Web based messengers allow you to sign in to the Messenger network without downloading and installing Windows Live Messenger or any other program. Using a Web based messenger is useful in school or work environments where Windows Live Messenger might be blocked or you are not allowed to use instant messaging.
The Web sites below allow you to sign in using just a Web browser, no installing is required. If Windows Live Messenger has been blocked or disabled where you are, you may find some of these will be blocked too, as whoever is in charge has found out about them!
- MSN Web Messenger
- eBuddy
- ILoveIM
- Meebo
- MSN2Go
- IMhaha
- KoolIM
- Communication Tube
- Messenger FX
- Instan-t Express
- Mabber
- IMUnitive
- Snimmer
- NEW: RadiusIM
This page will be updated whenever I find another Web site to add to the list. Do you know of another one that’s not listed here? Please leave a comment here for other people to see!
The last few years have seen huge increases in beta testers and transparency for Microsoft products in development. I remember not too long ago when beta testers for MSN Messenger were rather uncommon in public forums, or at least they preferred to keep quiet about it.
Microsoft has given far greater awareness to beta testing and more people are keen to to get into it. Each new version seems to have more beta hype than the last, but I think it was around MSN Messenger 7 when it really took off.
So this brings me to the latest poll, have you beta tested Messenger? Whether it be through Microsoft Connect/BetaPlace, or public betas (just not leaked versions!).
Either you have or you haven’t, but as always I give more specific options to choose from, one of which is Yes, to get the latest version. There’s a trend where users get into the beta programme, not to provide feedback back to Microsoft, but to get the latest and greatest or have something most people don’t have. Be honest, have you done this?
The poll on Windows Live Messenger usage has been up for two months, much longer than intended, so it’s now come to a close, and here are the results:
How often do you use Messenger?
- Everyday (84% | 992 Votes)
- I rarely sign out (7% | 87 Votes)
- Every 2 or 3 days (5% | 56 Votes)
- Once or twice a week (2% | 20 Votes)
- Never (2% | 20 Votes)
Total Votes: 1,175
Over 90% of visitors use Messenger everyday, some of them claiming they don’t bother signing out (always gotta be available, right?). Those who don’t sign in every day didn’t even make the 10% mark!
Considering this site is about Messenger, it’s no surprise the results show most people use Messenger regularly. Although I’m curious, who are the 20 that voted Never? What brought them here?
There seems to be an awful lot of people having trouble with running Windows Live Messenger on Windows Vista. One problem I am hearing a lot about is Data Execution Prevention crashing Messenger, preventing it from fully starting up. The issue seems to come down to Acer’s eDataSecurity Management software.
If you have recently purchased an Acer notebook or desktop PC with Windows Vista installed, you can now download a patch from Acer to correct the problem.
Leave a comment on whether or not the patch fixes the problem for you – I’m interested to see if there is anyone else having this problem but from different causes.
Communication Tube is a multi-network Web messenger supporting Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ and IRC.
The biggest advantage of Communication Tube is that it’s completely Web based, no software download is required. It is convenient for people using the internet from internet cafes, school, or work. You can be connected to multiple IM networks simultaneously from its single Web interface. Sending and receiving messages are done without refreshing the page, which minimizes internet traffic and makes manual page refreshing unnecessary.
The service is still relatively new, so it doesn’t have too many flashy features and has a few glitches (eg. it’s showing I have some offline contacts whose display name is 2, 10, or 12). There is a feedback email link at the bottom, so if you can think of ways to improve it, why not let the author know?
