News Microsoft forces IM upgrades

Already posted in GN&SD, but here's some more coverage from ZDNet:

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 15 October, 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 on Wednesday. MSN Messenger users will need to upgrade to version 5.0 or 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.

Full story here

So unless Trillan et al come out with updated clients before 15th October, kiss goodbye to them (for the timebeing).

 

Talk about gay. Way to lose business Microsoft. Trillian is awsome and very popular. Thank god I don't use MSN or I'd be pissed off.

 

I'm sure they're breaking more moloplistic rules/regulations here. not that anything'll happen

Its about time people did the same with IM's as they did with EMAIL. make an international standard which everyone adheres to, thereby providing connectivity to everyone - not preventing people using one program over the other.

 

Cerulean is currently running a beta of Trillian Pro 2.0, and will be releasing a free version as well as Pro when they're satisfied the bugs are squashed.

According to the Cerulean website 2.0 already supports the same protocols as MSN 6.0 so it should be ok when the time comes.

 

So the new protocol isn't the problem. It's the ****ing license. **** you microsoft.