Was internet mail hotmail

A blast from the past!

Yes, Hotmail was one of the first free web-based email services on the internet. It was launched in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith, and it quickly gained popularity as a convenient and free alternative to traditional email services.

Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft in 1997 for $400 million, and it became one of the most popular email services in the world, with over 100 million users by the early 2000s.

Hotmail was known for its simplicity, ease of use, and innovative features, such as the ability to send and receive emails from any internet-connected device, and the use of a web-based interface to access email accounts.

However, in 2012, Microsoft announced that it would be replacing Hotmail with Outlook.com, a new email service that would offer more features and a more modern design. Hotmail was eventually phased out, and users were migrated to Outlook.com.

Today, Outlook.com is still a popular email service, and it offers many features, including a calendar, contacts, and integration with other Microsoft services, such as Office Online and OneDrive.