Microsoft will stop hotmail

**FJV** · 02 Aug 12,, 11:44

Farewell, Hotmail: Microsoft previews Outlook.com, ending longtime webmail brand - GeekWire

Since I'm not 100% sure that I will agree with the terms of use of the new Outlook.com, that would leave me with an account here without email.

**ambidex** · 02 Aug 12,, 13:22

There are many good reasons but my simple logic is that gmail is popular or getting popular because it is a short word to type (people are lazy) :P. Outlook.com is not going to be inviting as it has same number of alphabets. May be it will make something simpler for Microsoft (which I can not understand at present) but for users its just another new email address portal like window.live.com/co, hotmail.com/co.

**Native** · 02 Aug 12,, 17:40

Originally Posted by ambidex

There are many good reasons but my simple logic is that gmail is popular or getting popular because it is a short word to type (people are lazy) :P. Outlook.com is not going to be inviting as it has same number of alphabets. May be it will make something simpler for Microsoft (which I can not understand at present) but for users its just another new email address portal like window.live.com/co, hotmail.com/co.

I disagree. When gmail came out, the general feelings as I recall were that;
1) People didn't like the big evil Microsoft corporation.
2) People thought gmail was cool and wanted to be a part of it. I remember people begging for gmail invites.

I saw a similar mentality with Google Plus vs. Facebook.

obviously just my observation and opinion.

**bigross86** · 02 Aug 12,, 19:48

Yeah, but Google+ flopped miserably. Facebook tanked in the IPO, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still the world's largest social networking site

**Native** · 02 Aug 12,, 20:19

I was pretty sure Google+ wouldn't take off. I think FB appeals to the general mass too much. It's easy and simplistic.
I noticed of my friends, the ones who initially preached gmail and Google+ were the future, were internet savvy geeks. The gamer's, the programmers, etc.
A large majority of my friends list is made up of distant cousins from small towns, ranches, etc. They aren't into what's new and what's hot, buying the latest iphone, just because it's the latest. They simply use FB as a way to keep in touch with people.
Not very articulate, but I think I get my thought across?

**ace16807** · 03 Aug 12,, 00:11

Originally Posted by Native

I was pretty sure Google+ wouldn't take off. I think FB appeals to the general mass too much. It's easy and simplistic.
I noticed of my friends, the ones who initially preached gmail and Google+ were the future, were internet savvy geeks. The gamer's, the programmers, etc.
A large majority of my friends list is made up of distant cousins from small towns, ranches, etc. They aren't into what's new and what's hot, buying the latest iphone, just because it's the latest. They simply use FB as a way to keep in touch with people.
Not very articulate, but I think I get my thought across?

Just because they're from the same company doesn't really mean the same theory in use applies. E-mail clients don't suffer from "economies of scale" for the lack of a better term. If it's simple, clean and does the job better than alternatives, people will use it. There are no significant barriers preventing a party from emailing another party using a different client. That's why people continued to sign up for Gmail after the initial popularity phase. It ultimately didn't matter what the person you were emailing was using, so long as what you were using was "best suited" for you.

On the other hand, the comparison of Google Plus and Facebook suffers from the scale issue. Maybe Google Plus has a better UI and ultimately was a better system for social networking, but I never used it despite being a huge Google fan because it didn't have the social infrastructure needed to make social networking worth it. Not everyone I'm friends with got a Google Plus account, but they did have facebook accounts. So why make another account to log into when I wanted to virtually interact with friends when a pre-existing system was already in place? Does Facebook have its failings? Yeah, but they have the social infrastructure in place already. They will have to make it unbearable to use it to force a shift to another platform (i.e. what myspace did. Never had a myspace account either but I gather that the ability to customize pages to the point of eye-bleeding extremities had something to do with it).

Just my two cents.

**antimony** · 03 Aug 12,, 00:11

This year is going to be very exciting for Microsoft with a bunch of cool new products.

BUT, when exactly will their marketing department come to senses????
Look at this travesty in product naming

Microsoft: “Metro” out, “Windows 8-style UI” in, amid rumors of a trademark dispute | Ars Technica

Windows Metro vs “Windows 8-style UI”. Really Microsoft???

**ambidex** · 03 Aug 12,, 02:46

I like window OS and desperately waiting for windows 8 and window surface tablet but for Email I like Gmail more.

Gmail account has connectivity with google chrome, youtube etc. I have never found windows live mail on my window 7 OS good and fast enough to give me ease of browsing my mails. The previous version like Outlook express and confusing MS Outlook were crappy and sluggish as well. Only recently I have found Skydrive, being made compatible to Hotmail, as a great utility helping me synch my files and contents to my Email address, phone and computer with ease and at the same time, It's a must have app if you own Hotmail or window live mail, outlook accounts and window OS, its compatible to I Os as well.

**antimony** · 03 Aug 12,, 07:25

Originally Posted by ambidex

I like window OS and desperately waiting for windows 8 and window surface tablet but for Email I like Gmail more.

Gmail account has connectivity with google chrome, youtube etc. I have never found windows live mail on my window 7 OS good and fast enough to give me ease of browsing my mails. The previous version like Outlook express and confusing MS Outlook were crappy and sluggish as well. Only recently I have found Skydrive, being made compatible to Hotmail, as a great utility helping me synch my files and contents to my Email address, phone and computer with ease and at the same time, It's a must have app if you own Hotmail or window live mail, outlook accounts and window OS, its compatible to I Os as well.

Have you downloaded Windows 8 yet? I have been using it since Developer Preview, pretty cool in my opinion

**ambidex** · 03 Aug 12,, 07:55

Originally Posted by antimony

Have you downloaded Windows 8 yet? I have been using it since Developer Preview, pretty cool in my opinion

No I haven't because of the warning that once installed it can't be uninstalled. I love windows 7 as it is and its my wife's laptop at present I am using for last 5 months. The one I had, I gave it to my parents back home. So I am still surviving with this machine, my smart phone and her frequent threatening of confiscating it from me. That is the reason I am waiting for official windows 8 desperately

.

**antimony** · 03 Aug 12,, 15:24

Originally Posted by ambidex

No I haven't because of the warning that once installed it can't be uninstalled. I love windows 7 as it is and its my wife's laptop at present I am using for last 5 months. The one I had, I gave it to my parents back home. So I am still surviving with this machine, my smart phone and her frequent threatening of confiscating it from me. That is the reason I am waiting for official windows 8 desperately

.

If you have a good amount of RAM on the machine then you can create a Virtual Machine and install Win8 on that - Install Windows 8 on Oracle VirtualBox

**ambidex** · 03 Aug 12,, 15:34

wow, I will give it a shot and let you know, may be on Monday. Thanks

**kato** · 03 Aug 12,, 16:31

Originally Posted by antimony

Have you downloaded Windows 8 yet? I have been using it since Developer Preview, pretty cool in my opinion

Personally, i'm rather glad my employer will have a global contract with MS for its 250,000 employees in place before that shit is gonna hit the stores.

**Double Edge** · 03 Aug 12,, 18:40

Originally Posted by FJV

Since I'm not 100% sure that I will agree with the terms of use of the new Outlook.com, that would leave me with an account here without email.

Eh ?

First things first: Yes, you can keep your @hotmail email address, if you want.

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lol, yahoo mail still leads in the US.

**antimony** · 03 Aug 12,, 18:54

Originally Posted by kato

Personally, i'm rather glad my employer will have a global contract with MS for its 250,000 employees in place before that shit is gonna hit the stores.

Why do sound concerned? I use it both on my personal (Consumer Preview) and work machines (Release Preview), they work fine, much better than Win7, I would say.