Dear Microsoft Outlook Express customer,
Thank you for using Microsoft® Outlook® Express. Our information indicates that you use Outlook Express to access a Windows Live™ Hotmail® e-mail account via a protocol called DAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning protocol). DAV, like POP3 or IMAP, is the way that a mail client communicates with a web-based mail server.
As a valued customer, we want to provide advanced notice that as of June 30, 2008, Microsoft is disabling the DAV protocol and you will no longer be able to access your Hotmail Inbox via Outlook Express. As an alternative, we recommend that you download Windows Live Mail, a free desktop e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This next generation of free e-mail software will allow you to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts—including Windows Live Hotmail, plus other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. Better yet, Windows Live Mail integrates well with other Windows Live services, and downloads in minutes. After you provide your user name and password, you will automatically be linked to your Hotmail account, providing continued access to your email and contacts.
Frequently asked questions:
Why are we disabling DAV?
DAV is a legacy protocol that is not well suited for client access to large inboxes. Over time, as we’ve provided more e-mail storage to our users—and now offer 5GB inboxes for free—a more efficient access protocol is needed.
What are we replacing DAV with?
We have developed a new, much more efficient protocol called DeltaSynch that is far superior to DAV especially for large e-mail inboxes. It enables email clients to only download changes since the last time the client polled the email server for changes. This is much more efficient and high performing than having to download all the headers in every folder as is the case with DAV.
Is there a different or new mail client I can try that uses DeltaSynch?
Microsoft is providing Windows Live Mail, a free e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This free, next generation email client enables users to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts including Windows Live Hotmail and other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. Windows Live Mail also integrates well with other Windows Live services, is optimized to work with Windows Live Hotmail, and offers:
To which I firmly wrote back (and quoted exactly)
I’m sorry guys, but I’m going to have to rock the boat on this one.
Years ago you created your own protocol to deal with mail problems. Now it is obsolete.
So you go and make another one. Does this not sounds like a bad circle to get into?
You say that Windows Live Mail is the new software that will connect to hotmail using the new protocol. You also state that this software will connect to other, standard IMAP/POP3 email accounts. That is a good thing because my client needs to connect to more than one account. If there is validity in the need for your software to connect using these protocols, why don’t you provide an IMAP/POP3 connection to the hotmail servers? I understand that you want to be able to sync more than email (contacts, notes, pictures etc) and I understand the benefit of providing a service that does that for some people.
But I just need my email.
So, I have been unable to find any details on the implementation of the new protocol.
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeltaSync) does not provide any information about the use or other clients that may support this protocol.
Please get back to me with what my options are. If you are happy to provide the spec for the protocol I will be happy to write software to integrate it with my current setup.
I will not be backed into a corner.
Regards,
Russell
ps.
This email was generated in Opera - M2 (http://www.opera.com/products/desktop/m2/)
I’m so not looking forward to getting a way around this.
I will also be dissapointed if I have to leave my email addresses behind and just use the one at gmail.
-= Comments
1. Xavier | April 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
oh jesus when will people learn that making your own protocols is generally a Bad Thing? IMAP may have its flaws, but at least it’s a starting point.
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