OH Hotmail, how I hate thee

[Spore Man]

So today, I read on these forums how someone signed up to MochiAds and got in right away. (MochiAds is a service that lets you insert ads in Flash Games, so you can earn a revenue even if the game files is stolen and used on other sites, or you willingly give it to other sites for use). MochiAds' website says they are still in beta. I tried signing up over a YEAR AGO and never heard from them. I figured I just wasn't selected for the beta program.

Well don't you know, it was Hotmail's damn junk mail filter that had just eaten my notification email!!!! Here I am finding out a year later when I try to sign up again and my email address is already in use.

And then... Then I notice a "drafts" folder in Hotmail. Never noticed this before. In it, an email to Digital Extremes back when I was in discussions with them trying to get a job as an artist, IN 2002!!!!! Yow. James Shmalz had seen my art portfolio, liked it, but wanted to see more recent work, and this was my reply to him. But it never got sent! I figured he didn't like my art and hadn't replied!!!

Oh what could have been! .. or not. :D

[Bad Sector]

So now, just use Gmail (http://www.gmail.com/) and a proper mail agent (http://www.mozilla-europe.org/el/products/thunderbird/) ;-)

[Desktop Gaming]

I despise hotmail. *stab stab stab*

I don't like how, in the case of hotmail and now Windows Vista, Microsoft assumes that all of their customers are slack-jawed idiots who can barely dress themselves of a morning. If you have an actual BRAIN, then all of this 'idiotproofing' is a major inconvenience.

I've been using the old version of MSN Messenger for ages now, and every damn week it asks me if I want to upgrade to Live Messenger - and I don't because its horrible, bloaty crapware. I tried it over a year ago and absolutely hated it.

Last week it goes "Meh, we've had enough of your tomfoolery. Either upgrade or you can't log in any more". Or words to that effect.

So under duress, I upgraded to Live Messenger. Then, in a complete Mafia-esque way it has the audacity to say "thank you for choosing Live Messenger". Only I didn't bloody choose it - I was given no choice! :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Bad Sector]

Use Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/).

[Pyabo]

Heh... had the same experience with MSN Messenger... very lame.

As for Hotmail... it's easy to harsh on, but you're going to experience the same things with Gmail, Yahoo, or any other provider that has spam filtering in place.

I don't know if it's the years of practice or what, but I get very few spam messages in my Hotmail these days... and I use it for *everything* web-related. And I haven't seen any non-spam email in my junk mail folder in at least a year.

[Maupin]

Since we're talking about email, I'll warn everyone to watch out for Godaddy's premium (and presumably, free) email plans. If you're like me you might have several domains with Godaddy and use their email plans.

Starting a few months ago, Godaddy turned on spam filters for all accounts and flagged email is dropped silently. No notice is sent to you. You can't even find out how many messages are dropped. They just disappear. You can't turn this "feature" off.

I just switched to Tuffmail (http://www.tuffmail.com) yesterday because I was fed up with this issue. So far it looks good, but it's too early to tell.

[Diragor]

As for Hotmail... it's easy to harsh on, but you're going to experience the same things with Gmail, Yahoo, or any other provider that has spam filtering in place.

I have to disagree with that. I've used GMail, Hotmail and Yahoo extensively, dropped Hotmail a while back but kept the other two. GMail's junk filtering, in my experience, absolutely blows the others away. Maybe 1-2 pieces of spam per week make it to my inbox nowadays and I've never had a false positive (and I do look every few days). I don't use the Yahoo account very often and every time I go in there the inbox is filled with spam, which I dutifully mark with the spam button. Hotmail was just out of control with spam when I dropped it.

[Dan MacDonald]

Google apps for domains (https://www.google.com/a/smallbiz/)s works really really well.

[RoamMaster]

So under duress, I upgraded to Live Messenger. Then, in a complete Mafia-esque way it has the audacity to say "thank you for choosing Live Messenger". Only I didn't bloody choose it - I was given no choice! :mad: :mad: :mad:Trillian (http://www.download.com/Trillian/3000-2150-10047473.html) Supports MSN as well as Yahoo, AIM and ICQ. And believe it or not, it isn't bloatware. Mind you it isn't as light as Miranda (http://www.miranda-im.org/download/), but its very nice.

[Jesse Aldridge]

I have to disagree with that. I've used GMail, Hotmail and Yahoo extensively, dropped Hotmail a while back but kept the other two. GMail's junk filtering, in my experience, absolutely blows the others away. Maybe 1-2 pieces of spam per week make it to my inbox nowadays and I've never had a false positive (and I do look every few days). I don't use the Yahoo account very often and every time I go in there the inbox is filled with spam, which I dutifully mark with the spam button. Hotmail was just out of control with spam when I dropped it.

I had a similar experience. Gmail rocks. Its spam filter is head and shoulders above the others. I also have my browser home page set to http://www.google.com/ig, on which I have a widget which shows my most recent e-mail and has a handy compose mail link.

[Jack Norton]

Trillian (http://www.download.com/Trillian/3000-2150-10047473.html) Supports MSN as well as Yahoo, AIM and ICQ. And believe it or not, it isn't bloatware. Mind you it isn't as light as Miranda (http://www.miranda-im.org/download/), but its very nice.

I was using Trillian but after so many security problems in the past (http://www.geeknewscentral.com/archives/004006.html), I thought was safer to use MSN :eek:

[Bad Sector]

I never had any problem with Pidgin (previously Gaim). Especially the latest versions became very lightweight and the UI simplified a bit :-).

[RoamMaster]

I was using Trillian but after so many security problems in the past (http://www.geeknewscentral.com/archives/004006.html), I thought was safer to use MSN :eek:It says as of V 3 that the only security risk is shutting down Trillian, or "an arbitray execution of code". Trillian doesn't exactly reorder your registry so I don't see how this would be a problem.

Even if someone attacked me,(seems unlikely given that I would have to be chatting with the attacker[I do have a decent firewall(Kerio) which doesn't allow random ips to connect to *anything*. If I don't send data packets there first, it warns me when they come in), the worst result would be a crash. Reboot Trillian ban the person I was chatting with. Problem solved :)

Anyway Miranda and Pidgin never had those problems. I keep all three and actually prefer Miranda, but it seems other people tend to like Trillian more.

[Artinum]

The efficacy of spam filters aside, I've been rather dismayed to find my Hotmail account has turned into a web version of Outlook Express. Whatever is Mr Gates up to now??

[Pyabo]

It says as of V 3 that the only security risk is shutting down Trillian, or "an arbitray execution of code".

Oh that's the "only" risk? Great. You do realize that "arbitrary execution of code" means that an attacker can run anything they want on your machine, right?

[Shoe]

Use Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/).

Amen to that! Pidgin is THE best IM protocol.