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In fact, at first, AOL called Microsoft a cheat for hacking them. Basically, they used their own security flaw to fool MSN's client, which, according to software analyst Geoff Chapell, is a genius yet controversial move. And Microsoft wanted them.Įventually, AOL fought back and managed to block out MSN by using the very same bug Microsoft had created, but to their advantage. Auerbach recalls that the cat and mouse game was vital because, after all, AIM had 40 million users.

If Messenger found a way through, then AOL countered, day in and day out. Until AOL discovered the tiny hack.ĪOL immediately blocked Messenger, but Microsoft insisted. When MSN Messenger launched, people could talk to contacts from both antagonizing services. What if, through code, Messenger could access AIM? Yes, it sounds like a cheat, and it was. But the staff at Microsoft didn't stop there instead, they came up with a naughty but brilliant idea. MSN Messenger would connect directly with the popular email service to give millions an instant ability to chat.

No easy task, but they had an ace up its sleeve: Hotmail. So Microsoft had to find a way to lure people to their software and also offer a way to connect with other platforms. In a detailed narration for NP1 Magazine, former MSN Engineer David Auerbach explains Microsoft's two significant challenges: there were already millions using the competitors' platforms, and the programs weren't compatible. Microsoft wanted in on the ever-growing instant messaging world, but it had to compete against three giants in the market: ICQ, Yahoo, and AOL Instant Messenger, known as AIM. How did this happen? We'll tell you all about that time Microsoft was cool and how Messenger lost its flair. It was part of a war between now-faded giants that were unknowingly laying the foundations of social networks.Īnd now, it's completely gone. MSN Messenger helped shape our adolescent years, from annoying nudges and animated emoticons to talking to your crush and expecting a reply.īut if we look back, we can see that it was more than just teenagers chatting amongst themselves. It not only connected friends and family. And, by the end of that decade, one of the greatest messaging services was born. A moment in history with no Whatsapp, Snapchat, or Instagram no, it's not a post-2020 dystopian novel, but rather an era called the 90's.