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1999 - 2014
MSN Messenger
“brb dinner x”
- Birth year
- 1999
- Shutdown year
- 2014
- Lifespan
- 15 years
- Peak era
- 2004-2009
- Company
- Microsoft
- Category
- Messaging
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What Was It?
Microsoft's chat client turned online presence into a teenage ritual: screen names, nudges, emoticons, and the tiny drama of appearing offline.
The contact list supplied a quick picture of a social world: who was available, who was busy, and who might answer. Display names and status choices made that practical information expressive, while a chat window could turn an ordinary evening at the computer into time spent with friends.
The service's retirement ended a familiar place for those routines, even when the same people could still be reached through other tools. Its identity lives in small details such as the notification, the contact list, and the anticipation of a reply.
Things You Probably Forgot
- Nudges that shook the entire conversation window
- Appear Offline as emotional self-defense
- Custom emoticons traded like contraband
- Drawing messages with a mouse
- Display names containing song lyrics
- Signing in and out repeatedly to get someone's attention
The Story
- 1999 Launched as MSN Messenger Service.
- 2001 Became a fixture on school computers and family PCs.
- 2011 Microsoft bought Skype.
- 2013 Most users were migrated to Skype.
- 2014 The remaining service in mainland China closed on October 31.
How It Died
Microsoft migrated most users to Skype in 2013; the remaining mainland China service closed in October 2014.
What Replaced It?
Memories
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