Windows Live Messenger shuts down on March 15

[nsane.forums]

Microsoft plans to shut down Messenger (formerly Windows Live Messenger) on March 15, according to numerous reports. The concrete date comes after the company in late 2012 said the longstanding instant messaging client would merge with Skype during the first three months of 2013. The software giant is reportedly notifying Messenger users via e-mail but it has yet to announce the Messenger deadline on its blogs or social media accounts.

News of the Messenger official shut down date was first reported by The Next Web and widely reported by others.

Until March 15, Messenger users will see a notification on their desktop client asking them to “upgrade” to Skype and merge their Messenger contacts with the popular video chat and IM app. The desktop program will continue to work until March 15, after which you won't be able to use Messenger at all and must move over to Skype to continue chatting with friends.

Merging two accounts is fairly straightforward. At the Skype launch screen you just choose to sign in with a Microsoft account. Then Skype will ask you if you already have an existing Skype account. If you do, you enter your Skype login credentials, agree to merge your accounts, and then all your Skype and Messenger contacts will be available in one interface.

When Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011, the Windows maker didn't have much to say about whether Messenger would be replaced by the VoIP client. But it was pretty clear right from the start that Microsoft had big plans for Skype. At the time, the company said Skype would support a variety of devices including Xbox and Kinect, Xbox Live, Windows Phone, Lync, Outlook, and non-Microsoft platforms.

Microsoft in late 2012 brought a modern UI Skype client to Windows 8 and a preview version for Windows Phone 8. Leaked shots and videos of a Skype client for Xbox 360 surfaced in mid-2012 but it has yet to land on the gaming console.

Even though Messenger is shutting down, the service won't be completely dead after March 15. Microsoft plans to keep the service running for users in mainland China.

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[rach]

well, I never use it before. so, good bye..

maybe its good to migrate to skype.

:D

[mikie]

I had problems with that change over.

Had to change the Skype email address to be not @Hotmail to be able to merge the messenger@hotmail and Skype. Somehow it was complicated to figure out what was wrong.

[Kalju]

Hey, you're great, reminding this very old story!

Probably all were the already forgotten that such a thing could exist, even though Windows notifies pretty often also. It's nice, now knows also every not-user.

[LeetPirate]

I tried to merge but I do not see my messenger contacts in skype. :think: dunno what the problem could be.

Edit: ok it just took a little while but all my contacts came up. Not that I even bother to chat on msn or skype but I will keep it around for now. The only thing I will miss from live messenger is something to notify me of emails on my hotmail account.

[DKT27]

Skype is still not fit to replace WLM. That chat functionality, the interface, just isn't upto that level.

[mjall]

I feel sad for this news but I was expecting it after I installed windows 8 - RIP

[mostwanted]

I don't mind and it wouldn't make sense to have two softwares I think this is a great move on thier part

[DKT27]

I don't mind and it wouldn't make sense to have two softwares I think this is a great move on thier part

I don't mind merging them either. But there has to be atleast some better chat functionality.

[Alanon]

I'm so happy I could cry! :D

The death of WLM. :win: :win: :win: :win: :win: :win: :win: :win:

[a2ms]

I merged my accounts without any problem... The problem is I used Skype for more serious things than msn.. and in the past years friends abandoned MSN in favor of gchat or facebook messenger.. so now I feel like I have too many contacts that are not useful in Skype.

I don't mind and it wouldn't make sense to have two softwares I think this is a great move on thier part

I don't mind merging them either. But there has to be atleast some better chat functionality.

Better chat functionality? As far as I'm concern you can send and receive text and files, what else do you want? Annoying customized fonts, emoticons and nudges? I am glad they are not in skype, but at the same time it doesn't sound very attractive to the teen market as Skype seemed to be designed originally with more serious bussiness-like purposes.

Now the real shame cames in that skype is not an open protocol. So no integration with mltiplatform IM like pidgin..

[Alanon]

Better chat functionality? As far as I'm concern you can send and receive text and files, what else do you want? Annoying customized fonts, emoticons and nudges? I am glad they are not in skype, but at the same time it doesn't sound very attractive to the teen market as Skype seemed to be designed originally with more serious bussiness-like purposes.

Now the real shame cames in that skype is not an open protocol. So no integration with mltiplatform IM like pidgin..

Exactly my thoughts on functions. But unfortunately I can't dump the chat function over to the Google Talk client...

[DKT27]

I merged my accounts without any problem... The problem is I used Skype for more serious things than msn.. and in the past years friends abandoned MSN in favor of gchat or facebook messenger.. so now I feel like I have too many contacts that are not useful in Skype.

I don't mind and it wouldn't make sense to have two softwares I think this is a great move on thier part

I don't mind merging them either. But there has to be atleast some better chat functionality.

Better chat functionality? As far as I'm concern you can send and receive text and files, what else do you want? Annoying customized fonts, emoticons and nudges? I am glad they are not in skype, but at the same time it doesn't sound very attractive to the teen market as Skype seemed to be designed originally with more serious bussiness-like purposes.

Now the real shame cames in that skype is not an open protocol. So no integration with mltiplatform IM like pidgin..

I personally find GTalk to be not good enough.

Emoticons, yes, fonts and nudges, no. I'm talking more about polish UI though. Think about it, WLM's chat function has been worked upon for years, whereas Skype is worked upon for years for it's calling. Now what we get is plain bs chat in Skype. There's no GUI on the chat side whatsoever, it doesn't even open in a new window.

[speedy57]

I merged my accounts without any problem... The problem is I used Skype for more serious things than msn.. and in the past years friends abandoned MSN in favor of gchat or facebook messenger.. so now I feel like I have too many contacts that are not useful in Skype.

It's exactly why i'll not merge my 2 accounts (WLM and Skype) i'll run 2 separate accounts on my PC.

Run => "C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe" /secondary

or

Create a new shortcut on your desktop of "Skype.exe" (C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\ right-click "Send to" => "Desktop")

Right-click "Properties" => add in "Target" /secondary (C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe" /secondary) => OK

;)

[LeeSmithG]

It's like when the U.K. closed down MSN, claiming it was full of paedophiles, well, I never came across any, I used to chat and play trivia games.

Now Microsoft is getting rid of windows live messenger, a program which checks my emails, then I can right click it and goto hotmail, live mail, outlook etc..

and check my mail.

I can have all my email accounts at the touch of a finger tip using WLM.

Now they want us to, I mean they're forcing us to use skype.

This all to do with money, not an improvement.

[bob92132]

I haven't been able to find a good lightweight instant messaging Windows client and platform to recommend to my friends.

A main problem is that many of the clients are cross-platform (Win/Linux/Mac) and also cross-server. So none of them work correctly out of the box since each server (JABBER, Gtalk, MSN, whatever) all have their own quirks.

There isn't anything like the old AIM days - where there was a standard that everyone was on - and it was a lightweight program that worked and that you could easily log on and find all your friends on.

Even Skype these days is bloatware. Where are the days of Instant Messaging? Why has everyone forgot about Instant Messaging? AOL Instant Messenger used to be the rage back in the day.

[DKT27]

It's like when the U.K. closed down MSN, claiming it was full of paedophiles, well, I never came across any, I used to chat and play trivia games.

Now Microsoft is getting rid of windows live messenger, a program which checks my emails, then I can right click it and goto hotmail, live mail, outlook etc..

and check my mail.

I can have all my email accounts at the touch of a finger tip using WLM.

Now they want us to, I mean they're forcing us to use skype.

This all to do with money, not an improvement.

Truly unfortunate. I don't want Skype. :(

There isn't anything like the old AIM days - where there was a standard that everyone was on - and it was a lightweight program that worked and that you could easily log on and find all your friends on.

Even Skype these days is bloatware. Where are the days of Instant Messaging? Why has everyone forgot about Instant Messaging? AOL Instant Messenger used to be the rage back in the day.

I'm not sooo much old in IM, but from what I can understand is, both AIM and AOL were, in old days, very much limited to North America. Whereas, MSN has been used since about 10 years worldwide, on every corner of the world that has internet access. To see it go is very disappointing.

[0veR]

I remember in 2007/08/09 and 2010 when messenger was so popular!