Hotmail stops supporting Outlook (Express)

[Robrecht]

Dammit. Did anyone else get this message from Microsoft?

Dear Outlook Express user: thank you for using Outlook Express. According to our records, you use Outlook Express to access your Windows Live Hotmail account. On juni 30 Hotmail will no longer support the DAV protocol that allows external access from Outlook Express. Instead, we suggest you start using Windows Live Mail, our new-and-improved mail client that uses the new 'DeltaSynch' protocol. Etc. etc.

All very nice but I'm not an Outlook Express user at all. I use the regular, full blown MS Office Outlook 2007 because I need the advanced features it offers, and somehow I don't think that fancy 'Windows Live Mail' will be a viable alternative for me. Although Outlook is nowhere mentioned, I'm guessing what they say about Outlook Express affects its bigger brother as well: no more Hotmail access.

So there it is. My old Hotmail account I've used for years for personal email, the one that's linked to Live Messenger and other Microsoft services, the one I've provided to countless web sites and online shops to contact me, will no longer be of use. Oh I know, I shouldn't complain about a free service, but it's still a big dissappointment.

And does anyone know what this means for Hotmail on our pocket pc's? Do they support the new 'DeltaSynch' protocol or will they be cut off as well?

[txa1265]

So far as I know they stopped supporting OE years ago, but it was 'grandfathered' in for some things. I'm not sure about Outlook but I know my Mac Entourage (Office '08) still works and I haven't gotten any messages about that changing.

[Robrecht]

Thanks for your reply.

The thing that worries me about Outlook support is that I haven't used Outlook Express in years, and they still targeted me with their 'our records show you use OE' message. I wonder if that means Outlook and Outlook Express are handled in the same way.

Anyway, I've decided Hotmail isn't the only option out there and I will start switching to my backup personal adress.

[txa1265]

I think that the DAV protocol is used by *everything* except for the 'Windows Live' webmail interface

As for my success with Entourage, that too seems like it will continue, and apparently Outlook will only work with the special connector installed - but you can use Thunderbird:
Outlook Express users who want to continue to access their Hotmail accounts offline after June 30 are being encouraged by Microsoft to download its free Windows Live Mail software.

Users will still be able to use Outlook, the big brother of Outlook Express, to read their Hotmail messages offline, but first they may have to upgrade their Outlook Connector synchronization software, according to information posted online today by Scott Hammer, a Microsoft e-mail support manager.

Hammer said that Hotmail users also will still be able to use any other desktop e-mail client that is POP3-compliant, such as the open-source Thunderbird software. Macintosh users, meanwhile, can continue using Microsoft's Entourage e-mail client for the Mac to access Hotmail