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Windows Live Messenger (WLM), formerly known as MSN Messenger, is a freeware instant messaging client for Microsoft Windows first released on 22 July 1999 by the Microsoft corporation, aimed towards home users. It is part of Microsoft's Windows Live set of online services. The current version is 8.0, which was released on June 19 2006. Amongst its users it is still often referred to as "MSN," (referring to pre-8.0 versions) though in some parts of Latin America and Spain it is known as simply "Messenger". Windows Live Messenger is often used to refer to the .NET Messenger Service (the protocols and server that allow the system to operate) rather than any particular client. The business-oriented client for Windows, which also uses Microsoft's .NET Messenger Service is called Windows Messenger. It is possible for virtually any computer with an Internet connection, Windows XP and Internet Explorer to connect to the Messenger Service by using MSN Web Messenger, or one of the unofficial equivalents (which have advantages such as compatibility with browsers other than IE, but do not have an interface that mimics the one of the Windows Live Messenger application).

History

The history of Messenger spans from July, 1999 through to the present.

Features

Sharing folders

The Sharing Folder feature of Windows Live Messenger is an alternative to the current "direct transfer" method of file distribution. When a user wants to deliver a file to another person on his or her contact list, the "sharing folder" window appears, which is an individualized representation of all previously shared items.

When files are added to the "sharing folder" for that particular person, the file will automatically be transferred to the corresponding computer when they are online. This means that the folder is literally "shared" between two computers. If a user deletes a file, for example, the file will also be deleted from the corresponding computer's shared folder.

To minimize risk of virus-infected transfers, the "sharing folder" feature is bundled with an anti-virus program. The "sharing folder" feature can only be used on computers with NTFS-formatted hard disks.

PC-to-phone calls

In addition to PC-to-PC calls that have been supported in previous versions, Windows Live Messenger now supports PC-to-phone calls. The rates during the beta period are 2.3 cents per minute to and from North America and Western Europe.

Other changes

• Unlike previous versions, one can start conversations even when their status is set to Appear Offline, like in Yahoo! Messenger.
• Nicknames of individual contacts can be customized to appear differently from what the contact has set.
• Windows Live Messenger onwards gives the ability to turn off pre-pending contact names if same person writes multiple messages. If the same contact writes more than one message, the contact name will be displayed for only the first message.
• Messages from contacts can now be time-stamped.
• Color scheme can be chosen for the entire application, including the status window, and not just the conversation windows. A paint brush menu is situated below the personal message box in Windows Live Messenger, to facilitate choosing colors.
• Microsoft Passport has been replaced with Windows Live ID.
• Word wheel search within the contact list.

Developing features

• Interoperability between Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger, will probably be launched at the end of Q2 2006.

Protocol

Windows Live Messenger uses the Mobile Status Notification Protocol (MSNP) over TCP (and optionally over HTTP to deal with proxies) to connect to the .NET Messenger Service — a service offered on port 1863 of messenger.hotmail.com. Its current version is 13 (MSNP13), used by MSN Messenger version 7.5 and other third-party clients. The protocol is not completely secret; Microsoft disclosed version 2 (MSNP2) to developers in 1999 in an Internet Draft, but never released versions 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 to the public. .NET Messenger Service servers currently only accept protocol versions from 8 and on, so the syntax of new commands from versions 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 is only known by using sniffers like Wireshark. MSNP13 will be the protocol used in Windows Live Messenger.

Xbox Live integration

As of MSN Messenger 7.0, the client now offers a level of integration with Microsoft's Xbox Live Internet Gaming service. Users of MSN Messenger can go to the Xbox Website and link their gamertag to Microsoft's .NET Passport network. This will allow MSN Messenger to report the user's Xbox Live friends list, as well as allow them to send game invitations to players, so that the user does not have to be on Xbox Live in order to arrange games. This feature goes along with Microsoft's continuing goal to place integration between their various services. After December 2nd 2005, Xbox Live Intergration had temporarily malfunctioned. This was due to the change in hardware and protocol brought with the release of the Xbox 360. The error was soon corrected however, and full functionality is now available.

Games and applications

There are various games and applications available in Windows Live Messenger that can be accessed via the conversation window by clicking the games icon and challenging your "buddy".

Competition

The most significant rivals of Windows Live Messenger are AIM (from AOL), ICQ, QQ, Skype and myriad other Jabber based clients. As of October 13th, 2005, Windows Live Messenger and former rival Yahoo! Messenger have plans to become compatible and create the second largest instant messenger userbase worldwide.

For Windows and Linux users, an open source instant messaging client known as Gaim also exists. Besides MSN, it is capable of supporting other chat protocols. Many third-party multi-protocol clients are based on Gaim using the libgaim library, for example Adium and Proteus.

Yahoo! has released an IM Version which has some new features similar to those in MSN Messenger 7. Drag-and-drop photos to the messenger window is a typical example.

Also, AOL has been busy developing a new version of their AIM client, codenamed "Triton". Triton will later be referred to as AIM 6.0 when released to the public. The client is currently in its beta stages and highlights include tabbed chatting, a modernized interface, and Multi-party voice chat. It is also being completely rewritten from the ground up to support VoIP (a.k.a. IP Telephony or Internet telephony).

Recently, Google has entered the IM competition with its new Google Talk, first released as a beta version for only users with Gmail accounts. Google Talk uses open protocols, Jabber for the IM part and Jingle Audio for the voice part, and it encourages the use of clients other than their own in connecting to the Google Talk service. To further this goal, they have released an open source cross-platform library, libjingle, which can be used by other IM programs to easily implement interoperability with Google Talk.

In China, an instant messenger named QQ is predominantly used. Although used little outside of China, its domestic users number as many as 226 million. However, its popularity has recently been greatly weakened, since the entering into the Chinese market of MSN Messenger. Up to now, MSN Messenger has taken about 17% of the Chinese market, a figure which is becoming increasingly larger.

On October 13, 2005, Yahoo! and Microsoft announced plans to introduce interoperability between their two messengers, creating the second largest instant messenger userbase worldwide: 40% of all users (AIM currently holds 56%). The announcement comes after years of 3rd party interoperability success (most notably, Trillian, Gaim) and criticisms from Google that the major instant messengers were locking their networks. Microsoft has also had talks with AOL in an attempt to introduce further interoperability, but so far, AOL seems unwilling to participate.

Criticism

The protocol is closed and Microsoft has made two attempts of locking out third-party clients by requiring data transformed by the use of hash functions when connecting. However, both algorithms have been reverse-engineered.

Winks have a digital signature, which the official client always checks. It will not play winks that are not signed by Microsoft. However, it is possible for a user to purchase a wink from Microsoft's website. Some of these winks enable the user to insert a custom image, which will be displayed when the wink is played. This makes it possible to display graphic or offensive images, to any number of people for less than three dollars.

Ever since Messenger has been released, it has been targeted entirely towards Windows users, leaving Mac users with a limited client, however, numerous third party applications now offer webcam, winks and even nudging support for Mac users. One workaround for Mac users is to use aMSN client, which supports video chat.

Users of Linux have also effectively been left in the dark, requiring third party software to log in and access their profile stored on the Windows Live Messenger servers. Such third party software is usually one of many alternative instant messaging clients, such as aMSN, Gaim, Mercury or Kopete. Gaim and Kopete are included in many Linux distributions, supporting a range of other instant messaging protocols, such as the AOL, Yahoo! and ICQ clients.

Windows Live Messenger contains an advertising bar as standard, some other IM programs (Gaim, Trillian etc) do not. Although this is also reverse-engineered and deleted with a patch, critics consider the interface cluttered, with no options to edit it in an unmodified version.

Another aspect of Windows Live Messenger that has been criticized is the fact that for all Windows Live Messenger users, their ID is the same as their email address. This means that they must divulge their email address in order to give out their Windows Live Messenger ID; if a Windows Live Messenger ID is posted on the web the corresponding email address may be harvested for junk email. If someone wishes to use a Windows Live Messenger account but does not wish it to be their e-mail address, they are able to sign up for a limited passport at www.passport.com

Censorship controversy

Some users of Messenger have expressed concerns about certain messages being unable to be delivered through the Messenger network . Messages containing "download.php", "gallery.php", "profile.php?", ".pif" or ".scr" close the conversation window, return a "Failed to deliver message" or simply don't appear, depending on the version of the client.

The original intention of this filtering is to help prevent users from falling foul of malicious users, who often use URLs containing the filtered text to trick users into downloading viruses or spyware.

Gallery

References

1. 1

See also

• List of instant messengers
• Comparison of instant messengers
• MSN Shell
• Messenger Plus! Live
• Microsoft Messenger for Mac
• History of Windows Live Messenger

External links

• Inside Windows Live Messenger Official MSN Space for Windows Live Messenger.
• Windows Live Messenger Blog Windows Live Messenger FAQ and Support
• MessUnit Unofficial blog about Windows Live Messenger
• Hypothetic MSNP protocol documentation
• MSNPiki MSNP protocol wiki
• Windows Live Messenger Official Website
• Windows Live Ideas - Product Page Official information page on Windows Live Messenger

• Windows Live
• Windows instant messengers
• VoIP software