What's the diff between Windows and MSN messenger?

[Creighton]

I haven't found a good post yet that tells me the
differnce between Windows messenger and MSN messenger.
What benefits are there if I switch to MSN messenger from
Windows Messenger 4.7? Is there a compelling reason to
switch?

Thanks.

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings,

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.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com

 

[Picsou]

Hi Jonathan,
Would you mind explaining a little bit what all the different things are
please ?
A lot of people do not or not fully understand what is meant exactly with :
- display pictures
- SIP-based communication services
- Exchange IM services
- Exchange IM server
- Office Live Communication Server
- etc
I think that you would do a very big favour to an awful lot of people by
explaining all these very sophisticated terms in an easy to understand (not
technical) language.
The same questions are coming back again and again, most probably a lot of
people do not have a clue what is meant by all this SIP, Exchange Server and
other Server issues.

Suppose for a second that you know nothing about it yourself - then how
would you like somebody to explain it to you, so that you would understand
all of it.
Maybe via your web-site ?
I really believe that this is a real challenge for you as an MVP
Whaddayathink