MSN - Quality Messaging, Live!

MSN (originally The Microsoft Network) is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.

The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its initial release in 1995. MSN was once a simple online service for Windows 95, an early experiment at interactive multimedia content on the Internet, and one of the most popular dial-up Internet service providers.

Microsoft used the MSN brand name to promote numerous popular web-based services in the late 1990s, most notably Hotmail and Messenger, before reorganizing many of them in 2005 under another brand name, Windows Live. MSN's Internet portal, MSN.com, is currently the 11th most visited domain name on the Internet.

Internet Start

From 1995 to 1998, the MSN.com domain was used to promote MSN as an Internet service provider. At the time, MSN.com also offered a custom start page and an Internet tutorial, but Microsoft's major Internet portal was known as 'Microsoft Internet Start,' located at home.microsoft.com. It served as the default home page for Internet Explorer and offered basic information such as news, weather, sports, stocks, entertainment reports, links to web sites on the Internet, articles by Microsoft staff members, and software updates. Microsoft's popular news web site, msnbc.com, which launched in 1996, was also tied closely to Microsoft Internet Start.

MSN.com

In 1998, the largely underutilized 'MSN.com' domain name was reinvented as both an Internet portal and as the brand for a family of sites produced inside Microsoft's Interactive Media Group. The new site put MSN in direct competition with sites such as Yahoo! and Go Network. Because the new format opened up MSN's content to the world for free, the Internet service provider and subscription service was renamed 'MSN Internet Access' at that time.

The relaunched MSN.com contained a whole family of sites, including original content, channels that were carried over from web shows that were part of the 'MSN 2.0' experiment (although none of the actual shows remained), and new features that were rapidly added. MSN.com also became a successor to the default Internet Explorer start page, as all of the previous 'Microsoft Internet Start' web site was merged with MSN.com.

In the late 1990s, Microsoft collaborated with many other service providers, as well as other Microsoft departments, to expand the range of MSN's services. Some examples include Microsoft adCenter,MSN Shopping (affiliated with eBay, PriceGrabber and Shopping.com), and the MSN Encarta encyclopedia with various levels of access to information.

Since then, MSN.com has remained a popular destination, launching many new services and content sites. MSN's Hotmail and Messenger services were promoted from the MSN.com portal, which provided a central place for all of MSN's content. MSN Search, a dedicated search engine, launched in 1999. The single sign-in service for Microsoft's online services, Microsoft Passport (now Windows Live ID), also launched across all MSN services in 1999. The MSN.com portal and related group of services under the 'MSN' umbrella remained largely the same throughout much of the next decade.

On November 5, 2009, Microsoft released a preview of their new homepage and logo. It was expected to be widely available to over 100 million U.S. customers early 2010.

Windows Live

Many of MSN's services were reorganized in 2005 and 2006 under a new brand name, Windows Live. This move was part of Microsoft's strategy to improve its online offerings using the Windows brand name. The company also overhauled its online software and services due to increasing competition from rivals such asYahoo! and Google. The new name was introduced one service at a time. Windows Live uses 'Web 2.0' technology to offer features and functionality through a web browser that were traditionally only available through dedicated software programs.Some of the MSN services affected by the rebranding included MSN Hotmail, which became Windows Live Hotmail; MSN Messenger, which became Windows Live Messenger; MSN Search, which became Live Search (now known as Bing); MSN Virtual Earth, which became Live Search Maps; MSN Spaces, which became Windows Live Spaces; MSN Alerts, which became Windows Live Alerts; and MSN Groups, which became Windows Live Groups. Some other related services, such as MSN Direct, have remained a part of the MSN family without transitioning to Windows Live.
ollowing the launch of Windows Live, the MSN brand took on a different focus. MSN is now primarily an online content provider of news, entertainment, and common interest topics through its Internet portal, MSN.com, while Windows Live now provides most of Microsoft's online software and services.

Microsoft has rolled out a new MSN logo, coupled with a major redesign of their overall site. The redesigned site was in preview mode until 6:30 ET on December 25, 2009, when it permanently changed.

Other services known as "MSN"

In addition to the Internet service provider and the Internet portal, the name "MSN" has been used for a number of related services. The two most popular of these are Hotmail and Messenger.

Hotmail

Hotmail is a free web-based e-mail service by Microsoft. Originally started as an independent service in 1996, it became part of the MSN family in 1997. Since 2006, it has been part of Microsoft'sWindows Live group of online services. Hotmail has over 380 million users worldwide and is available in 35 languages.

MSN Messenger

MSN launched an instant messaging service in 1999 to compete with AOL Instant Messenger, which was originally known as 'MSN Messenger Service' and was later shortened to simply 'MSN Messenger.' Currently, the underlying technology is known as '.NET Messenger Service,' while Windows Live Messenger is the name of the main program used to access the service. Regardless, the term 'MSN' has come to be synonymous with the service in Internet slang.

MSN Explorer

MSN Explorer is an internet browser that ties MSN Messenger and Hotmail together into an all-in-one Internet access software program. MSN Explorer 1.1 was originally included with Windows Whistler build 2410. Server versions of Windows Whistler did not include it. MSN Explorer is similar in many ways to AOL's internet software as AOL has an email client built in and both programs provide access to special members-only content. Versions of MSN Explorer later than 7.5 require paid subscription, however, it is possible to use another Internet Service Provider while accessing content provided through the MSN Explorer software. The latest version of MSN Explorer is 9.6.

A 10th version appeared briefly within Windows Longhorn. MSN Explorer version 10 did not appear in the gold release of Windows Vista, the finalized version of Longhorn.

Upon confirming with MSN support MSN version 10 will begin rolling out November 2009, with a full rollout finished to all paying subscribers by the end of 2009. Features include full Internet Explorer 8 compatibility, integrated spell checker, and the ability to not include MSN messenger in the installation.



MSN can help students converse with their blockmates, classmates, professors, teachers, etc. with ease and conveniently. It's provides quality IM'ing (Instant Messaging) rivaling even the top IM Apps like Yahoo Messenger. How it can help a student may vary, but it can greatly help students when communication is needed fast, and yes, FREE!

MSN is user-friendly, easy-to-use, and has a clean interface. Its top-notch IM'ing quality gives it a big UP for users and it's fast and reliable.




Rating 8.8/10