Microsoft Retiring Messenger, Replacing It With Skype 213
Entropy98 writes "Windows Live Messenger will be shut down by March 2013, after nearly 13 years of service, so Microsoft can focus its efforts on Skype, its recent $8.5bn acquisition. No word on whether users will be able to transfer their WLM accounts to Skype. 'According to internet analysis firm Comscore, WLM still had more than double the number of Skype's instant messenger facility at the start of this year and was second only in popularity to Yahoo Messenger. But the report suggested WLM's US audience had fallen to 8.3 million unique users, representing a 48% drop year-on-year. By contrast, the number of people using Skype to instant message each other grew over the period.'"
Gtalk/Facebook (Score:5, Insightful)
Hasn't everyone stopped using AIM/MSN and moved on to Gtalk/Facebook Messenger?
Re:Windows Live Messenger Integration (Score:5, Insightful)
Umm... Skype 6.0 already began integrating WLM and Skype accounts.
It's a shame Skype got bought out. It's already getting bloaty and beginning to suck in various ways.
Facebook Chat killed it (Score:4, Insightful)
There, I said it. Nobody I know uses Messenger anymore, but practically everyone is using Facebook Messenger. Some have basically replaced both IM and email with it.
Re:Windows Live Messenger Integration (Score:5, Insightful)
It started getting bloated long before Microsoft acquired them. Anything that doesn't have to do with making calls or chatting is bloat. Integrated social networking? Advertisements to "spark conversations"?
Re:ICQ (Score:5, Insightful)
talk me@somesever.edu
FTW :)
Re:Windows Live Messenger Integration (Score:4, Insightful)
Skype has been too integrated and full of crap and ads for a while now.
Re:ICQ (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is afaict there are no open implementations of the skype protocol. There is an API but iirc you have to keep the skype client running to use it and platform support is somewhat limited. Here in the UK msn messenger (or whatever MS is calling it this month) seems to be the dominant IM network. If those users migrate to skype it will be a PITA.
Re:Gtalk/Facebook (Score:0, Insightful)
you are not the only person on earth, and your opinion and preferences are one of many.
Re:ICQ (Score:4, Insightful)
FTW
Oh boy (Score:5, Insightful)
http://www.slate.com/articles/technol/technology/2012/11/microsoft_surface_why_is_the_new_tablet_so_much_worse_than_the_ipad.html [slate.com]
Indeed they have, the axis of evil is on the march. Pity it is the Italians, feared by none, their tech out of date before the first shot is fired.
I haven't used skype in ages, Xbox is the only gaming platform I don't own, W8 phones need to be insanely subsidized and when you google for "sales record W8 phone" you get pictures of thumble weeds.
Windows 8 is universally despised and it just a copy cat of Unity and Gnome in an attempt to alienate users.
Maps? MS has maps? Gosh... that should tell you something about it, honestly didn't know they had.
Office... they had that for over a decade, for matter they also have had phones etc etc for that long.
You are saying that MS has all the tools to lock people in. Yes. That is what everyone else thought... and then iOS and Android happened and showed that the lockin wasn't as tight as everyone thought. Rim got big because they locked you into exchange and surely that was essential. Where is Rim now? Where is the exchange lockin? GONE! Suddenly every boss has a macbook and insists the office systems work with it and screw MS attempts to create a windows only network.
I have no doubt that MS would love to see the parents posts brainfart happen for real but they had two decades to get it done, why should they succeed now when for the first time there is some serious competition and the computing landscape has changed forever?
No doubt oztiks grandparent was in that bunker, grasping his headless dead leader screaming "come on, we got the enemy right were we want them, we can win it!"
The battle has been lost, all MS can do right now is try to not loose the office desktop too.
Re:ICQ (Score:4, Insightful)