Windows Messenger - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Windows Messenger is a client

Client (computing)

A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....

by Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

that is included in the Windows XP

Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...

operating system

Operating system

An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer 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

Windows 2000

Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...

and Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...

.

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 It has been superseded by Microsoft's similarly named but separate and newer client, Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...

, for connections to the .NET Messenger Service

.NET Messenger Service

The .NET Messenger Service is an instant messaging and presence system developed by Microsoft in 1999 for use with its MSN Messenger software and used today by its current instant messaging clients, Windows Live Messenger and Microsoft Messenger for Mac...

, and by Microsoft Lync (formerly Microsoft Office Communicator) in corporate environments.

The client is not related to the Windows NT

Windows NT

Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...

Messenger service

Messenger Service

Messenger Service is a network-based system notification service included in some versions of Microsoft Windows. This service, although it has a similar name, is not related in any way to the .NET Messenger Service or the Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger instant messaging...

, which was designed for local area network

Local area network

A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...

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

Instant messaging

Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...

, presence awareness, support for Session Initiation Protocol

Session Initiation Protocol

The Session Initiation Protocol is an IETF-defined signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol . The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and terminating two-party or multiparty sessions...

(SIP), file transfer, application sharing and whiteboarding

Whiteboarding

Whiteboarding is the placement of shared files on an on-screen shared notebook or whiteboard. Videoconferencing and data conferencing software often lets the user annotate the shared documents as on a physical whiteboard....

. Later versions added "ink" support and integration with Microsoft Lync Server (formerly Microsoft Office Communications Server). These features are also exposed for applications to be used through a COM API called the Real Time Communications (RTC) Client API.

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

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

Luna (theme)

Themes customize the appearance of the Windows operating system without changing its functionality ....

style.

The software integrates with Microsoft Exchange

Microsoft Exchange Server

Microsoft Exchange Server is the server side of a client–server, collaborative application product developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and is used by enterprises using Microsoft infrastructure products...

, Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...

, Outlook Express

Outlook Express

Outlook Express is an email and news client that is included with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. As such, it is also bundled with several versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9...

, and the Remote Assistance feature of Windows XP. Windows Messenger also integrates with Media Center

Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...

in Windows XP Media Center Edition

Windows XP Media Center Edition

Windows XP Media Center Edition is a version of the Windows XP operating system designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The last version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was released in October 2004.-Versions:...

. Windows Messenger can communicate with the Exchange Server 2000 Instant Messaging Service and the .NET Messenger Service

.NET Messenger Service

.

Development of Windows Messenger was halted after version 5.1 in favor of Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger

and Microsoft Lync. 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 Lync, depending on their needs.

Windows Messenger 4.x

Version 4.0 (Initial release, bundled with Windows XP)
- Immediately upon the release of Windows XP, Windows Messenger was upgraded to version 4.5.
Version 4.5 (October 2001)
Version 4.6
Version 4.7

Windows Messenger 5.x

Version 5.0
Version 5.1.0639 (release date: December 1, 2004)
Version 5.1.0639 (re-release date: March 24, 2005)
Version 5.1.0680 (release date: May 13, 2005)
Version 5.1.0700 (release date: September 16, 2005)
Version 5.1.0706 (release date: June 4, 2007)
Version 5.1.0715 (release date: August 12, 2008)
Prevent Windows Messenger from running on a Windows XP-based computer
Windows Messenger vs MSN Messenger: What’s the Difference?

Overview

Windows Messenger 4.x

Windows Messenger 5.x

See also