Microsoft is forcing people to upgrade to newer versions of its instant messenger application and is shutting its doors to third-party IM products such as Trillian.
As of Oct. 15, users of Microsoft's free Web-based MSN Messenger and its Windows XP-based Windows Messenger will need to upgrade their software to a newer version or be shut out of the service, the software giant said Wednesday. MSN Messenger users will need to upgrade to version 5.0 of higher; Windows Messengers customers will need to upgrade to version 4.7.2009 or higher; and consumers with MSN Messenger for Mac OS X will have to use version 3.5 or higher. The last MSN Messenger to be released was version 6.
According to Microsoft spokesman Sean Sundwall, "Security issues that could be posed (on older versions) require us to force an upgrade." He declined to detail the security issue, saying disclosure would "put customers at undue risk."
Meanwhile, Oct. 15 also will mark the deadline for Trillian support for MSN Messenger. Trillian is software that integrates multiple IM clients into a common interface. While it doesn't enable IM services to communicate directly with one another, it lets people view all of their buddy lists from various services under one window.
Sundwall said the company is opening doors to discuss contractual agreements with third-party integrators, but he would not give definitive assurances that Trillian users will be able to access their MSN contacts after the deadline.
"We certainly would urge third parties who want to continue (hosting the MSN software) to contact us before Oct. 15 when they will no longer be able to access the network," Sundwall said.
A Trillian representative did not return an e-mail requesting comment.
The policy shift comes as the Federal Communications Commission lifted rules restricting America Online from offering high-speed IM services. Microsoft was one of the most outspoken critics of AOL's IM dominance and was instrumental in lobbying the FCC to impose IM restrictions as part of the AOL-Time Warner merger approval.
Source:
http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5066412.html?tag=fd_top
As of Oct. 15, users of Microsoft's free Web-based MSN Messenger and its Windows XP-based Windows Messenger will need to upgrade their software to a newer version or be shut out of the service, the software giant said Wednesday. MSN Messenger users will need to upgrade to version 5.0 of higher; Windows Messengers customers will need to upgrade to version 4.7.2009 or higher; and consumers with MSN Messenger for Mac OS X will have to use version 3.5 or higher. The last MSN Messenger to be released was version 6.
According to Microsoft spokesman Sean Sundwall, "Security issues that could be posed (on older versions) require us to force an upgrade." He declined to detail the security issue, saying disclosure would "put customers at undue risk."
Meanwhile, Oct. 15 also will mark the deadline for Trillian support for MSN Messenger. Trillian is software that integrates multiple IM clients into a common interface. While it doesn't enable IM services to communicate directly with one another, it lets people view all of their buddy lists from various services under one window.
Sundwall said the company is opening doors to discuss contractual agreements with third-party integrators, but he would not give definitive assurances that Trillian users will be able to access their MSN contacts after the deadline.
"We certainly would urge third parties who want to continue (hosting the MSN software) to contact us before Oct. 15 when they will no longer be able to access the network," Sundwall said.
A Trillian representative did not return an e-mail requesting comment.
The policy shift comes as the Federal Communications Commission lifted rules restricting America Online from offering high-speed IM services. Microsoft was one of the most outspoken critics of AOL's IM dominance and was instrumental in lobbying the FCC to impose IM restrictions as part of the AOL-Time Warner merger approval.
Source:
http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5066412.html?tag=fd_top
