I am quite sure that we have all used Windows Live Messenger at some point or another in our lives, and sad to say (from Microsoft’s perspective, of course), Windows Live Messenger was not the default instant messaging tool that people used to communicate with one another, as other alternatives such as Skype, ICQ, and Yahoo Messenger, among others, were the preferred choice. Having said that, Windows Live Messenger, or MSN in short, will no longer be made available to the masses this coming October 31st – at least for folks who happen to live in mainland China..
This is an effort to encourage Windows Live Messenger users in that part of the world to actually make the jump over to Skype, which is also owned by Microsoft after the software giant purchased it for $8.5 billion a few years ago. As part of the encouragement, those who make the jump will be on the receiving end of a $2 coupon that one can use to make Skype calls.
Mainland China happened to be the exception rather than the rule when Microsoft made the decision to shut down the Windows Live Messenger in March 2013, and hence, that particular service had to be operated locally. Looks like all good things must come to an end eventually.