Windows Live Messenger (aka MSN Messenger, aka Microsoft’s ad-laden IM client) turns 10 this week, and Microsoft calculates that 4.5 million Australians use it each month. I have a simple question: why?
Amongst Lifehacker readers, Windows Live Messenger gets pretty short shrift. It didn’t make the cut in our best instant messenger Hive Five. Now that it’s no longer part of the default Windows installation, I suspect many of us don’t go anywhere near it (apart from anything else, it can wreak havoc with your start-up times).
With services like Google Wave defining a new future for communications, and other IM clients offering multiple logins and leaner runtimes, Live Messenger seems like something of an anachronism. But perhaps I’m being unfair. Are you a secret — or not so secret — lover of Microsoft’s IM approach? Explain why in the comments.
Ben Anderson
July 21, 2009 at 9:47 PM
Friends use it. But I stopped using it and decided to stop talking to those friends. I don’t want to be friends with someone who uses MSN.
Report PermalinkCeleritas
July 22, 2009 at 10:06 PM
What would I do with another messenger? Talk to myself? I’ve always wanted to use another messenger but no one uses the other network so it would be pointless for me to switch.
I could use a multi-messenger (like Trillian) but that is a waste if I’m just going to use it for one network.
Report PermalinkEndless
July 22, 2009 at 11:40 PM
You can handwrite. You can make custom emoticons. You can customise how your messenger window appears to others. 90% of my contacts use it. MSN Plus.
That enough reasons to defeat any other IM service you have?
Report PermalinkKieran Vella
July 23, 2009 at 12:19 PM
I used to use Trillian but got sick of failed file transfers and missing features.
I patch up WLM and its my ideal IM Client for now, I’ll try others when they get better compatibility/stability for WLM features (File Transfer, Nudge) for eg
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