Microsoft hotmail wiki
Here's a summary of the Microsoft Hotmail wiki:
Hotmail
Hotmail is a web-based email service provided by Microsoft. It was launched in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith, and was acquired by Microsoft in 1997 for $400 million.
History
Hotmail was one of the first free web-based email services, allowing users to access their email accounts from any internet-connected computer. The service was initially called "Hotmail" because it was initially hosted on a pair of servers in a hotmail.com domain. The service quickly gained popularity, and by 1997, it had over 1 million users.
Features
Hotmail offered a range of features, including:
- Free email accounts with a @hotmail.com address
- Web-based access to email accounts
- Support for HTML and rich text formatting
- Attachments up to 8MB in size
- Spam filtering and virus scanning
- Integration with Microsoft Office applications
Acquisition by Microsoft
In 1997, Microsoft acquired Hotmail for $400 million, and the service became a subsidiary of Microsoft. Under Microsoft's ownership, Hotmail continued to grow and expand its features, including the introduction of a new user interface and additional features such as calendar and contact management.
Rebranding as Outlook.com
In 2012, Microsoft rebranded Hotmail as Outlook.com, and introduced a new user interface and features such as a calendar and contact management. The rebranding was part of a larger effort by Microsoft to unify its email services under the Outlook brand.
Security Issues
Hotmail has faced several security issues over the years, including phishing attacks, spam, and hacking. In 2013, Microsoft announced that it had fixed a security vulnerability that allowed hackers to access Hotmail accounts.
Discontinuation
In 2013, Microsoft announced that it would be discontinuing Hotmail and replacing it with Outlook.com. The company encouraged Hotmail users to switch to Outlook.com, and eventually phased out the Hotmail service.
Legacy
Hotmail played an important role in the development of web-based email services, and its success paved the way for other free email services such as Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. Although Hotmail is no longer available as a standalone service, its legacy continues to influence the development of email services today.
References
- "Hotmail: A Brief History" by Sabeer Bhatia
- "Microsoft Acquires Hotmail" by CNET
- "Hotmail to be Rebranded as Outlook.com" by The Verge
- "Microsoft Discontinues Hotmail" by TechCrunch