The Geek Forum

Main Forums => Hardware, Software, and Other Imperialist Crap => Topic started by: fatbobsufc on February 21, 2006, 04:19:47 AM

Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: fatbobsufc on February 21, 2006, 04:19:47 AM: I understand that Microsoft are trying to move away from the 'free' version of Hotmail, by making it only available through your browser. This is clearly to try and encourage you to pay for the 'full' Hotmail service. If you ask me this is a dirty trick against the people who have well established Hotmail addresses and considered the .Net technologies and MSN Passports etc we are becoming more and more reliant on our Hotmail service. They are trying to leave us no choice but to upgrade.

Since I have never paid for any web service (there is always a free alternative if you look hard enough) I refuse to go against my principles on this one ESPECIALLY since it's Microsoft we're talking about.

What really grinds my gears is the dirty way Microsoft have taken support away for my Outlook Express Hotmail. It has worked fine, and I have been completely happy with it, until I changed my Hotmail password, then it suddenly stopped working. Dirty dirty dirty.

Now the Web interface is just not good enough for me. I need to get my mail through an email client because experience shows I just can't be arsed to log on if this isn't the case. So I am left with two choices:

1. abandon my long serving Hotmail account :(
2. find an email client that will allow me to use the Hotmail service without paying for it.

I have already heard about an email client called Foxmail which apparently allows you to continue to use Hotmail - has anyone had any experience of this or does anyone have any other suggestions as to how I can get my Hotmail through an email client without pumping more money into the Microsoft corporate machine?
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Crystalmonkey on February 21, 2006, 05:19:45 AM: When are they supposedly implementing this and where did you hear about it?
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: fatbobsufc on February 21, 2006, 06:49:22 AM: Quote from: Crystalmonkey
When are they supposedly implementing this and where did you hear about it?

All the info is in this KB article http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=878462
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Crystalmonkey on February 21, 2006, 07:08:03 AM: So when you say "access through the browser", you mean any web browser.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: fatbobsufc on February 21, 2006, 08:18:55 AM: No, when I said "by making it only available through your browser" I did, of course, mean any browser.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Demosthenes on February 21, 2006, 09:50:28 AM: Heh. I only use my Hotmail addresses for stuff I think will likely lead to spam. Hotmail is nothing but a place where I can make throwaway email addresses.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: fatbobsufc on February 21, 2006, 09:56:16 AM: Quote from: Demosthenes
Heh. I only use my Hotmail addresses for stuff I think will likely lead to spam. Hotmail is nothing but a place where I can make throwaway email addresses.

True but I have just had this one for a while and it's hard to move away from it :cry:
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Demosthenes on February 21, 2006, 09:59:39 AM: Yahoo! has pretty decent mail. No POP access though, unless you're paying for it.

Their spam filtering is quite a bit better than Hotmail's as well, in my opinion.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: ivan on February 21, 2006, 12:56:59 PM: Why should Microsoft give you anything for free? What are you, king of the fucking universe?
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: pbsaurus on February 21, 2006, 01:10:28 PM: My hotmail account expired. You have to login at least once a month or it dies. So I gave up on that crap years ago. I use gmail, yahoo, and miniwaankerbot.com.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: xolik on February 21, 2006, 02:23:06 PM: Speaking of hotmail, anybody know how I can hack...nevermind.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Demosthenes on February 21, 2006, 04:04:19 PM: :lol:
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: pbsaurus on February 21, 2006, 05:04:58 PM: I think Demo has a tool for you...
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Crystalmonkey on February 21, 2006, 05:13:27 PM: I think Bush has a tool for you too...
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: xolik on February 21, 2006, 07:49:43 PM: Quote from: Crystalmonkey
I think Bush has a tool for you too...

Sorry, I don't do bush.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Scuzzy on February 21, 2006, 08:28:39 PM: I think bush IS a tool, err did I say that out loud? No I prefer gmail (www.gmail.com) if you need an invite, I have about 100, if you would like.[/url]
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: fatbobsufc on February 22, 2006, 03:29:56 AM: Quote from: ivan
Why should Microsoft give you anything for free? What are you, king of the fucking universe?

Yes, now bow down before me scumbag before I release a royal warrant.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: ivan on February 22, 2006, 12:09:01 PM: Quote from: fatbobsufc
Quote from: ivan
Why should Microsoft give you anything for free? What are you, king of the fucking universe?

Yes, now bow down before me scumbag before I release a royal warrant.

Ah. That explains it.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Dark Shade on February 22, 2006, 05:18:07 PM: Chalk it up to bad luck and pay. You can't get much for free nowadays.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: xpgeek on February 24, 2006, 02:26:09 PM: They did this a while ago, stopped Outlook access for all new free accounts, left it on for the old ones, but now they're quietly taking it away from the old ones too.

I prefer Gmail, almost 3gigs of storage now, Outlook access, nine months inactivity limit instead of 1 month.

I still keep an msn address just to have spam sent to.
Title: Greedy Microsoft
Post by: Binary_Branflakes on March 02, 2006, 11:48:31 AM: I trashed my hotmail account that i have had for no less than ten years the other day. All it was good for is SPAM!

And yeah, Microsoft decided to do the premium email thing long before AOL started rumouring about it. (but of course for supposedly different reasons)

I got my first email from the hotmail sight about that change...oh about a year ago actually.