Windows Messenger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Windows Messenger is a proprietary instant messaging client by Microsoft that is included in the Windows XP operating system. Designed for use by corporate users as well as home users, it was originally created as a streamlined and integrated version of MSN Messenger. After its initial release in 2001, it was later upgraded in 2004, when it was made available for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003.
Since then, development on Windows Messenger has stopped, with the exception of security updates. It has been superseded by Microsoft's similarly-named but separate and newer client, Windows Live Messenger, for connections to the .NET Messenger Service, and by Office Communicator in corporate environments.
The client is not related to the Windows NT Messenger service, which was designed for local area networks.
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[edit] Overview
Windows Messenger was introduced with the release of Windows XP in October 2001, and it is installed and enabled by default. It has a variety of features, such as instant messaging, presence awareness, support for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), file transfer, application sharing and whiteboarding. Later versions added "ink" support and integration with Office Communications Server.
The Windows Messenger user interface was devoid of a lot of the clutter seen in its consumer-focused counterparts, MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. Winks, nudges, and custom emoticons are all unsupported, and the main user interface is more closely based on the standard Windows XP Luna style.
The software integrates with Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, and the Remote Assistance feature of Windows XP. Windows Messenger also integrates with Media Center in Windows XP Media Center Edition. Windows Messenger can communicate with the Exchange Server 2000 Instant Messaging Service and the .NET Messenger Service.
Development of Windows Messenger was halted after version 5.1 in favor of Windows Live Messenger and Office Communicator. Plug-ins for Windows Messenger, such as accessing the inbox of a Hotmail account, are no longer available; users are instead encouraged to download Windows Live Messenger or Office Communicator, depending on their needs.
Early test builds of Windows codename Longhorn contained version 6.0.4074.0 of Windows Messenger, but it was dropped in Windows Vista.
[edit] List of versions and features
[edit] Windows Messenger 4.x
[edit] Windows Messenger 5.x
Version 5.x is also available for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003.
