I’ve been using Windows Live Messenger for as long as I have been an adult and maybe even before it was called Live Messenger. I use it so much that all my Yahoo Contacts and Facebook Friends sync to it so I can IM them from one app. This app has caused me the least problems compared to ICQ and Yahoo Messenger which for some reason made my computers over the years bog down and run very slowly. As soon as I rid myself of these programs running in the background things picked up and started working more normally.
Now that Microsoft acquired Skype they are planning on killing Windows Live Messenger. I’ve known for months because any time I need to re-login to the service there is an ad window that pops up telling me about how super easy it is to migrate my Messenger contact to Skype. As of today I still have not migrated to Skype and really don’t want to until I absolutely have to. I’ve tried Skype and to tell you the truth I don’t particularly like it. Like anything it will be something to get used to, but Skype has created in me an unfavorable image.
It all started when I got my first touchscreen smartphone, which I still have, the HTC Incredible. Before I rooted my phone last fall Skype was a system app on the phone and could not be removed. It would run in the background and send popups on a regular basis asking if I wanted to use it. It wouldn’t work over WiFi – so what was the benefit of having it. Needless to say I never used it. When we upgraded our home internet to something a little faster and more reliable (living out here in BFE that is hard to come by) I decided to try using Skype. At first glance I didn’t like the interface and it felt that it lacked the security I once had with Windows Messenger.
I realize that this is more an editorial of my experience than a review but this article from The Register made me think of this subject and I’d like to share it with you:
Don’t shoot the Windows Live Messenger, cry IM users • The Register.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
