One instant messaging wall tumbles down
Update: Cliff Reeves, general manager of Microsoft's .NET platform strategy (who I knew way back in his IBM days working on OS/2), thinks the collaboration will be good for business users and Microsoft's server business:
Notably, this interoperability is based on the SIP/SIMPLE protocols ... the same protocols that underpin Microsoft's Real Time Collaboration products: Live Communications Server and Communicator, and also those underpinning the MSN-Vodafone announcement In June this year.
LCS and Communicator already offered public IM connectivity to MSN, Yahoo, and AOL users, but this announcement covers not just instant messaging, but online presence, Voice over IP, and shared contacts.
This agreement will continue to legitimize enterprise-consumer reach, and will be a big big boost to companies building on and extending LCS platform, particularly those who provide additional security and compliance.
Update 2: The interoperability between MSN and Yahoo messengers could lead to a massive IM worm outbreak, experts say.