MSN Messenger 6.1? Windows Messenger 4.7?

[Matthew Park]

I was wondering, everytime I go to the windows messenger
site it says that version 4.7 is ready to download. The
only thing is that I already have version 4.7 and I now
some people that have 6.1. However, I know that 6.1 is
MSN messenger and not windows messenger. My question is,
is on different than the other? or are they just the
same? and if they are different when can I expect to
download a Windows messenger comparable to the MSN
messenger 6.1?
Thank you for your help.

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Matthew,

There are several differences between the two. Most notably, MSN Messenger 6 has support for
display pictures, custom emoticons, has a different interface, etc. whereas Windows Messenger
supports SIP-based communications services, Exchange IM Server, etc. Which one you use is up
to you, and a matter of personal choice (and based upon your needs and likes), however one
thing to keep in mind, Windows Messenger must still be installed on Windows XP in order for
MSN Messenger to retain full functionality (Remote Assistance, Whiteboard, Application
Sharing, etc.).

MSN Messenger is centered around MSN technologies (Hotmail, MSN Member Profiles, MSN Mobile,
etc.) whereas Windows Messenger is centered around Windows technologies (Exchange Server,
Office Live Communications Server, Windows Netmeeting, etc.).

Both clients however can make use of Microsoft technologies, like the .NET Messenger service,
..NET Passport and .NET Alerts.

Will there be a Windows Messenger that has *all* the features of MSN Messenger 6.x, no,
they're different products.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com