Windows Live Messenger, after 12 years of honorable service, will be discontinued and closed by Microsoft and will be officially replaced by Skype in 2013. This is therefore the end of the old MSN Messenger, which later became Windows Messenger, which for long periods has been the most used program for instant messaging by computers.
Messenger registered users will not be left without chat, however, because they will be able to use Skype already today and continue to exchange messages with friends of Windows Live Messenger as well as with those of Facebook.
You can then download Skype 8, the latest version, and log in with a Windows Live or Hotmail or Outlook.com account to integrate and unify your Messenger contacts.
Once you've upgraded to Skype, here are some features that old MSN Messenger users will appreciate:
- Support for all platforms, including smartphones and iPad and Android tablets;
- Chat, video call, and the possibility of calling landline and mobile numbers;
- Screen sharing;
- Video call on mobile phones;
- Video call with Facebook friends;
- Group video calls.
Certainly you could lose some of the functions that made Windows Messenger famous, such as emoticons and smileys, which you can still do with Skype.
In other articles we have seen the Skype guide with the best plugins and the best tricks for Skype chat how to add emoticons and smileys.
The only thing that remains doubtful is the fate of third-party applications and programs that could be used to chat with Messenger friends.
