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{{Refimprove|date=October 2008}}
{{Mergefrom|Windows Live Web Messenger|date=January 2009}}
{{Infobox Software|
| name = [[Image:Wlhlogo.png|Windows Live Hotmail]]
| logo = [[Image:Windows Live Mail logo.png|center|64px|Windows Live Hotmail Icon]]
| screenshot = [[Image:Wlhotmailnobeta.png|center|250px|Hotmail Inbox]]
| caption = Windows Live Hotmail inbox
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| released = {{initial release|1996|7|4}}
| latest_release_version = 13.2.0260.1209
| latest_release_date = {{release_date|2008|12|9}}
| language = [[#Languages|35 languages]]
| genre = [[Webmail]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| website = http://www.hotmail.com
}}
'''Windows Live Hotmail''', formerly known as '''MSN Hotmail''' and commonly referred to simply as '''Hotmail''', is a free [[webmail]] service of the [[Windows Live]] brand provided by [[Microsoft]].

The Hotmail web-based email service was founded by [[Jack Smith (Hotmail)|Jack Smith]] and [[Sabeer Bhatia]] and launched in July of 1996. Hotmail was one of the first free webmail services. It was subsequently acquired by Microsoft in 1997 for an estimated $400 million, and rebranded as "MSN Hotmail". The current version, "Windows Live Hotmail" was officially announced on November 1, 2005 as an update to Microsoft's existing MSN Hotmail service. After a period of [[beta testing]], it was officially released to new and existing users in the Netherlands on November 9, 2006 as a pilot market. The worldwide release was on May 7, 2007, and roll-out to all existing users was completed in October 2007.

Windows Live Hotmail features 5GB of storage but it grows as you need more.<ref name=5gbstorage>{{cite web| url=http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!43573.entry| author=Hotmail Staff| publisher=[[Microsoft]]| title= Hotmail will soon bring you more of your requests, better performance| accessdate=2007-08-14}}</ref> patented security measures,<ref name="security">{{cite web| url=http://imranq2.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!1p-PlpF3YKhB08FZanM1iesA!649.entry
| author=Imran Qureshi| title=Why Kahuna is different (part 2)| publisher= [[Microsoft]]| accessdate=2007-03-30}}</ref> [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax technology]], and integration with [[Windows Live Messenger]], [[Windows Live Spaces|Spaces]], [[Windows Live Calendar|Calendar]], and [[Windows Live Contacts|Contacts]]. It has over 270 million users worldwide (since February 1, 2008). It is available in 35 different languages.<ref name=users>{{cite web| author=Hotmail staff| url=http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!29123.entry| publisher=[[Microsoft]]| title=We Heard You Loud and Clear| accessdate=2007-03-23}}</ref>

==Features==
Similar to other major webmail services, Hotmail uses [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]] programming techniques and supports the most popular internet browsers ([[Internet Explorer]], Safari, and [[Mozilla Firefox]]). Some of its features include [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]] controls giving the ability to navigate around the page without using the [[mouse]], advanced message [[search engine|search]] <ref>http://free-email-services-review.toptenreviews.com/msn-hotmail-review.html</ref> 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 [[Comma-separated values|CSV]] files, [[rich text format]]ting, rich text signatures, [[spam (electronic)|spam]] filtering and [[virus]] scanning, support for multiple addresses, and different language versions. [[POP3]] access is now available for all Hotmail accounts in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands as of February 2009. <ref>http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!49799.entry</ref>

Hotmail also includes some capabilities not commonly found in other webmail services:
*'''Audio player'''
:An integrated audio player which plays voicemails or [[MP3]] audio clips after scanning the file for [[computer virus|viruses]].
*'''Folders'''
:Users can create folders of their own and store e-mails, photos and other personal information in them. Most messages that are kept in these created folders and Drafts folders are never deleted, they are only deleted by the user and it's uncertain if the messages will be deleted if the user doesn't sign into their account for a long period of time.<includeonly>NEED INFORMATION</includeonly> If the Junk and Deleted folders have messages in them, they are automatically deleted after a period of time.
*'''Integration'''
:Hotmail integrates with other Windows Live services. Users can see if their Windows Live Messenger contacts are online and start [[instant messaging]] conversations from Hotmail. Integration with Windows Live Spaces and Windows Live Contacts provides the ability to have contact information kept automatically up-to-date, as well as provide notification of updated Spaces. Windows Live Calendar will also be accessible through the Hotmail interface upon completion; MSN Calendar is currently available.
*'''Reading pane'''
: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. As with Outlook, the reading pane can be displayed at the side of messages, below them, or not at all.
*'''Security'''
:Security features built into Hotmail include [[Trend Micro]] [[computer virus|virus]] scanning, [[SenderID]], [[SMTP-AUTH|SMTP Authentication]], phishing heuristic detection, Bonded Sender, mailing list detection, and forwarding detection.<ref name="security"/> 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; this is intended to reduce the success of [[phishing]] attempts. A "safety bar" is positioned 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'''
:As with Office programs like [[Microsoft Word]], Hotmail includes the ability to check the spelling of words as they are typed. Misspelled words are underlined in red and a right-click displays a list of suggestions.
*'''Themes'''
:Hotmail offers a choice of different themes. Users can choose from a range of different predefined Windows Live themes. The theme chosen will be used across all other Windows Live services.

===Registration===
Upon registration, new users can choose from a Hotmail [[domain]] address (e.g. @hotmail.com, @hotmail.co.uk, @hotmail.fr) or a localized Windows Live domain (e.g. @live.com, @live.ca, @live.co.uk, @live.fr, @live.com.au, @live.nl, @live.jp).

The domain ''live.com'' attracted at least 921 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a [[Compete.com]] study.<ref>[http://siteanalytics.compete.com/live.com?metric=uv Live.com attracts 922m visitors online yearly]</ref>

==Development history==
[[Image:HotmailLogoEvolution.png|frame|right|Evolution of the Hotmail brand]]

The original Hotmail service was founded by [[Sabeer Bhatia]] and [[Jack Smith (Hotmail)|Jack Smith]], and was one of the first webmail services on the Internet. It was commercially launched on July 4, 1996, American [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]], symbolizing "freedom" from [[ISP]]-based e-mail<ref name=freedom>{{cite web| url=http://en.allexperts.com/e/t/ti/timeline_of_computing_1990-forward.htm| publisher=AllExperts| title=Timeline of computing 1990-forward| accessdate=2007-04-10}}</ref> and the ability to access a user's 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 (to emphasize this, the original spelling was "HoTMaiL").

Hotmail was initially backed by [[venture capital]] firm [[Draper Fisher Jurvetson]]. By December 1997, it reported more than 8.5 million subscribers.<ref name=users97>{{cite web| url=http://news.com.com/2100-1023-206039.html?legacy=cnet| publisher=[[CNET]]| title=Hotmail, Microsoft talk deals| accessdate=2007-03-23}}</ref> It was sold later that month to [[Microsoft]] for a reported $400 million, and it joined the MSN group of services.<ref name=400mil>{{cite web| url=http://news.com.com/2100-1033-206717.html?legacy=cnet| publisher=[[CNET]]| title=Microsoft Buys Hotmail| accessdate=2007-06-22}}</ref> Hotmail quickly gained in popularity as it was [[localization|localized]] for different markets around the globe and became the world's largest webmail service, and reported more than 30 million active members by February 1999.<ref name=users99>{{cite web| url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/1999/02-08hotmail.asp|publisher=[[Microsoft]]| title=MSN Hotmail: From Zero to 30 Million Members in 30 Months| accessdate=2007-03-23}}</ref>

In December 1999, Microsoft neglected to pay their annual $35 '[[Windows Live ID|passport.com']] domain registration fee to [[Network Solutions]]. The oversight made Hotmail, which used the site for authentication, unavailable on Christmas Eve, December 24. A [[Linux]] consultant, Michael Chaney, paid it the next day ([[Christmas]]), hoping it would solve this issue with the downed site. The payment resulted in the site being available the next morning.<ref>{{cite web| last =Chaney| first =Michael| title =The Passport Payment|date=2000-01-27| url =http://www.doublewide.net| accessdate =2007-11-03}}</ref> In Autumn 2003, a similar [[Parable of the Good Samaritan|good Samaritan]] helped Microsoft when they missed payment on the 'hotmail.co.uk' address, although no downtime resulted.<ref name="UK">{{cite web| last=Richardson| first=Tim | title =Microsoft forgets to renew hotmail| work =[[The Register]]|date=2003-11-06| url =http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/06/microsoft_forgets_to_renew_hotmail/| accessdate =2007-11-03}}</ref>

Hotmail originally ran on a mixture of [[FreeBSD]] and [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] [[operating system]]s.<ref>{{cite web| title =Converting a UNIX.COM site to Windows| work =Microsoft Secrets| publisher =Security Office| url =http://www.securityoffice.net/mssecrets/hotmail.html| accessdate =2007-11-03}}</ref> Microsoft initially tried to move the FreeBSD portion of the architecture to a Windows NT 4.0 based system, but this failed. Later a project was started to move the system to Windows 2000. In June 2001 Microsoft claimed this had been completed; a few days later they retracted this and admitted that in fact some functions of the Hotmail system were still reliant on FreeBSD.<ref>{{cite news| last =Gomes| first =Lee| title =Is Microsoft Secretly Using Open Source?| work =Microsoft - BSD| publisher =[[Wall Street Journal]] |date=2001-06-18| url =http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~lloyd/tildeMisc/2001/2001-MS-BSD.html| format =reprint| accessdate =2007-11-03}}</ref>

Later development saw the service tied with Microsoft's web authentication scheme, Passport (now [[Windows Live ID]]), and integration with Microsoft's [[instant messaging]] and social networking programs, MSN Messenger and MSN Spaces (now [[Windows Live Messenger]] and [[Windows Live Spaces]], respectively). A security issue appeared in Hotmail during this period that permitted anybody to log into any Hotmail account using the password 'eh'; it was at the time called "the most widespread security incident in the history of the Web."<ref name=eh>{{cite web| last= Glave| first =James| url=http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1999/08/21503|work=[[Wired magazine|Wired.com]]|title=Hotmail Hackers: 'We Did It'|accessdate=2007-11-03}}</ref>

After a period of technological stagnation, the webmail industry received a significant boost in 2004 when [[Google]] announced its own mail service, [[Gmail]]. Featuring increased storage space, speed and interface flexibility, this new competitor spurred a wave of innovation in webmail. The main industry heavyweights – Hotmail and [[Yahoo! Mail]] – introduced upgraded versions of their e-mail services with greater speed, security, and advanced features.

Microsoft's new e-mail system was announced on November 1, 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.<ref name=betamillions>{{cite web|url=http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!4776.entry| author=Hotmail staff| title=M7 new code shipping soon - not yet here!| publisher=[[Microsoft]]| accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref>

[[Image:MSNHotmailInbox.png|thumb|250px|The old MSN Hotmail inbox]]

The Hotmail brand was planned to be phased-out when Microsoft announced that the new mail system would be called Windows Live Mail, but 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 April 2007, Windows Live Hotmail was released to new registrations in May 2007, and the 260 million MSN Hotmail accounts worldwide now have access to the new system. The old MSN Hotmail interface was accessible only by users who signed up for Hotmail accounts before the Windows Live Hotmail release date and had not chosen to update to the new Windows Live Hotmail.

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

It was announced in 2008 on the Windows Live Hotmail website <ref>[http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/comingsoon/en-us/default.htm Windows Live Hotmail - Coming Soon]</ref> that Windows Live Hotmail will be updated with focus on improving the speed, increasing the storage space, better user experience and usablity features. It was announced that sign-in and email access speeds will be up to 70 percent faster. Windows Live Hotmail now integrates with [[Windows Live Web Messenger]] to provide instant messaging from the web interface. The classic and full versions of Windows Live Hotmail are now combined with the new release. As a result of user feedbacks, Hotmail has been updated such that that scrolling works for users who have the reading pane turned off. It is also expected that Hotmail team will be moving the advertisement from the top of page to the side, adding more themes, increasing the number of messages on each page, and adding the ability to send instant messages from the user's inbox in future releases.<ref>[http://windowslivewire.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!2F7EB29B42641D59!29453.entry Hotmail: Classic scrolling is back, and more updates]</ref>

==Awards==
Windows Live Hotmail was awarded ''[[PC Magazine]]'''s Editor's Choice Award in February 2007<ref name=editorschoice1>{{cite web| url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2091600,00.asp| work=[[PC Magazine]]| title=Buying Guide: Web E-Mail Clients| accessdate=2007-03-21}}
</ref> and again in March 2007 with a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.<ref name=editorschoice2>{{cite web| url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2107834,00.asp| work=[[PC Magazine]]| title=Windows Live Hotmail (beta) Review by PC Magazine| accessdate=2007-04-10}}</ref>

==Spam policy==
Like all the major webmail services, Hotmail is often used by [[email spam|spammers]] for illicit purposes such as [[junk mail|junk]] or [[chain letter|chain mailing]] and unwanted marketing, due to its wide availability, its popularity, and its ease of registration of new accounts. However, Hotmail does not tolerate this practice, and accounts engaging in these activities are terminated without warning.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

==Criticism==
{{criticism-section}}
===Security===
In 2001 Hotmail service was compromised by computer hackers who discovered that anyone could log into their Hotmail account and then call messages from any other Hotmail account by crafting a URL with the second account's username and a valid message number. It was such an incredibly simple attack that by the time the patch was made, dozens of newspapers and hundreds of web sites published exact descriptions allowing tens-of-thousands of hackers to run rampant across Hotmail. The exploitable vulnerability exposed millions of accounts to tampering between August 7 and 31, 2001.
<ref>{{cite web|last=Greene|first=Thomas|title=TheRegister - Hacking Hotmail made easy|date=2001-08-20|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/08/20/hacking_hotmail_made_easy/|accessdate=2008-09-17}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|last=Knight|first=Will|title=New Scientist - Hotmail hole leaves email open to view|date=2001-08-21|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1177/|accessdate=2008-09-17}}</ref>

===Spam filter===
Microsoft's spam filter is known to [[Type I and type II errors#Spam filtering|discard legitimate emails]] without warning the receiving user. These emails are acknowledged to the sending user as having been successfully delivered, however they will not appear on the receiver's inbox or junk mail-folder. Mainly affecting small websites' registration procedures, this issue has prompted some sites to ban Microsoft emails altogether.<ref>{{cite web|last=Goodin|first=Dan|title=TheRegister - Hotmail Friendly Fire|date=2007-05-01|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/01/hotmail_friendly_fire/|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref>

===Desktop mail client access===
====WebDAV====
Hotmail is often criticized for allowing only paying subscribers to access it through the [[WebDAV]] protocol, which allows e-mails to be downloaded locally via a desktop [[e-mail client]] such as Microsoft [[Outlook Express]] or [[Mozilla Thunderbird]] (with the WebMail extension). WebDAV access was originally available to all Hotmail users, but the service was revoked from new free users in 2004. If a Hotmail account was older than 2004, it was still possible for users to freely access their Hotmail account outside of an [[internet browser]] with the above-mentioned programs using WebDAV. If users had a newer account, WebDAV access was only available in Hotmail Premium. In April 2008, Microsoft announced that Hotmail access through WebDAV would be entirely discontinued by June 30, 2008, in favor of the Microsoft-proprietary [[DeltaSync]] protocol, citing "obsolescence" of DAV and "greater capabilities" of DeltaSync as the reasons for discontinuing WebDAV support.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://emailsupport.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!5D6F5A79A79B6708!5359.entry|title=Microsoft Announces Changes for Accessing Hotmail with Outlook Express}}</ref> In May 2008, Microsoft informed that WebDAV will be available longer, not giving a new deadline.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://emailsupport.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!5D6F5A79A79B6708!5745.entry|title=Responding to Customer Feedback – Disabling DAV}}</ref>

====DeltaSync====
For access through [[Outlook 2003]] or [[Outlook 2007]], users can download the free [[Microsoft Office Outlook Connector]], subject to passing the [[Office Genuine Advantage]] verification. Using the Outlook connector, users can freely access e-mail messages and contacts in any Hotmail account, though access to calendar, tasks and notes requires a premium subscription in addition to the original cost of the Outlook product. Another alternative for users is to use the [[Windows Live Mail]] desktop client which has built-in support for Hotmail.<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Live Hotmail|url=http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview|accessdate=2008-10-29}}</ref> Both applications, [[Windows Live Mail]] and [[Microsoft Outlook]] can access Hotmail through the proprietary [[DeltaSync]] protocol.

====POP3====
[[POP3]] access is now available for all Hotmail accounts in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands as of February 2009. <ref>http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!49799.entry</ref> Countries that do not have POP3 access enabled for free, Hotmail plus costs $19.95 for each year the user is subscribed to the service, and POP3 access is available to all other countries through that service.<ref name="POP3">{{cite web|url=http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns%21CC9301187A51FE33%2144348.entry|title=Hotmail now offers POP Access for Hotmail Plus users}}</ref>
Alternatively, users can change their country in Hotmail options to a country that has enabled free POP3 access. <ref>http://krishnan.co.in/blog/post/Windows-Live-Hotmail-POP3-Access-for-other-countries.aspx</ref>

===Advertisements===
Another common complaint Hotmail users have is towards the [[advertisement]] automatically added to the signature of every e-mail sent from a Hotmail account. E-mails sent from Hotmail accounts using [[Windows Live Mail]], however, do not carry automatically-added advertisements. {{Fact|date=May 2008}} <!-- Applies to whole section -->

===Browser support===

On July 29, 2008, the full version of Windows Live Hotmail started to work correctly in Firefox 3 for some accounts. Support seems to be gradually rolling out to the various Windows Live Hotmail servers. As of August 26, 2008, Firefox 3 support is still not fully complete.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=672705&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75|title=Hotmail Reverted To Classic With Firefox 3 - Page 6}}</ref> Full version support for Google Chrome was also added on November 4, 2008. On October 30, 2008 some account holders using various [[Linux]] based browsers started experiencing read-only access.<ref>{{cite web|title=Firefox Support Forum|date=2008-10-30|url=http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_parentId=195460|accessdate=2008-11-06}}</ref> However, with the use of a user agent switcher to dupe Hotmail into thinking the user is accessing from Windows, normal functionality is restored, which indicates that Windows Live Hotmail is only allowing certain browsers at the moment. One problem with Windows Live Hotmail is that it does not work with touchscreen internet interfaces such as the iPhone, and other multimedia devices.

==See also==
*[[Comparison of webmail providers]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://mail.live.com/ Hotmail]
* [http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/ Official development blog]
* [http://get.live.com/mailplus/features Hotmail Plus]

{{Windows Live}}
{{Microsoft}}

[[Category:Internet properties established in 1995]]
[[Category:E-mail websites]]
[[Category:Microsoft e-mail software]]
[[Category:Microsoft subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Microsoft websites]]
[[Category:Web 2.0]]
[[Category:Windows Live]]

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Revision as of 18:07, 25 February 2009

Windows Live Hotmail
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseJuly 4, 1996 (1996-07-04)
Stable release
13.2.0260.1209 / December 9, 2008 (2008-12-09)
Available in35 languages
TypeWebmail
LicenseProprietary
Websitehttp://www.hotmail.com

Windows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free webmail service of the Windows Live brand provided by Microsoft.

The Hotmail web-based email service was founded by Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia and launched in July of 1996. Hotmail was one of the first free webmail services. It was subsequently acquired by Microsoft in 1997 for an estimated $400 million, and rebranded as "MSN Hotmail". The current version, "Windows Live Hotmail" was officially announced on November 1, 2005 as an update to Microsoft's existing MSN Hotmail service. After a period of beta testing, it was officially released to new and existing users in the Netherlands on November 9, 2006 as a pilot market. The worldwide release was on May 7, 2007, and roll-out to all existing users was completed in October 2007.

Windows Live Hotmail features 5GB of storage but it grows as you need more.[1] patented security measures,[2] Ajax technology, and integration with Windows Live Messenger, Spaces, Calendar, and Contacts. It has over 270 million users worldwide (since February 1, 2008). It is available in 35 different languages.[3]

Features

Similar to other major webmail services, Hotmail uses Ajax programming techniques and supports the most popular internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox). Some of its features include keyboard controls giving the ability to navigate around the page without using the mouse, advanced message search [4] 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, spam filtering and virus scanning, support for multiple addresses, and different language versions. POP3 access is now available for all Hotmail accounts in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands as of February 2009. [5]

Hotmail also includes some capabilities not commonly found in other webmail services:

  • Audio player
An integrated audio player which plays voicemails or MP3 audio clips after scanning the file for viruses.
  • Folders
Users can create folders of their own and store e-mails, photos and other personal information in them. Most messages that are kept in these created folders and Drafts folders are never deleted, they are only deleted by the user and it's uncertain if the messages will be deleted if the user doesn't sign into their account for a long period of time. If the Junk and Deleted folders have messages in them, they are automatically deleted after a period of time.
  • Integration
Hotmail integrates with other Windows Live services. Users can see if their Windows Live Messenger contacts are online and start instant messaging conversations from Hotmail. Integration with Windows Live Spaces and Windows Live Contacts provides the ability to have contact information kept automatically up-to-date, as well as provide notification of updated Spaces. Windows Live Calendar will also be accessible through the Hotmail interface upon completion; MSN Calendar is currently available.
  • Reading pane
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. As with Outlook, the reading pane can be displayed at the side of messages, below them, or not at all.
  • Security
Security features built into Hotmail include 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; this is intended to reduce the success of phishing attempts. A "safety bar" is positioned 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
As with Office programs like Microsoft Word, Hotmail includes the ability to check the spelling of words as they are typed. Misspelled words are underlined in red and a right-click displays a list of suggestions.
  • Themes
Hotmail offers a choice of different themes. Users can choose from a range of different predefined Windows Live themes. The theme chosen will be used across all other Windows Live services.

Registration

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

The domain live.com attracted at least 921 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com study.[6]

Development history

File:HotmailLogoEvolution.png
Evolution of the Hotmail brand

The original Hotmail service was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith, and was one of the first webmail services on the Internet. It was commercially launched on July 4, 1996, American Independence Day, symbolizing "freedom" from ISP-based e-mail[7] and the ability to access a user's 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 (to emphasize this, the original spelling was "HoTMaiL").

Hotmail was initially backed by venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. By December 1997, it reported more than 8.5 million subscribers.[8] It was sold later that month to Microsoft for a reported $400 million, and it joined the MSN group of services.[9] Hotmail quickly gained in popularity as it was localized for different markets around the globe and became the world's largest webmail service, and reported more than 30 million active members by February 1999.[10]

In December 1999, Microsoft neglected to pay their annual $35 'passport.com' domain registration fee to Network Solutions. The oversight made Hotmail, which used the site for authentication, unavailable on Christmas Eve, December 24. A Linux consultant, Michael Chaney, paid it the next day (Christmas), hoping it would solve this issue with the downed site. The payment resulted in the site being available the next morning.[11] In Autumn 2003, a similar good Samaritan helped Microsoft when they missed payment on the 'hotmail.co.uk' address, although no downtime resulted.[12]

Hotmail originally ran on a mixture of FreeBSD and Solaris operating systems.[13] Microsoft initially tried to move the FreeBSD portion of the architecture to a Windows NT 4.0 based system, but this failed. Later a project was started to move the system to Windows 2000. In June 2001 Microsoft claimed this had been completed; a few days later they retracted this and admitted that in fact some functions of the Hotmail system were still reliant on FreeBSD.[14]

Later development saw the service tied with Microsoft's web authentication scheme, Passport (now Windows Live ID), and integration with Microsoft's instant messaging and social networking programs, MSN Messenger and MSN Spaces (now Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Spaces, respectively). A security issue appeared in Hotmail during this period that permitted anybody to log into any Hotmail account using the password 'eh'; it was at the time called "the most widespread security incident in the history of the Web."[15]

After a period of technological stagnation, the webmail industry received a significant boost in 2004 when Google announced its own mail service, Gmail. Featuring increased storage space, speed and interface flexibility, this new competitor spurred a wave of innovation in webmail. The main industry heavyweights – Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail – introduced upgraded versions of their e-mail services with greater speed, security, and advanced features.

Microsoft's new e-mail system was announced on November 1, 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.[16]

The old MSN Hotmail inbox

The Hotmail brand was planned to be phased-out when Microsoft announced that the new mail system would be called Windows Live Mail, but 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 April 2007, Windows Live Hotmail was released to new registrations in May 2007, and the 260 million MSN Hotmail accounts worldwide now have access to the new system. The old MSN Hotmail interface was accessible only by users who signed up for Hotmail accounts before the Windows Live Hotmail release date and had not chosen to update to the new Windows Live Hotmail.

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

It was announced in 2008 on the Windows Live Hotmail website [17] that Windows Live Hotmail will be updated with focus on improving the speed, increasing the storage space, better user experience and usablity features. It was announced that sign-in and email access speeds will be up to 70 percent faster. Windows Live Hotmail now integrates with Windows Live Web Messenger to provide instant messaging from the web interface. The classic and full versions of Windows Live Hotmail are now combined with the new release. As a result of user feedbacks, Hotmail has been updated such that that scrolling works for users who have the reading pane turned off. It is also expected that Hotmail team will be moving the advertisement from the top of page to the side, adding more themes, increasing the number of messages on each page, and adding the ability to send instant messages from the user's inbox in future releases.[18]

Awards

Windows Live Hotmail was awarded PC Magazine's Editor's Choice Award in February 2007[19] and again in March 2007 with a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.[20]

Spam policy

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. However, Hotmail does not tolerate this practice, and accounts engaging in these activities are terminated without warning.[citation needed]

Criticism

Security

In 2001 Hotmail service was compromised by computer hackers who discovered that anyone could log into their Hotmail account and then call messages from any other Hotmail account by crafting a URL with the second account's username and a valid message number. It was such an incredibly simple attack that by the time the patch was made, dozens of newspapers and hundreds of web sites published exact descriptions allowing tens-of-thousands of hackers to run rampant across Hotmail. The exploitable vulnerability exposed millions of accounts to tampering between August 7 and 31, 2001. [21] [22]

Spam filter

Microsoft's spam filter is known to discard legitimate emails without warning the receiving user. These emails are acknowledged to the sending user as having been successfully delivered, however they will not appear on the receiver's inbox or junk mail-folder. Mainly affecting small websites' registration procedures, this issue has prompted some sites to ban Microsoft emails altogether.[23]

Desktop mail client access

WebDAV

Hotmail is often criticized for allowing only paying subscribers to access it through the WebDAV protocol, which allows e-mails to be downloaded locally via a desktop e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird (with the WebMail extension). WebDAV access was originally available to all Hotmail users, but the service was revoked from new free users in 2004. If a Hotmail account was older than 2004, it was still possible for users to freely access their Hotmail account outside of an internet browser with the above-mentioned programs using WebDAV. If users had a newer account, WebDAV access was only available in Hotmail Premium. In April 2008, Microsoft announced that Hotmail access through WebDAV would be entirely discontinued by June 30, 2008, in favor of the Microsoft-proprietary DeltaSync protocol, citing "obsolescence" of DAV and "greater capabilities" of DeltaSync as the reasons for discontinuing WebDAV support.[24] In May 2008, Microsoft informed that WebDAV will be available longer, not giving a new deadline.[25]

DeltaSync

For access through Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007, users can download the free Microsoft Office Outlook Connector, subject to passing the Office Genuine Advantage verification. Using the Outlook connector, users can freely access e-mail messages and contacts in any Hotmail account, though access to calendar, tasks and notes requires a premium subscription in addition to the original cost of the Outlook product. Another alternative for users is to use the Windows Live Mail desktop client which has built-in support for Hotmail.[26] Both applications, Windows Live Mail and Microsoft Outlook can access Hotmail through the proprietary DeltaSync protocol.

POP3

POP3 access is now available for all Hotmail accounts in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands as of February 2009. [27] Countries that do not have POP3 access enabled for free, Hotmail plus costs $19.95 for each year the user is subscribed to the service, and POP3 access is available to all other countries through that service.[28] Alternatively, users can change their country in Hotmail options to a country that has enabled free POP3 access. [29]

Advertisements

Another common complaint Hotmail users have is towards the advertisement automatically added to the signature of every e-mail sent from a Hotmail account. E-mails sent from Hotmail accounts using Windows Live Mail, however, do not carry automatically-added advertisements. [citation needed]

Browser support

On July 29, 2008, the full version of Windows Live Hotmail started to work correctly in Firefox 3 for some accounts. Support seems to be gradually rolling out to the various Windows Live Hotmail servers. As of August 26, 2008, Firefox 3 support is still not fully complete.[30] Full version support for Google Chrome was also added on November 4, 2008. On October 30, 2008 some account holders using various Linux based browsers started experiencing read-only access.[31] However, with the use of a user agent switcher to dupe Hotmail into thinking the user is accessing from Windows, normal functionality is restored, which indicates that Windows Live Hotmail is only allowing certain browsers at the moment. One problem with Windows Live Hotmail is that it does not work with touchscreen internet interfaces such as the iPhone, and other multimedia devices.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hotmail Staff. "Hotmail will soon bring you more of your requests, better performance". Microsoft. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  2. ^ a b Imran Qureshi. "Why Kahuna is different (part 2)". Microsoft. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
  3. ^ Hotmail staff. "We Heard You Loud and Clear". Microsoft. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  4. ^ http://free-email-services-review.toptenreviews.com/msn-hotmail-review.html
  5. ^ http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!49799.entry
  6. ^ Live.com attracts 922m visitors online yearly
  7. ^ "Timeline of computing 1990-forward". AllExperts. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  8. ^ "Hotmail, Microsoft talk deals". CNET. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  9. ^ "Microsoft Buys Hotmail". CNET. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
  10. ^ "MSN Hotmail: From Zero to 30 Million Members in 30 Months". Microsoft. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  11. ^ Chaney, Michael (2000-01-27). "The Passport Payment". Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  12. ^ Richardson, Tim (2003-11-06). "Microsoft forgets to renew hotmail". The Register. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  13. ^ "Converting a UNIX.COM site to Windows". Microsoft Secrets. Security Office. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  14. ^ Gomes, Lee (2001-06-18). "Is Microsoft Secretly Using Open Source?" (reprint). Microsoft - BSD. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  15. ^ Glave, James. "Hotmail Hackers: 'We Did It'". Wired.com. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  16. ^ Hotmail staff. "M7 new code shipping soon - not yet here!". Microsoft. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  17. ^ Windows Live Hotmail - Coming Soon
  18. ^ Hotmail: Classic scrolling is back, and more updates
  19. ^ "Buying Guide: Web E-Mail Clients". PC Magazine. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  20. ^ "Windows Live Hotmail (beta) Review by PC Magazine". PC Magazine. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  21. ^ Greene, Thomas (2001-08-20). "TheRegister - Hacking Hotmail made easy". Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  22. ^ Knight, Will (2001-08-21). "New Scientist - Hotmail hole leaves email open to view". Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  23. ^ Goodin, Dan (2007-05-01). "TheRegister - Hotmail Friendly Fire". Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  24. ^ "Microsoft Announces Changes for Accessing Hotmail with Outlook Express".
  25. ^ "Responding to Customer Feedback – Disabling DAV".
  26. ^ "Windows Live Hotmail". Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  27. ^ http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!49799.entry
  28. ^ "Hotmail now offers POP Access for Hotmail Plus users".
  29. ^ http://krishnan.co.in/blog/post/Windows-Live-Hotmail-POP3-Access-for-other-countries.aspx
  30. ^ "Hotmail Reverted To Classic With Firefox 3 - Page 6".
  31. ^ "Firefox Support Forum". 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
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