User:A Cornish Pasty/Sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Windows Live Hotmail
Windows Live Hotmail icon
Hotmail Inbox

Hotmail Inbox
Developer: Microsoft
OS: Cross-platform (web-based application)
Use: E-mail, Webmail
Website: http://www.hotmail.com, http://mail.live.com

Windows Live Hotmail, commonly known as simply Hotmail, is a popular free webmail service by Microsoft. The current version was announced on November 1st, 2005 as an update to Microsoft's existing MSN Hotmail service. After a period of beta testing, it was officially released to all users on Date 1st, 2007.

It features 2GB of storage, patented security measures, Ajax technology, and integration with Windows Live Messenger, Spaces, Calendar and Contacts. It has over 260 million users worldwide[1] and is available in 35 different languages.


Contents

[edit] Features

Hotmail employs many of the advanced features that are found across all major webmail services, including use of the Ajax and JavaScript programming frameworks, support for the most popular internet browsers (Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox), keyboard controls giving the ability to navigate around the page without using the mouse, advanced message search including structured query syntax such as "from:ebay", message filters, folder-based organization of messages, auto-completion of contact addresses when composing, contact grouping, importing and exporting of contacts as CSV files, rich text formatting, rich text signatures, advanced spam filtering and virus scanning, support for multiple addresses, and different language versions. POP3 access, although not directly available through Hotmail, can be accessed via Windows Live Mail Center.

Users can choose from two different versions of Hotmail, depending on personal preference. The first is a "Classic" version, with the interface and layout based on those of the previous MSN Hotmail, while still benfitting from the speed of Ajax technology. Also available is a "Full" version, which employs a more advanced user interface styled on that of Microsoft Outlook, with a reading pane and drag-and-drop capability. All other features are available in both versions.

Hotmail also includes new features and technologies that are found in none or very few other webmail services, such as:

  • Audio player
An integrated audio player is offered in Hotmail which automatically plays voicemails or MP3 audio clips after scanning the file for viruses.
  • Color schemes
Hotmail adds the functionality of personalization to the user interface by a choice of color schemes. Users can choose from the default Windows Live "Blue Vapor" theme, or blue, red, black, silver, pink, green, purple or orange variants.
  • Integration
Hotmail is extensively integrated with many other Windows Live services. Users can send and receive instant messages with their contacts from within Hotmail without being signed in to Windows Live Messenger or even having the program installed at all. Integration with Windows Live Spaces and Windows Live Contacts is also available, with the ability to have contact information kept automatically up-to-date, and notification of updated Spaces. Windows Live Calendar is also accessible through the Hotmail interface.
  • Interface flexibility
The redesign of Hotmail was centered around an Outlook-style appearance, with a reading pane to view the inbox and messages at the same time, drag-and-drop functionality, keyboard selects for using the Ctrl or Shift keys to select messages and right-click context menus delivering a greater range of options. The reading pane can be displayed at the side of messages, below them, or not at all.
  • Security
Hotmail's security features catching a phishing attempt
Hotmail's security features catching a phishing attempt
Hotmail has extensive security and safety features—some patented—including Trend Micro virus scanning, SenderID, SMTP Authentication, phishing heuristic detection, Bonded Sender, mailing list detection and forwarding detection.[2] Potentially unsafe mail is caught by Hotmail and it does not open the message or allow access to an attachment until the user requests that it do so. It has proven particularly useful in notifying users of phishing attempts.
A unique feature of Hotmail is the safety bar, positioned constantly above each message as a notification to the user as to whether the sender is known and if the mail content is potentially dangerous.
  • Spell checker
While other webmail applications offer the ability of checking messages for spelling mistakes, only Hotmail uses a Microsoft Office-like technology of checking the words as they are typed. As in programs like Microsoft Word, misspelled words are underlined in red and a right-click displays a list of suggestions.

[edit] Additional information

[edit] Languages

Hotmail is available in Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (also Brazilian Portuguese), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Ukranian. Bi-directional language support is available for Arabic and Hebrew message content.

[edit] Registration

Upon registration, new users can choose from a Hotmail domain address (e.g. @hotmail.com, @hotmail.co.uk), or a localized Windows Live domain (e.g. @live.com, @live.fr, @live.es).

[edit] Hotmail Plus

Windows Live Hotmail Plus is a subscription-based upgrade for Hotmail, currently only available in the Netherlands and priced at €19.99 a year. Including all the features of Hotmail, subscribers of Hotmail Plus benefit from 4GB of storage space, 20MB attachment limit, no inactivity limit and full POP3 access.[3]

[edit] Development history

Evolution of the Hotmail brand.
Evolution of the Hotmail brand.

The original Hotmail service was founded by Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia, and was one of the first webmail services on the Internet. It was commercially launched on July 4th, 1996, the American Independence Day, symbolizing "freedom" from ISP-based e-mail and the ability to access your inbox from anywhere in the world. The name "Hotmail" was chosen out of many possibilities ending in "-mail" as it included the letters HTML - the coding used behind all web pages.

Hotmail was initially backed by the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. By December 1997, it reported more than 8.5 million subscribers[4] and was sold later that month to Microsoft for a reported US$400 million, and joined the MSN group of services. Hotmail quickly gained in popularity as it was localized for different markets around the globe and became the world's largest webmail service, reporting more than 30 million active members by February 1999.[5]

Later development saw the service tied with Microsoft's web authentication scheme, Passport (now Windows Live ID), and integration with Microsoft's instant messaging program, MSN Messenger, and its social networking platform, MSN Spaces (now Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Spaces, respectively).

After a period of technological stagnation, the webmail industry received a significant boost when the Google search engine announced its own mail service, Gmail. Featuring vastly increased storage space, speed and interface flexibility, this new competitor spurred a wave of innovation in webmail, with the main industry heavyweights—Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail—all introducing upgraded versions of their e-mail services with greater speed, security and advanced features.

Microsoft's new e-mail system was announced on November 1st, 2005 under the codename "Kahuna", and a beta version was released to a few thousand testers. Other webmail enthusiasts also wanting to try the beta version could request an invitation granting access. The new service was built from scratch and emphasised three main concepts of being "faster, simpler and safer". New versions of the beta service were rolled out over the development period, and by the end of 2006 the number of beta testers had reached the millions.[6]

The Hotmail brand was planned to be phased-out when Microsoft announced that the new mail system would be called "Windows Live Mail", however the developers soon backtracked after beta-testers were confused with the name change and preferred the already well-known Hotmail name, and decided on Windows Live Hotmail. Development of the beta was finished in Date 2007 and Windows Live Hotmail replaced all existing 260 million MSN Hotmail accounts worldwide.

The Hotmail development and operations teams are based in Mountain View, California.

The old MSN Hotmail inbox
The old MSN Hotmail inbox

[edit] MSN Hotmail

Hotmail was part of the MSN brand of services until Date 2007 when the new version was implemented and given the Windows Live branding. The Classic view of Windows Live Hotmail is based on that of MSN Hotmail, being designed with familiarity in mind so users that made the switch were not immediately alienated by the change.

I don't have a f'ing clue what to write here, i would just be repeating myself

[edit] Awards

Windows Live Hotmail was awarded the PC Mag Editor's Choice Award in February 2007.[7]

[edit] Criticisms

Hotmail is often criticised for only giving paying subscribers of the Hotmail Plus service access to POP3 functionality, allowing e-mails to be downloaded locally via a desktop application such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. Hotmail was originally available with POP3 to all, but in 2004 the service was revoked for free users. Today it is possible to access a Hotmail account using a POP3 service with Windows Live Mail Desktop.

Like all the major webmail services Hotmail is often used by spammers for illicit purposes such as junk or chain mailing and unwanted marketing, due to its wide availability, its popularity, and its ease of registration of new accounts. Microsoft removes accounts used by spammers as per its Terms of Use and provides users with the ability to report and block addresses associated with junk mail.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ We Heard You Loud and Clear (htm). Hotmail Staff. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  2. ^ Why Kahuna is different (part 2) (htm). Imran Qureshi, Hotmail Developer. Retrieved on March 30, 2007.
  3. ^ Windows Live Mail Plus (htm). Microsoft. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
  4. ^ Hotmail, Microsoft talk deals (htm). CNET. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  5. ^ MSN Hotmail: From Zero to 30 Million Members in 30 Months (htm). Microsoft. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  6. ^ M7 new code shipping soon - not yet here! (htm). Hotmail Staff. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  7. ^ Buying Guide: Web E-Mail Clients (htm). PC Magazine. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.

[edit] External links


Windows Live
v • d • e
Web Applications: Academic • Account • Agents • Alerts • Barcode • Books • Calendar • Call • Clipboard • Contacts • Custom Domains • Dev • Drive • Essentials • Expo • Favorites • FolderShare • Gallery • Healthcare • Help Community • Hotmail • ID • Ideas • Live.com • Maps • OneCare Safety Scanner • Product Upload • Products • Publisher • QnA • Search • Shopping • Spaces • Video
Software Applications: Mail Desktop • Messenger • OneCare • OneCare Family Safety • Search Center • Toolbar • TV • WiFi Center • Writer
Mobile Services: Live.com Mobile • Mail Mobile • Messenger Mobile • Search Mobile • Spaces Mobile
Microsoft Live Labs: Deepfish • Photosynth • Relay Service • Security Token Service
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../a/_/c/User%7EA_Cornish_Pasty_Sandbox_3991.html"