Windows Messenger VS MSN Messenger

[BrendaJoyce]

It seems that people using MSN Messenger are not having the problem with
getting signed out but the people using Windows Messenger are..


the easy solution is to change over to MSN Messenger

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings,

Windows Messenger (not to be confused with Windows Live Messenger) uses a very very old
version of the protocol.

Back in MSN Messenger 6.0 (and in subsequent versions, including Windows Live Messenger), the
protocol was enhanced to keep the connection more and alive to specifically address this
problem.

As such, for this and other fixes that have been introduced and unless you have any specific
reasons for using Windows Messenger (like corporate access), it's recommended that you switch
to Windows Live Messenger.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"BrendaJoyce" > wrote in message
...
> It seems that people using MSN Messenger are not having the problem with
> getting signed out but the people using Windows Messenger are..
>
>
> the easy solution is to change over to MSN Messenger

[dr del]

> Back in MSN Messenger 6.0 (and in subsequent versions, including Windows
> Live Messenger), the
> protocol was enhanced to keep the connection more and alive to
> specifically address this problem.
>
> As such, for this and other fixes that have been introduced and unless you
> have any specific reasons for using Windows Messenger (like corporate
> access), it's recommended that you switch to Windows Live Messenger.


Hi,

That's strange I use windows mesenger (4.7.3001) for about 5 hours a day
seven days a week and have not had a problem at all - am I just lucky?

I am trying windows live messenger in my vista RC1 test box and was
irritated by the adverts and dubious privacy concerns. My friend uses msn
and is always complaining about strange men messaging her (and she doesn't
mean me I swear ;-P ). I may just be an old paranoid fool ( ok I admit it I
am) but I have NEVER had anyone not on my friends list pop a message box on
me or hear of a worm exploiting the old prog. Is this just like macs in that
no-one cares enough to target it or was its lack of features a good security
angle?

dr del

[Vandal]

Jonathan Kay [MVP] wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> Windows Messenger (not to be confused with Windows Live Messenger) uses a very very old
> version of the protocol.
>
> Back in MSN Messenger 6.0 (and in subsequent versions, including Windows Live Messenger), the
> protocol was enhanced to keep the connection more and alive to specifically address this
> problem.
>
> As such, for this and other fixes that have been introduced and unless you have any specific
> reasons for using Windows Messenger (like corporate access), it's recommended that you switch
> to Windows Live Messenger.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
> "BrendaJoyce" > wrote in message
> ...
> > It seems that people using MSN Messenger are not having the problem with
> > getting signed out but the people using Windows Messenger are..
> >
> >
> > the easy solution is to change over to MSN Messenger

I'm sorry but I gotta jump on you for this one...

MSN Message and Windows Live Messenger drive adware...Windows Messenger
does not. That is why people don't want to change.

Is this going down the road of "Windows Message is obsolete and
unsupported" in order to force people to upgrade the the Live messager
with advertising?

[dr del]

> Is this going down the road of "Windows Message is obsolete and
> unsupported" in order to force people to upgrade the the Live messager
> with advertising?
>
Hi

It does look that way but they tried that when msn came out in a blaze of
hyperbole - it failed then too.

Just check out mess.be for a solution to the advert problem - it also
seriously improves the functionality of live messenger in my opinion. the
fact it alows "stealth log-in" so I can lurk and surprise people is merely a
bonus ;-). Its fun to play with live but I will need a bit more confidense
in its security credentials before I would switch from a working solution
just cos m$oft want to sell me something - sorry Bill but thats just the way
I feel about it ;oP

dr del

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Hi,

If you like Windows Messenger and it works for you, by all means continue using it. However,
the product team no longer exists and hasn't for a long time so there will not be fixes or
changes to the product as it is now.

In fact, anything below Windows Messenger 4.7.2005 (which includes many 4.0, 4.5, 4.6 builds,
and the initial 4.7 versions) can't even sign into the service. I honestly would be really
surprised if in 5 years from now you can still use Windows Messenger to sign in.

My goal has always been to just make things work for people, not to "push" them into
advertising or similar. I don't make any money from it, so it doesn't make much difference
to me ;)

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"Vandal" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm sorry but I gotta jump on you for this one...
>
> MSN Message and Windows Live Messenger drive adware...Windows Messenger
> does not. That is why people don't want to change.
>
> Is this going down the road of "Windows Message is obsolete and
> unsupported" in order to force people to upgrade the the Live messager
> with advertising?
>

[dr del]

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" > wrote in message

However,
> the product team no longer exists and hasn't for a long time so there will
> not be fixes or changes to the product as it is now.

Oh don't get me wrong I know this and am not really a luddite - I just like
extended testing periods.
And at the moment it doesn't need fixing or tarting up, I'll take function
over form anytime - just look at the wife **ducks a passing saucepan**

> I honestly would be really surprised if in 5 years from now you can still
> use Windows Messenger to sign in.
>

I hope in 5 years I will have satisfied my curiosity about the security
issues ;-)


> My goal has always been to just make things work for people, not to "push"
> them into advertising or similar. I don't make any money from it, so it
> doesn't make much difference to me ;)


I never knock a code slinger when there's an accountant in range ;-D
In all honesty the main complaint I have is that you are forced to rely on
third party tools (which may or may not do kinky things to the codebase)
rather than something written by someone who knows the product backwards and
knows that nothing untowards will happen by its usage. I am quite happy for
said official tool to be extremely well hidden on the site so that only a
small percentage of the userbase bother trying to find it- I like a
challenge and certainly don't begrudge m$ recouping money spent on
development of free to user software. It's just that in livemessenger the
amount seemed over the top and intrusive to my eye - so I went and found a
fix.

I have often wondered why the dev's don't look at all the "fixes" third
party tweaks get praise for and built it into the next incarnation of their
baby - increasing the max length of postable messages for example has been
added by every messenger tweak app I have encounterd and as for the amount
off changes in messenger plus the mind boggles.

The only real "technical" issue I have with windows messenger is not caused
by the client but by the servers as far as I can tell so would be pervasive
in all variants. This is the censoring of certain phrases and combinations
of filenames without any notification so that, when explaining a certain
security hole I had found in xp at logon to enable my cousin to get back
into the box he had just locked himself out of, he couldn't understand why I
was posting blank lines at him and I couldn't understand what he was on
about as I could see the text fine.


dr del

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

"dr del" > wrote in message
> And at the moment it doesn't need fixing or tarting up, I'll take function over form
> anytime - just look at the wife **ducks a passing saucepan**
I'm sure, like Windows Messenger, she gets the job done and you love her to death.

> I have often wondered why the dev's don't look at all the "fixes" third party tweaks get
> praise for and built it into the next incarnation of their baby - increasing the max length
> of postable messages for example has been added by every messenger tweak app I have
> encounterd and as for the amount off changes in messenger plus the mind boggles.
Oh they do and are quickly dismissed. Like any large project, any real big changes have to
go through a whole hierarchy of people, from client to server teams and hope no one vetos the
ideas. Interestingly, from a statistical point of view the actual userbase of people using
these tweaks are rather low and adding them to the main client could rapidly affect the
entire Messenger network. However, for the record I'm a huge proponent for getting the max
length change.

> The only real "technical" issue I have with windows messenger is not caused by the client
> but by the servers as far as I can tell so would be pervasive in all variants. This is the
> censoring of certain phrases and combinations of filenames without any notification
Yeah it's a server restriction to stop viruses. I don't like it either.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--