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Microsoft Introduces IM Licensing

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the use-jabber dept.

prostoalex writes "The MSN Messenger ban of outside clients and cited security issues might be explained by yet another Microsoft move. The company's Internet unit, MSN, contacted third-party providers like Trillian and Odigo with a suggestion to buy access licenses. From the ZDNet article: 'Running an (IM) network is expensive,' said Lisa Gurry, group product manager for MSN at Microsoft. 'We can't sustain multiple other people's businesses, particularly if they charge for certain versions of their software. We're introducing licensing processes for third parties like Trillian.'"

2 of 574 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What about non-profits? by kfg · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    ". . . they don't have to be anti-competetive, business-stealing, life-destroying bastards to make money."

    Unfortunately for your argument you've very succinctly described the very raison d'etre of MSN.

    KFG

  2. WTF by digitaltraveller · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Does this mean Tim Berners Lee can now approach Opera software and ask them to license use of his world wide web network? What a joke.

    Companies have every right to continually upgrade their software in a never ending arms race to fend off competition. That is a healthy marketplace.

    What is not healthy is the idiotic notion that you can declare a protocol on an interconnected mesh network to be exclusively yours is bogus to the extreme.

    To the posters in this thread who thought this was a 'good idea', please wake up and get a clue.