MSN
MSN Dial-up is an
Internet
Internet service provider operated by
Microsoft
Microsoft in
the
United States
United States and formerly also in several other countries.
Originally named The
Microsoft
Microsoft Network, it debuted as a proprietary
online service on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of
Windows 95.[1] In 1996 and 1997, a revised web-based version of the
ISP was an early experiment at interactive multimedia content on the
Internet.
Microsoft
Microsoft renamed the service
MSN
MSN
Internet
Internet Access in 1998, focusing
its main 'MSN' brand on its web portal of the same name, MSN.com.
Today, the company still provides dial-up
Internet
Internet access under the
name '
MSN
MSN Dial-up' for those who cannot access high-speed broadband.
For several years,
MSN
MSN was the second largest dial-up ISP in the
United States
United States behind longtime leader AOL, but very few people in the
U.S. still rely on dial-up.[2][3]
Along with dial-up service,
MSN
MSN provides its subscribers with an
@msn.com email account to use with
Outlook.com
Outlook.com and security software
such as firewall and anti-virus programs.[4] It also offers these
extra features as a standalone subscription service for users of
broadband
Internet
Internet access named '
MSN
MSN Premium'.
Contents
1 Early history
1.1 The
Microsoft
Microsoft Network
1.2
MSN
MSN 2.0
1.3
MSN
MSN 2.5
1.4
MSN
MSN 2.6 and 5.0
2
MSN
MSN Explorer
2.1 Version history
2.1.1
MSN
MSN 6 and 7
2.1.2
MSN
MSN 8 and 9
2.1.3
MSN
MSN 10
2.1.4
MSN
MSN 11
2.2
MSN
MSN for Mac OS X
2.3
MSN
MSN Premium
3 International
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Early history[edit]
The
Microsoft
Microsoft Network[edit]
MSN
MSN Classic sign-in screen
MSN
MSN Central
The concept for
MSN
MSN was created by the Advanced Technology Group at
Microsoft, headed by Nathan Myhrvold.
MSN
MSN was originally conceived as
a subscription-based dial-up online service and proprietary content
provider like
America Online
America Online or CompuServe. Then officially known as
'The
Microsoft
Microsoft Network', version 1.0 of the service launched along
with
Windows 95
Windows 95 on August 24, 1995.[1]
The
Microsoft
Microsoft Network was originally presented through an artificial
folder-like graphical user interface integrated into the Windows
Explorer file management program, with a home page named 'MSN
Central'. Categories on
MSN
MSN appeared like folders in the file system.
The interface was designed by
Clement Mok and employed high color
graphics.[5]
MSN
MSN was included with
Windows 95
Windows 95 installations and promoted through
Windows and other
Microsoft
Microsoft software released at the time. Product
support and discussion was offered through the
MSN
MSN service, as well as
information such as news and weather, basic email capabilities, chat
rooms, and message boards similar to newsgroups. It also offered
access to the
Internet
Internet via
Internet
Internet Explorer.
There was debate in the media as to whether
MSN
MSN would be an 'Internet
killer', and some companies hedged their bets for the first year,
creating content both on
MSN
MSN and the World Wide Web. However, MSN
launched too late to be a real threat to the web. Following Bill
Gates' internal '
Internet
Internet Tidal Wave memo', which refocused Microsoft
to be Internet-centric,
MSN
MSN began to move its content to the web and
promote itself more actively as an
Internet
Internet service provider.[6]
Following the release of
MSN
MSN 2.0 in 1996,
Microsoft
Microsoft renamed its
original proprietary online service '
MSN
MSN Classic'. Microsoft
eventually shut down any remaining access to the
MSN
MSN Classic service
in 1998.
MSN
MSN 2.0[edit]
The
MSN
MSN Preview on
YouTube
YouTube was a mock premiere event, with host
'Michael'
Feature demo in the
MSN
MSN Preview
MSN
MSN 2.0 Program Viewer
In 1996, in response to the increasing relevancy and rapid growth of
the World Wide Web,
Microsoft
Microsoft created a new version of MSN, called
'
MSN
MSN 2.0', which combined access to the
Internet
Internet with web-based
multimedia content in a new program known as the '
MSN
MSN Program
Viewer.'[7] The service was promoted to existing
MSN
MSN subscribers
beginning October 10, 1996; the general release followed on December
10, 1996.[8][9]
Microsoft
Microsoft promoted
MSN
MSN 2.0 with a series of advertisements and
promotional materials describing the service with the phrase, "Every
new universe begins with a big bang." The company offered the initial
release of the new
MSN
MSN 2.0 service on a
CD-ROM
.jpg/440px-CD-ROM_Drive_(Dell).jpg)
CD-ROM that it sent to MSN
subscribers in the fall of 1996. When inserted, the
CD-ROM
CD-ROM opened to
the ambitious and flashy '
MSN
MSN Preview', an interactive video-based
experience that introduced current and prospective subscribers to the
new version of
MSN
MSN and described the features of the
MSN
MSN 2.0
software.[10]
The
MSN
MSN Preview was filmed at the Paramount
Theatre
Theatre in
Seattle
Seattle and was
formatted as a guided tour of a mock premiere event for the new
MSN.[11] It was hosted by a witty and sarcastic character named
'Michael' who welcomed viewers outside of the theatre and then guided
them through the theatre to meet several other characters, each of
whom represented one of the channels of
MSN
MSN 2.0's 'On Stage' area, the
main platform for interactive multimedia content in
MSN
MSN 2.0.[10]
A handful of uncredited actors appeared in the
MSN
MSN Preview, including
then-unknown actress Anna Faris,[12][13] who represented 'Channel 5',
which was described as "media, zines, attitude"; it was targeted at
Generation X
Generation X and college-age members. The preview also included its
own jazz and pop music loop that played during the installation
process.[14]
Once installed, members accessed
MSN
MSN content through the
MSN
MSN Program
Viewer, which was essentially an animated, stylized and streamlined
interface on top of an
Internet
Internet Explorer 3.0 web browser. When members
signed in, they would be presented with several different 'Channels',
which were categories for the various types of content available on
MSN.
These channels included new services that launched in 1996 such as
msnbc.com, a news website now known as
NBCNews.com
NBCNews.com that began as a
partnership between
Microsoft
Microsoft and NBC; and Slate, an online magazine
focused on politics and current events. Both websites were available
to all
Internet
Internet users and still exist today, although they are no
longer owned by Microsoft.[8] Also integrated into
MSN
MSN 2.0 shortly
after its launch was Microsoft's popular
Internet
Internet Gaming Zone, which
later became
MSN
MSN Games.
Interactive multimedia content was presented in a TV-like format,
dubbed
MSN
MSN shows, as part of the 'On Stage' section. The many shows
and sites included an interactive online nightly game show called
'Netwits', a snarky website addressing women's issues called
'UnderWire', and a regular celebrity interview and web-surfing session
called 'One Click Away'.[15]
These new destinations supplemented other
Microsoft
Microsoft web-based services
such as CarPoint and Expedia, which were branded within
MSN
MSN as
'Essentials'. An additional 'Communicate' section was based around
email, chat rooms (which were branded
MSN
MSN Chat and moved to the
standard
IRC
IRC protocol), and newsgroups (which were moved to Usenet
from a proprietary architecture), while a 'Find' section was dedicated
to searching
MSN
MSN content and the rest of the Internet; it also
provided a calendar of upcoming events and new shows on MSN.[8]
The new content made extensive use of multimedia and interactive
features, including
VBScript and early implementations of Macromedia
Shockwave Flash (originally called 'FutureSplash') for animations.[16]
While the
MSN
MSN shows approach was unique and innovative, the content
was not easily accessible by members with low-end computers and slower
dial-up connections. High-speed
Internet
Internet access was not widely
available at the time, and some users subscribed to monthly dial-up
plans that limited the number of hours during which they were allowed
to access the service. The
MSN
MSN 2.0 software was also unstable and
would often quit unexpectedly.[14]
In addition to
MSN
MSN 2.0's speed and stability issues, existing MSN
subscribers were concerned the transition to
MSN
MSN 2.0 would break up
communities that were established via the
MSN
MSN Classic message boards
and chat rooms.[17] Their concerns were confirmed when Microsoft
announced plans to close the entire
MSN
MSN Classic service. As a result
of all these issues, a website called 'The Official msNOT Hate
Site'[18] originated as a negative response to the new
MSN
MSN 2.0
software. The website claimed
Microsoft
Microsoft patently ignored feedback from
concerned members and censored anyone who spoke out against the
upgrade; it further charged the company's handling of the transition
to
MSN
MSN 2.0 was "insensitive and ethically questionable."[14] Microsoft
denied it attempted to silence those who expressed concern about the
upgrade.[19] The website also mocked the music loop that played during
the
MSN
MSN 2.0 installation process because it repeated the phrase "too
stupid to stop."[14]
Ultimately, the ambitious use of web-based and interactive multimedia
content on the
Internet
Internet during 1996 and 1997 proved to be ahead of its
time, and the
MSN
MSN 2.0 service was not as successful as Microsoft
initially hoped. The company returned to the drawing board for its
next
MSN
MSN release.[7][20][21]
MSN
MSN 2.5[edit]
In 1997, after abandoning the interactive multimedia format, the MSN
service was again refocused, this time as a more traditional Internet
access service. With the release of
MSN
MSN 2.5 (code named 'Metro' and
sometimes referred to in marketing materials as '
MSN
MSN Premier') in late
1997, some exclusive
MSN
MSN branded content was still offered through the
MSN
MSN Program Viewer, but the service primarily directed members to
traditional text-based websites that anyone on the
Internet
Internet could
access, instead of interactive shows.[22]
Beginning with
MSN
MSN 2.5, email service for
MSN
MSN members was moved from a
proprietary
Microsoft
Microsoft Exchange environment that powered email for both
MSN
MSN Classic and
MSN
MSN 2.0, to standard
POP3 and
SMTP
SMTP protocols that
could be accessed via any
Internet
Internet email program, including
Microsoft's own
Internet
Internet Mail and News, which became Outlook Express
with the introduction of
Internet
Internet Explorer 4.0.
MSN
MSN also launched
'Friends Online', a predecessor to the
MSN
MSN Messenger Service that
allowed members to add each other as friends, see each other's online
presence and send instant messages to one another.[23] Accompanying
the
MSN
MSN Program Viewer in
MSN
MSN 2.5 was '
MSN
MSN Quick Launch', an icon
inside the Windows notification area. Like the
MSN
MSN Program Viewer in
MSN
MSN 2.0, the menu in
MSN
MSN Quick Launch could be dynamically updated to
guide members to updated
MSN
MSN content and services.
MSN
MSN 2.6 and 5.0[edit]
With the release of
MSN
MSN 2.6 in 1998,
Microsoft
Microsoft renamed the service
'
MSN
MSN
Internet
Internet Access', and the
MSN
MSN Program Viewer was abandoned
entirely in favor of the more familiar
Internet
Internet Explorer. Another new
version of the service,
MSN
MSN
Internet
Internet Access 5.0, was released along
with
Internet
Internet Explorer 5.0 in 1999.
MSN
MSN 5.0 was largely identical to
MSN
MSN 2.6, aside from offering the newer version of the browser.
Also in 1998,
Microsoft
Microsoft relaunched its
Microsoft
Microsoft
Internet
Internet Start web
portal as MSN.com and began to focus on offering services under the
'MSN' brand name to users of other
Internet
Internet service providers.
Building on the success of MSN's web-based email service, Hotmail
(which was acquired by
Microsoft
Microsoft in December 1997), the
MSN
MSN Messenger
Service for instant messaging was launched in 1999. Unlike the
'Friends Online' service bundled with
MSN
MSN 2.5 that required an MSN
membership, anyone with a free
Microsoft
Microsoft Passport or
Hotmail
Hotmail account
could use
MSN
MSN Messenger.
MSN
MSN Explorer[edit]
MSN
MSN Explorer
Developer(s)
Microsoft
Stable release
11.61.0064.1300 / April 25, 2017[24]
Operating system
Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and
Windows XP
Platform
Microsoft
Microsoft Windows
Website
membercenter.msn.com
With the release of
Windows XP
Windows XP in 2001 (which also brought with it
Internet
Internet Explorer 6.0),
Microsoft
Microsoft began to offer content for MSN
Internet
Internet Access subscribers through a program called
MSN
MSN Explorer.
This program is similar to the early
MSN
MSN Program Viewer in that it
provides access to
MSN
MSN websites, email, instant messaging, and other
content on top of a web browser (an
Internet
Internet Explorer shell) based on
the Trident layout engine.
MSN
MSN Explorer is similar to
AOL
AOL Desktop,
which also has a built-in email client and provides access to content
for
AOL
AOL members.
Upon the transition to
MSN
MSN Explorer, email for
MSN
MSN members was
integrated into Microsoft's
Hotmail
Hotmail architecture and could be accessed
from the web the same way as any other
Hotmail
Hotmail account.
MSN
MSN Explorer
provided a user interface for navigating one's @msn.com email inbox
and folders, also known as '
MSN
MSN Mail', until the migration of Hotmail
to the
Windows Live
Windows Live brand.
MSN
MSN subscribers were upgraded to the
standard version of
Hotmail
Hotmail in 2008, but with additional storage
capacity compared to free
Hotmail
Hotmail users.
Microsoft
Microsoft phased out Hotmail
and replaced it with
Outlook.com
Outlook.com in 2013, but
MSN
MSN subscribers still
receive @msn.com email addresses to use with the service ad-free.
Former members can continue to use those addresses with Outlook.com
after ending their subscriptions.[25]
Version history[edit]
MSN
MSN 6 and 7[edit]
An early pre-release 'beta' of
MSN
MSN Explorer, labeled version 1.1, was
originally included with Windows code name 'Whistler' build 2410,
which became Windows XP. Server versions of the beta did not include
it. The final release,
MSN
MSN Explorer version 6.0 (officially numbered
to follow the last release of the older
MSN
MSN 5.0 software), was built
into
Windows XP
Windows XP with its release in October 2001. Anyone who used
Windows XP
Windows XP could choose to use
MSN
MSN Explorer regardless of their MSN
membership status. The user interface for
MSN
MSN Explorer matched the
visual style of
Windows XP
Windows XP and utilized relatively responsive
animations that would not become commonplace in web browsers until
HTML5
HTML5 came along several years later.
Microsoft
Microsoft began referring to the
MSN
MSN Explorer software as simply 'MSN'
beginning with version 7, an update that was rolled out shortly after
the initial release of Windows XP.
Microsoft
Microsoft halted development of the
free edition of the software in 2002 in favor of a version only
available with
MSN
MSN dial-up and premium subscriptions. Versions of MSN
Explorer later than 7.5 require a paid subscription, but it is
possible to use another
Internet
Internet service provider while accessing
content provided through the
MSN
MSN Explorer software. The last free
version of the
MSN
MSN software also remained available for download for
some time.
MSN
MSN 8 and 9[edit]
MSN
MSN versions 8 and 9 were released in 2002 and 2004 respectively. As
of
MSN
MSN version 9, the software began requiring a user to have a
Microsoft
Microsoft account, though depending on the version, it may or may not
require an active subscription to other
MSN
MSN services. The interface
also includes many Flash animations. Version 9.5 added compatibility
with Windows Vista. Version 9.6 was released in June 2008 and included
revisions necessary for a newer mailbox synchronization technology and
to replace the
MSN
MSN Parental Controls menu options with links to the
newer
Windows Live
Windows Live Family Safety feature.
MSN
MSN 10[edit]
Microsoft
Microsoft began rolling out
MSN
MSN version 10 in November 2009, following
the release of Windows 7. Features included full compatibility with
Internet
Internet Explorer 8, an integrated spell checker, and the ability to
exclude
MSN
MSN Messenger from the installation. Version 10.2 was released
in 2011, including photo email integration with SkyDrive (now
OneDrive), the ability to include photos or a photo slideshow with a
link so others can download a copy for themselves, and customizable
toolbar button groups. Version 10.5 added minor improvements to the
MSN
MSN software; most notably
Microsoft
Microsoft changed its user agent to
disguise it as a newer web browser in order to bypass 'outdated
browser' warning messages from some websites.
MSN
MSN 11[edit]
MSN
MSN Explorer 11 is the current version, which was released in April
2014 and offers compatibility with
Windows 8
Windows 8 and
Internet
Internet Explorer 11,
adds tabbed browsing, and brings back a 'remember me' feature. The
software still included an instant messaging client based on
Microsoft's Messenger service, even though it had been phased out in
favor of
Skype
Skype since 2013. Subsequent releases of
MSN
MSN 11 included
updated email functionality to maintain compatibility with Outlook.com
in version 11.5, and updated logos to match current
MSN
MSN branding in
version 11.6.[24]
MSN
MSN for Mac OS X[edit]
MSN
MSN for Mac OS X (now named macOS) was a dial-up client interface to
Microsoft's pay-for-access online services for Mac users. The software
was, in some respects, comparable to the
AOL
AOL dial-up client given its
channel-based interface, built-in chat and instant messaging
capabilities, parental controls, and ability to accommodate multiple
screen names. It used the Tasman layout engine made for the Mac
edition of
Internet
Internet Explorer 5. It was discontinued in March 2005.[26]
After the discontinuation of
MSN
MSN for Mac OS X,
Microsoft
Microsoft continued
offering its
Microsoft
Microsoft Messenger for Mac software, an instant
messaging-only client that required only a free
Microsoft
Microsoft account for
use. As mentioned previously,
Skype
Skype replaced Messenger in 2013.
MSN
MSN Premium[edit]
For customers with high-speed broadband
Internet
Internet access, '
MSN
MSN Premium'
is a subscription service provided by
Microsoft
Microsoft that combines a number
of different
Internet
Internet services, along with firewall and anti-virus
software provided by
McAfee
McAfee and Spy Sweeper, into a premium version of
MSN
MSN Explorer. In order to use
MSN
MSN Premium, users subscribe to the
service through get.msn.com or previously by acquiring
DSL
DSL through one
of MSN's partners, such as Verizon or
Qwest
Qwest (now merged with
CenturyLink) in the
United States
United States or Bell
Internet
Internet in Canada.
Microsoft
Microsoft also offered premium services with Verizon through the
Windows Live
Windows Live brand name beginning in 2006.[27]
MSN
MSN Premium provided
through Verizon was disbanded on March 1, 2012, and users could no
longer use
MSN
MSN Premium with Verizon after that date.[28]
International[edit]
Microsoft
Microsoft has extended its
MSN
MSN dial-up
Internet
Internet access service beyond
the
United States
United States since 1995, partnering with various
telecommunications companies to provide service in numerous areas
around the world. A list of international
MSN
MSN affiliates is available
at
MSN
MSN Worldwide.
In Canada,
MSN
MSN partnered with
Bell Sympatico
Bell Sympatico (the ISP division of Bell
Canada) creating 'Sympatico / MSN'.[29] In Australia, Microsoft
originally partnered with
Telstra
Telstra in 1995 with
MSN
MSN branded locally as
'OnAustralia'; when
Microsoft
Microsoft withdrew from the joint venture the
following year,
Telstra
Telstra went on to assume 100% ownership and rebrand
the service as BigPond. In Mexico,
MSN
MSN partnered with
Telmex
Telmex Prodigy
creating 'Prodigy / MSN'.[30] An affiliation with Xtra, Telecom New
Zealand's
Internet
Internet provider, known as Xtra
MSN
MSN ended in 2006.[31]
MSN
MSN has many offices worldwide for national customer support. It
utilizes the service of call centers around the world. Among the
countries are the
Philippines
Philippines (technical and customer service), El
Salvador (technical and customer support for Spanish-speaking
customers), and
India
India (customer service). In 2007,
Microsoft
Microsoft set up a
research and development center for
MSN
MSN China, based in Shanghai's
Zizhu Science Park, which hosts technical support for MSN
services.[32]
See also[edit]
MSN
List of services by MSN
Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Windows
Windows 95
Internet
Internet Explorer
References[edit]
^ a b Nations, Daniel. "
Microsoft
Microsoft timeline and profile".
About.com
About.com Web
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AOL revenue, subscribers
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^ "
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MSN Dial-up: A better way to connect: faster, safer, and
smarter".
^ Robert J. Ambrogi (1995). "First Look: The
Microsoft
Microsoft Network".
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^ "May 26, 1995: Gates,
Microsoft
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Internet
Internet Tidal Wave'".
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^ a b "
MSN
MSN works to find its focus". Archived from the original on
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Microsoft
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MSN Preview video from 1996". YouTube. July 13,
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Internet experiment". tylerc.com. July 13, 2006.
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^ "The Ultimate
Anna Faris
.jpg/440px-Feed_America,_Cloudy_with_a_Chance_of_Meatballs_2,_Anna_Faris_(cropped).jpg)
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MSN 2.0 Preview".
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MSN
MSN Members". Ddj.com. Retrieved May 1,
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Microsoft
Microsoft Network'". Entertainment Weekly.
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MSN 2.0: Architecting an Internet-Based Online
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Gadget4boys.com. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on
January 25, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
External links[edit]
Official website
MSN
MSN Worldwide
v
t
e
MSN
MSN software and services
Current services
MSN
MSN
MSN Dial-up
MSN
MSN Games
Rebranded
Bing
Bing Ads
Bing Maps
Messenger
Microsoft
Microsoft account
Outlook.com
Windows Live
Divested by Microsoft
Expedia
MSNBC
NBCNews.com
Nine.com.au
Sidewalk.com
Slate
Discontinued
Chat
China
Companion
Desktop Search
Direct
Encarta
Groups
Music
QnA
Shopping
Soapbox
Spaces
Toolbar
TV
WiFi Hotspots
Xinmsn
List
Category
v
t
e
Microsoft
Microsoft Windows components
Management
tools
App Installer
Command Prompt
Control Panel
Applets
Device Manager
Disk Cleanup
Disk Defragmenter
Driver Verifier
Event Viewer
IExpress
Management Console
Netsh
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Where do you want to go today?
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