bioneural.net » im

Portable Apps Suite

Bruce — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 15:04:32 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Portable Apps Suite: Portable Apps Suite™ is a collection of portable apps including a web browser, email client, web editor, office suite, word processor, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client and FTP client, all preconfigured to work portably and be easy to back up. Just drop it on your portable device and you're ready to go.

MSN vs. Windows Messenger

Bruce — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:42:04 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

I don't spend more time using Microsoft Windows than I have to, so I'll admit to not keeping up with what's new. I do have a .NET Passport (I'm still not entirely clear what .NET is) which I used to access my Hotmail account, and to log in to Windows Messenger from Windows XP, or MSN Messenger from Mac OS X. So why would I want to install MSN Messenger on my PC? Not that more confusion was necessary, but apparently the exploited Windows Messenger Service is not related to the .NET Messenger Service or Windows Messenger. Furthermore, it would seem that I can use .NET services without actually installing something called the Microsoft .NET Framework that appears in Windows Update. More to the point, why is it seemingly so hard to find basic information about the differences between MSN Messenger (v7) and Windows Messenger (v4.7)? I tried several Google queries before I got anywhere, and none of the useful results were from Microsoft. As far as I can tell: both do text IM, voice, and video (PC to PC anyway); both require a .NET Passport (or Microsoft Passport, or just Passport as it seems to be known now); either works with Windows XP (although Windows Messenger requires it); MSN Messenger is adware (see screenshot), while Windows Messenger is ad-free. A Microsoft table on Windows accessibility features lists MSN Messenger as a consumer product, and Windows Messenger as a business product. So I think we are talking about two IM clients that both use the .NET ...

Instant messaging matrix

Bruce — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 10:10:05 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

You have a Mac; they have a PC. What IM software will let you type, talk, see, and send across the Great Divide? The IM phenomenon According to Wikipedia: An instant messenger is a computer application which allows instant text communication between two or more people through a network such as the Internet. This definition accurately describes the situation in the 1990s, but the phenomenon that is instant messenging (IM) today is much broader than the exchange of realtime text messages. Type Good old-fashioned typing still has its uses, and it doesn't require much in the way of bandwidth or processing power. Perhaps the main advantage is that you don't have to think about a reply in realtime as on the telephone—but nor do others wait hours or days for your e-mailed reply. Typing gives you time to think of a suitable and reasoned reply (with spell checking!)—without being put on the spot or having to endure an uncomfortable silence. It's also very easy to copy-and-paste a URL or other information into a chat window. Talk Sometimes, as BT say, "it's good to talk". Voice calls can be made PC to PC and North to South hemisphere for no additional communications cost, even if both parties have 56K modem access. Broadband is better of course, but even then call quality can be variable. Getting this to work from behind your firewall and/or NAT router can pose something of a challenge. See If talk is good, then talk with moving pictures must be better, right? Sure, it is nice to "see" ...

Apple Mail + httpmail for Hotmail disabled

Bruce — Fri, 19 Nov 2004 08:41:31 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

A free Hotmail account allows you to keep your primary address private, and use Hotmail as a "disposable" email address for giving out to online shops, mailing lists, and other places that might result in your getting unwanted email (spam). But accessing your Hotmail via the web could be a bit hit-and-miss: into the gap stepped httpmail, a plug-in that allowed you to send and receive email as you would with any POP account using Apple Mail. However, Microsoft have recently begun disabling access to Hotmail via email clients—including Apple Mail/ httpmail—unless you give them money... Try accessing your Hotmail account via Outlook Express and you'll now be greeted with this message: Using Apple Mail and httpmail, you'll just see an exclamation icon next to your Hotmail mailbox indicating that it is offline. As MacNN reports: Microsoft has began requiring Hotmail customers to purchase premium subscriptions in order access email from desktop email clients. Users of Microsoft Entourage, which features direct integration with Hotmail, this morning began receiving alerts noting that they would need to purchase a paid Hotmail subscription in order to access their Hotmail accounts from within Entourage. As noted by MacNN in September, Microsoft said it would disable direct access to Hotmail from desktop clients such as Outlook, Outlook Express, and Entourage in an attempt fight spam. "Microsoft says that spammers have been abusing the Outlook feature and creating false Hotmail accounts using an automated process from which they can send huge batches of unwanted commercial messages. Likewise, the httpmail pages note: Since ...

Messenger Service and pop-ups

Bruce — Fri, 03 Oct 2003 14:35:20 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Getting annoying pop-ups from spammers like "www.DESTROYADS.com" when Windows Messenger (4.7) is running? These are taking advantage of the Messenger Service which can be disabled without affecting your ability to use instant messaging for chat: From the Start menu, choose Run and type in services.msc then click OK; A new window appears with lots of "services" listed on the right hand side; Scroll down to find the Messenger service; right click it and choose Properties; Under Startup Type select Disabled; Click the Stop button; Click the Apply button; Click the OK button. Update: Windows Messenger 5.0 lets you "filter out instant messaging spam". Download here. Might this address the issue? Update: Microsoft plan to disable Messenger Services with Windows XP Service Pack 2 according to a report at The Register.