Worried about the Future of MSN Messenger

[mjc2002]

Hello - just as I am getting used to MSN, I come across the following:

"NetMeeting still ships as part of Windows and some of its features, such as whiteboarding and application-sharing, are used by the MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger IM applications. But NetMeeting has served its purpose and will gradually be phased out. Microsoft has already stopped development work on NetMeeting and links from MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger will be cut in future updates to those products. Instead, Microsoft's IM applications will link to Office Live Meeting..." ["Microsoft Retires Netmeeting" (edited)]

Please excuse the lengthy quote but it's clearer than I could put it. I tried to find out a little about Office Live Meeting but the only thing I could find was an offer for a 30-day free trial - suggesting that this will NOT be a free bundled application

Anyway, so my questions are:

1) Does this mean future versions of MSN Messenger are going to get *worse* rather than better? ie. They will no longer offer features such as whiteboarding and application-sharing

2) Or does this mean that future versions of MSN Messenger will link to a FREE version of Office Live instead of Netmeeting? (Fine!)

3) Or does this mean that we will now have to pay for features (Office Live) that we once used for free (NetMeeting)?

Thanks
Mike

[detn8r]

There was some discussion about this awhile back when it was reported. Members have also added conclusions about the matter in that thread. It should give you some additional knowledge.

[mjc2002]

Thank you for that thread. However, nobody in that thread answers any of my questions...

Mike

[shifter]

1. MSN Messenger's future will not develop into anything corporate related, this includes whiteboard and application sharing functions. MSN Messenger is geared toward personal/family use. Only Windows Messenger will contain features related to corporate use.

2. No, MSN Messenger now includes its own webcam functionality.

3. Perhaps, but they won't be through MSN Messenger. Windows Messenger is the corporate messenger.

These are not absolutes, but to the best of my knowledge fairly accurate assumptions. Someone please correct me if necessary on these points.