[LeeZee]

The MSN for Mac OS software is officially being decommissioned. Starting May 31st, Mac users who try to sign in to MSN by clicking on the butterfly will get an error message.
We should have known something was up a few months ago when MSN stopped shipping CDs containing the MSN for Mac software. And a few weeks ago when the MSN home page stopped displaying correctly on IE and MSN for Mac OS X, that should have been the clincher. Well, now it's official: MSN is abandoning thousands of Mac-using MSN members. Yes, they'll still be able to use their MSN e-mail addresses in Entourage or at hotmail.com. And they'll still be able to access the MSN and MyMSN home pages. Dial-up customers will still be able to connect using a manual connection, i.e., using Internet Connect (OS X) or Remote Access (OS 9). But the butterfly will be history.
MSN technical support for Mac users will continue till the end of August. After that you're on your own.
Just thought you'd like to know.

[Earthling7]

Cute. Will the existing client still work or will the lights just go out?

[sallydu1952]

MSN client? As in MSN Instant Messenger? If so, I'm sure many Macintosh users will want to know if microsoft will be washing their hands of it as well. Waits for the answer along with everyone else out there.

[d00d]

The original poster is talking about Microsoft's version of AOL. The Instant Messenger will still be supported on Macs and at last report, they were busy developing a new version for Mac OS X Tiger.

[scmac]

fine with me ... i abandoned MSN, hotmail, etc., a while ago.

[jmincey]

Are we really surprised that the author of a platform-specific ISP would be Microsoft? Microsoft is clearly working hard to create a platform-specific internet; all its software development strategies point to this.

[BobKing]

I just found out this morning that MSN was dropping support for Macs.
I haven't been happy with them but since they were pretty much the ony game in town when I got DSL through QWEST they're who I went with. Over the last year their product has begun to function more and more poorly and I've been considering other ISP's. This move has assured this action.
My question is: What service provider are others using that are Mac friendly? A friend is using EarthLink and seems happy and I went to their web site and at the very least it appears they know the difference between a Mac and a Windows machine.
Any recommendations for ISP's that are Mac friendly?
Do you know of any web sights that provide information on ISP's?
I live right across Puget Sound from Seattle so this area is quite saturated with Windows propaganda.

[Reboot]

In reply to:

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What service provider are others using that are Mac friendly?

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Pretty much any, but MSN and AOL. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
There are literally thousands of internet providers. It's just a matter of doing some searching for ISP's with a phone number in your area. Your yellow pages will probably have a list of some too.
Here's one link. http://www.thelist.com/ You can type isp's into Google and come up with many more.

[Nobody]

1) Who cares?
2) The idea of "Mac Friendliness" or "Mac Compatible" is mostly a myth propogated by Microsoft faithful to keep people from thinking about #1 above.
3) Microsoft pushes proprietary standards and methods of communication over the internet then ensures that they are the sole distributor of that software so that nobody can access their "services" without special software. Then they constantly "update" said software so that older versions won't work anymore. Once they have enforced their dependance on said software they stop making software for the Mac so that they can reiterate their claims of incompatibility, thus perpetuating the myth of #2 above.
There is virtually nothing that Microsoft has to offer that I would want to have. The ONLY product they EVER made that was worth ANYTHING was DOS. If you want to know the truth, Microsoft didn't even make DOS by themselves! So, you could claim that Microsoft NEVER made ANY product that was worth buying and you'd be almost right!
Spit out that Kool-Aid. You're better off without Microsoft. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[nonedead]

i have one questian
if you use virtual pc would you be able to use msn chat?

[Lieutenent_Mac]

Thank goodness, I have family and friends that stuck in the redmond black-hole and use MSN messenger.
I would be really disappointed if I could not get a hold of them on messenger anymore.

[d0csp33d]

I heard something few years ago regarding microsoft languages in their browser (IE). I think they want everyone to be using IE. I have found some pages on the internet that they ask for IE exclusively. I wasn't able to enter because I was using Safari. What is going on with programers?

[Nobody]

In reply to:

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if you use virtual pc would you be able to use msn chat?

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Probably. I don't know for sure. It would probably work OK once you got VPC installed and stablized.
But, WHY would you want to spend all that money buying VPC just to chat?

In reply to:

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I have found some pages on the internet that they ask for IE exclusively. I wasn't able to enter because I was using Safari.

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The remote computer looks at a piece of information on YOUR computer called "User Agent" to find out what browser you're using. The people who programmed those sites are looking at your "User Agent" to find out what program you are using. It is possible for those people to program their computers to say, "If people don't use <Program X> to access my site, I won't let them in."
You can fight back, however!
Get a little piece of software called Safari Enhancer. Among the many things it can do is allow you to change the User Agent information your computer sends back to the remote computer.
Basically it allows you to lie. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
If the remote computer thinks that you are using Microsoft as your browser it will let you in. About 90% of the time you will be able to access the site with NO PROBLEM at all!
There is a good reason why the remote computer needs to know what browser you are using. It can change the way it sends the pages to taylor them to the browser and/or computer you are using to access the site with. That will make it better for you when you go onto that site. However, there are plenty of small-minded idiots out there who, for one reason or another think that they have to put that code into their sites that blocks non-M$ browser from accessing their sites.
If the site you go to is some sort of internet shopping place and it tells you that you must use Microsoft, just send them a message that says, "I am a potential customer who is NOT spending money with your company because your website programmers suffer from Recto-Cranial Inversion". If the company has any smarts at all they'll fix that problem in a short time.
I once had that problem with my bank's website. I called Customer Service and told them the problem. I told them, "Your website says that it doesn't support my computer but you forget... I am the one supporting YOU!"
It only took them about a week to get the problem fixed.

[durandal343]

Ok.. so... who cares? What wonderful things did the butterfly do anyhow? I use qwest with MSN as an ISP but have never once even seen the butterfly. Why would I want to use the MSN software to get on the internet when all I have to do is plug in my modem and I'm ready to go. They say you "have to" use their setup and then use the MSN program but I've found that you really don't. I've often wondered why the people at qwest don't understnad this. I called once and they were shocked that I was on the internet without using the MSN software. Even if MSN for mac is killed off I'll bet you can still get on the net with qwest powerd by MSN. They'll tell you you can't but I'm pretty sure my internet connection isn't going to die now.
So back to the main point. Who cares?