing the Windows Live Essentials beta Archived December 26 2010 at the Wayback Machine Windowslivewire spaces live com December 15 2008 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Windows Live Essentials is ready to download Archived December 26 2010 at the Wayback Machine Windowslivewire spaces live com January 7 2009 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Messenger 2009 QFE3 update removes Webcam feature and the I m help emoticon Archived March 22 2022 at the Wayback Machine Messengergeek spaces live com Retrieved on April 20 2012 Save import of contacts also gone in latest QFE3 update of Messenger 2009 Archived March 22 2022 at the Wayback Machine Messengergeek spaces live com Retrieved on April 20 2012 R Rudi June 15 2012 Mandatory Update to Windows Live Essentials is now available Microsoft Community Microsoft Archived from the original on June 19 2012 Retrieved April 22 2012 How to Disable Windows Live Messenger 2009 Force to Update Web Talk January 25 2011 Archived from the original on May 10 2013 Retrieved April 22 2013 Windows Live Messenger 2010 leaked Details and screenshots inside Messenger Stuff archived from the original on December 6 2010 retrieved April 20 2012 Wave 4 What s New in Messenger LiveSide April 28 2010 archived from the original on May 3 2010 retrieved May 17 2010 Getting ready for Windows Live Wave 4 Windows team blog Microsoft archived from the original on May 3 2010 retrieved April 20 2012 Rosa Golijan April 27 2010 Windows Live Messenger iPhone App Almost Looks Better Than Desktop Version Gizmodo Archived from the original on April 29 2010 Retrieved April 26 2010 Windows Live Preview Messenger Download Microsoft June 24 2010 Archived from the original on June 22 2010 Retrieved June 24 2010 Jones Chris August 17 2010 Windows Live Essentials 2011 beta refresh Microsoft Archived from the original on August 19 2010 Retrieved August 17 2010 Jones Chris September 30 2010 Windows Live Essentials 2011 available for download now Archived from the original on April 8 2011 Retrieved February 15 2011 LeBlanc Brandon October 1 2010 Windows Live Messenger for the Zune HD Blogging Windows Microsoft Archived from the original on September 3 2014 Retrieved August 31 2014 Warren Tom October 1 2010 Windows Live Messenger for Zune HD released Neowin Archived from the original on September 4 2014 Retrieved August 31 2014 Windows Essentials 2012 released comes with new Movie Maker and Photo Gallery WinBeta August 7 2012 Archived from the original on September 3 2014 Retrieved August 31 2014 Serea Razvan August 8 2012 Windows Essentials 2012 16 4 3503 0728 released Neowin Archived from the original on September 1 2014 Retrieved August 31 2014 Wilhelm Alex November 6 2012 Confirmed Microsoft to retire its Messenger IM service in Q1 2013 moving 100M users to Skype in single act The Next Web Archived from the original on March 8 2013 Retrieved April 13 2013 Bates Tony November 6 2012 Talk to your Messenger Contacts on Skype Skype Blog Microsoft Archived from the original on April 27 2013 Retrieved April 13 2013 Protalinski Emil January 9 2013 Microsoft confirms Messenger will be retired and users migrated to Skype on March 15 The Next Web Archived from the original on April 14 2013 Retrieved April 13 2013 a b Foley Mary Jo April 1 2013 Countdown clock Microsoft marches toward its Messenger phase out ZDNet CBS Interactive Archived from the original on April 6 2013 Retrieved April 13 2013 Munsell Parri February 15 2013 Skype and Messenger Coming Together The Next Chapter Skype Blog Microsoft Archived from the original on April 8 2013 Retrieved April 13 2013 MSN Messenger Is Shutting Down In Oct 31 TechieSmith August 31 2014 Archived from the original on September 3 2014 Retrieved August 31 2014 Xiang Tracey August 29 2014 The Once beloved Microsoft Messenger to Finally Shut Down in Mainland China TechNode Archived from the original on August 31 2014 Retrieved August 29 2014 Windows Live Messenger 2010 Beta review Menthix archived from the original on March 3 2012 retrieved April 20 2012 What s New in Messenger Windows Live Reviewer s Guide Archived May 9 2010 at the Wayback Machine Windowslivepreview com Retrieved on April 20 2012 draft movva msn messenger protocol 00 MSN Messenger Service 1 0 Protocol Tools ietf org August 31 1999 Retrieved on April 20 2012 Van Der Sar Ernesto March 24 2012 Microsoft Censors Pirate Bay Links in Windows Live Messenger TorrentFreak Archived from the original on March 29 2012 Retrieved April 1 2012 Whatever Microsoft s reason for monitoring private conversations and then swallowing Pirate Bay links the Redmond based company s censorship policies are not very consistent All of the other large BitTorrent sites remain unaffected even though they offer content that s identical to The Pirate Bay i m MAKING A DIFFERENCE Windows Live website Microsoft Corporation June 14 2010 Archived from the original on June 15 2010 Retrieved June 15 2010 News on Spring 2007 Update Archived December 9 2014 at the Wayback Machine from Xbox com Support page Archived September 26 2020 at the Wayback Machine from Xbox com Retrieved on December 16 2009 Inside Windows Live Connecting Windows Live Messenger and Xbox LIVE Archived June 18 2010 at the Wayback Machine Davenport Dexter WebTV Details Upgrade Real G2 IM Windows Media More Net4TV Voice Archived from the original on February 27 2002 Retrieved July 26 2021 Sony Ericsson support website Windows Live Messenger Sonyericsson com Archived from the original on August 31 2010 Retrieved March 19 2012 Nokia Europe Windows Live Europe nokia com Archived from the original on February 28 2009 Retrieved March 19 2012 Metz Cade January 9 2008 Microsoft set to milk mobile Messenger mavens The Register Archived from the original on August 10 2017 Retrieved March 19 2012 Nokia Europe Frequently asked questions about Windows Live Europe nokia com Archived from the original on January 13 2010 Retrieved March 19 2012 Yahoo and MSN marry IM services vnunet com October 13 2005 Archived from the original on February 12 2009 Retrieved June 21 2006 Hansen Evan December 10 1999 AOL Tribal Voice exchange messaging blows CNet com Archived from the original on August 24 2012 Retrieved August 6 2011 Hu Jim December 4 2000 AOL rival drops instant messaging service CNet com Archived from the original on August 24 2012 Retrieved August 6 2011 Hu Jim April 25 2000 AOL instant messaging rivals file complaint with FCC Cnet com Archived from the original on August 24 2012 Retrieved August 6 2011 Yahoo Interoperability Arrives Archived July 15 2006 at the Wayback Machine Bigblueball com Retrieved on April 20 2012 Microsoft Press Release Yahoo and Microsoft Bridge Global Instant Messaging Communities Archived January 5 2012 at the Wayback Machine Microsoft com Retrieved on April 20 2012 Talk to your Yahoo friends from Windows Live Messenger Archived October 4 2013 at the Wayback Machine Inside Windows Live Messenger Microsoft Retrieved on December 20 2012 MSN Messenger interoperability discontinuing on December 14 Archived December 4 2012 at the Wayback Machine Yahoo com Retrieved on December 17 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Windows Live Messenger amp oldid 1134907240, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.