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Fractured Silhouette
November 7th, 2012, 08:28 AM
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Live Messenger is being phased out in favor of Skype.

In what he described as an ongoing effort to "deliver the best communications experience for everyone, everywhere," Tony Bates, president of Microsoft's Skype division, announced today that Windows Live Messenger will be replaced by Skype early next year.

"We will retire Messenger in all countries worldwide in the first quarter of 2013 (with the exception of mainland China where Messenger will continue to be available)," he wrote in a blog post.

Messenger users who sign into the latest version of Skype with their Microsoft account can now merge the two into a single account, which will automatically incorporate their buddy list into their Skype contacts. Other advantages include video calling from mobiles, group video calling, sharing screens and of course support for a wider range of support for devices including iPad and Android tablets.

"We will work with you over the next few months to help you transition and offer information and help along the way," Bates wrote. "To help you learn how to get the most out of Skype, be on the lookout for some special offers later this year."

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120519-Microsoft-Retiring-Windows-Live-Messenger-in-2013

What is this "Live Messenger" and who uses it? I'm sure there is some underdeveloped simians we can learn about and perhaps fill in more details to the origin of our species.

Hypers
November 7th, 2012, 08:35 AM
I use it... It's basically microsofts instant messenger program. And I won't be affected since I'm in china.

Cognizant
November 8th, 2012, 02:22 AM
Oh, the memories of chatting with my grandparents over MSN... Nostalgia...

Foamy
November 10th, 2012, 06:14 PM
Skype is the next thing. It'll phase out eventually, just like MySpace or, currently, Facebook.

Sugaree
November 10th, 2012, 06:36 PM
Skype is the next thing. It'll phase out eventually, just like MySpace or, currently, Facebook.

Skype actually has a large base for OS X and Linux, so I wouldn't say they'll phase out until very far in the future.

Jess
November 11th, 2012, 06:41 PM
I've used it before, but I got bored of it. I don't care though that it's going to be gone.

TheMatrix
November 12th, 2012, 01:01 AM
Skype actually has a large base for OS X and Linux, so I wouldn't say they'll phase out until very far in the future.
The only issue is, Skype for Linux is the crappiest piece of shit that ever existed. It's like they don't even try to make it work properly. I, for one, have never been able to use voice or video on the Linux version, and after a while the program just freezes. This is so with both the old and new versions. So I just said fuck it, and kept to using it on Windows.
That one has many flaws too, but it's 10x better(relatively speaking).

Sugaree
November 12th, 2012, 01:17 AM
The only issue is, Skype for Linux is the crappiest piece of shit that ever existed. It's like they don't even try to make it work properly. I, for one, have never been able to use voice or video on the Linux version, and after a while the program just freezes. This is so with both the old and new versions. So I just said fuck it, and kept to using it on Windows.
That one has many flaws too, but it's 10x better(relatively speaking).

Obviously not a lot of funding for the Linux team, but it's understandable considering it's a very niche group of users. I'll say this about the Windows version of Skype: it does do much better than any other video calling service I've used.