Chris Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Microsoft Nixes Outlook, Outlook Express Access to Free Hotmail Accounts Citing concerns about spammers abusing the service, Microsoft will announce today that the company is dropping a feature from its Hotmail service that lets nonpaying customers access their Hotmail email from Microsoft Office Outlook and Outlook Express. The feature is based on a technology called Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV), an extension of the HTTP protocol on which the Web is based. "Since we implemented Human Interactive Proof (HIP) to ensure that only humans and not automated systems were opening Hotmail accounts, spammers have found other ways to go after the system," MSN Lead Product Manager Brooke Richardson told me in a prebriefing Friday. "Recently, there's been an increase in exploits of the WebDAV protocol, which is used to enable people to access Hotmail from Outlook and Outlook Express. We've offered [this access] for free for some time, although it's typically a feature that other email providers charge for. But because of the rise in abuse of this protocol, we're making a change to WebDAV to curb abuse. Over the next few months, we're transitioning WebDAV to be available only to customers of our subscription services, such as Hotmail Extra Storage and MSN Premium. We expect this change will help us to more effectively stop spam emanating from Hotmail."More | Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expertec Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 How much money are they going to make out of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvw Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 £11 if you are American.£15 here.That's to upgrade.Stuff 'em :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 I use Calypso as my email client and Hotmail Popper lets me access Hotmail as POP through it - wonder if I'll be affected ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djohn Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 I run Hotmail as a separate application checking it manually several times through the day or on occasions leave open in the notification area of the taskbar. Wouldn't pay to have it in Outlook or express! :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Man Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 I use Calypso as my email client and Hotmail Popper lets me access Hotmail as POP through it - wonder if I'll be affected ?"we're transitioning WebDAV to be available only to customers of our subscription services, such as Hotmail Extra Storage and MSN Premium."You'll be fine. This is only for WebDAV users, which lets you register hotmail over a differen't program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 I access Hotmail from a link in 'My Favourites', will I be affected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 I access Hotmail from a link in 'My Favourites', will I be affected?No - it is only if like me, you go via Outlook. I will in future have to do as you do - go to the Hotmail URL via a link in my favourites - Damn........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popeye Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Looks like I'm in the same boat as you Alan only mine is through Outlook Express.I have got a link in my favourites ready for the change over. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madboy33 Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Surely its up to the user and not M$ how someone accesses hotmailBig Brother once againAll they want is monies, or for us to access the site and then you see there advertsBad M$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Not used Hotmail for years. There are better systems easily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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