Yahoo! Messenger Blog

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1. Great! It’s good to hear that people still use messenger that old. Just to make it a bit more legit or notifiying, Try making a ping for the older messenger advising users that it’s retired

   Keep up the great work on 8.1, 9.0 and the Vista version.

   Comment by Homer — March 11, 2008 #

2. What will you do about the booting problem? The reason so many still use the old versions is they are hard to boot. Clean up that problem, and no one will mind upgrading. Allow us our first amendment rights by taking the BOOT out of Yahoo.

   Comment by Merc — March 11, 2008 #

3. This is a disaster for people who just want to chat to their buddies.

   Version 5x are the best of the bunch imho.

   It offers a TRUE messenger service by being a chat client only and not being full of the bloated and so called ‘advanced’ features of 8x which has turned into an entertainment centre and merely offers a chat feature.

   If you’re going to retire 5x why can’t 8x be offered with an installer that gives someone the chance to pick the features they want to use?

   I certainly don’t want sms, cheap calls, games, music and all the rest of it…I just want to chat with my friends which is what YM USED to be all about.

   This is sad news indeed.

   Cjk

   Comment by Colin — March 11, 2008 #

4. I think YM 6 should also be retired.

   Comment by project51 — March 11, 2008 #

5. tut tut sara put her foot in it again.enhanced fetures , spam , ‘joke”,version 8.1, even if u tick the box to ignore chat invations u still get them.ignore list fill up with in 2 days wen u iggy bots and spam. i agree with the person above who wants music and advanced features. just want to chat in a chat room with out being bothered by idiots.
   i go bac to yr blog of oct 2007 look at all the comments u got then, did u do any thing about it,
   NOPE.get yr act toghter them.

   Comment by andy — March 12, 2008 #

6. I dont like yahoo 8.01 and 9.0

   because it’s full of advertsiment and it’s slow and all avtars and and all other features is getting boring…

   the best thing is yahoo 5. and 6 but cantt log in chat rooms

   am agree with Colin

   cant you offer messenger 8x and 9 installer that gives someone the chance to pick the features they want to use ,install pc to pc call install voice ,sms,games, music and etc

   what we want is simple chat dont you think of different pc’s systems? some use new computers some cant upgrade or buy new computers..or they just dont like all new Features

   we had enough of microsoft live messenger and skype and all them features

   please yahoo do not clone or reapeat any other features of another chat messaging keep yahoo simple and happy

   give us the availability to enhance and customize yahoo chat messenger

   Comment by Shalom — March 12, 2008 #

7. I had a bad experience with YM6, and so have until now stuck with YM 5.6 1358 which is the last of the well-behaved versions.

   What I cannot stand is flaky software which crashes my PC, occupies my processor for 100% for many seconds, or throws up pop-ups and flash animations which are annoying in the extreme. I am at a loss what to replace YM5.6 with once it is switched off. For a start, I need to rescue my archive with a reader, and then look at what is left available. In truth I would really much prefer YM5.6 or the nearest to it.

   One issue is that not everyone has powerful PCs. Because my 433MHz 1999 antique still running Win98SE works well enough for what I use it for, I am loathe to burden the world with hardware upgrades which would really not be necessary were software updaters capable of improving, rather than trashing their systems with bloat.

   I have a plea for YM10. Please edit out the inefficient bloat and reduce the size of the beast to just what is needed to make it run. Good housekeeping. You cannot rely on Moore’s law to bail you out of sloppy badly-thought-out updating, just tacking on patch after patch until the inevitable crash requires yet another patch.

   Next, the ability to switch on and off all the features not needed. So I can choose text messaging, webcam, file transfer, archiving and off-line messaging and no more.

   Finally, because this is an advertising-financed operation - someone has to pay the developers - then I ask for that advertising to be well-behaved. No pop-ups. No flash animation. No hogging of resources. No redirections. As in the old days of Opera, a simple banner containing information and a weblink limited to no more than a few kilobytes would earn it goodwill, rather than annoyance. I wouldn’t mind watching what is on offer while I chat, as long as it does not flash at me or hold me up.

   Comment by Elmbeard — March 12, 2008 #

8. […] Stirea oficiala  :  Yahoo! Messenger Blog […]

   Pingback by Adio Y!M 5.5 si 5.6 ! » YM Vista — March 12, 2008 #

9. Hi Sarah Bacon (Product Manager)

   I really have to disagree with on what you said about Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 & the new Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta. You haved posted that “both offer enhanced security as well as better protection from spam”. How can you say that the current and beta versions of Yahoo! Messenger offers enhanced security as well as better protection from spam. When in fact users which uses Yahoo! Messenger alone, are easy targets for boots (even when privacy settings are allowing contact from Messenger List) & automated spam bots (yeah can stop them by setting the privacy settings to allow contact from Messenger List). But there still so many automated spam bots in Yahoo! chat rooms. So the Captcha “Chat Room Verification” to me is a failure cos so many automated spam bots has find a way around it.

   So it’s still the same old problem with Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo! chat rooms, (the booting & automated spam bots) even with each new versions. Therefore the current and beta version of Yahoo! Messenger does not enhanced security as well as better protection from spam.

   Comment by sensitive bloke — March 12, 2008 #

10. I don’t like the ads one bit. I could care less if they give revenue, but that only happens if some idiot would bother to click on them. I

    As far as digging the grave for older versions of Yahoo, why not leave it alone and let people enjoy the versions they want. Why do you have to force others who want something simple for something full of bloat that hog the resources and add the ‘calling’ feature? Many states, you can call anywhere in the U.S. and Canada for a flat fee through the phone company or they can switch to Vontage where they pay $24.95 a month to call anywhere they want.

    Who wants to call people up from Yahoo Messenger? Give me a break. It’s another way for Yahoo to charge money. You folks at Yahoo are rich enough to give devoted Messenger users an ad free, bloat free version of Yahoo Messenger without the bloat ware. At least give them a choice what they want installed on their PC’s. Believe it or not, there are people who still use ‘dinosaur’ computers because they are happy with them and have no need to upgrade.

    As far as your web messenger is concerned, it’s crap. You can’t block those who are not on your buddy list. I went to try the new Yahoo Mail and it had the Messenger web service attached and I had 2 pages of bot messages just for checking my darn email and I couldn’t stop it from starting up. If I want web messenger to run in my email, let me control if I want it on or not.

    If you guys can’t get it together, perhaps you should start reconsidering selling out to Microsoft.

    Comment by Yuccy Yahoo Messenger — March 12, 2008 #

11. this so called ‘upgrade’ is total b.s.

    i thought that microsoft hasnt yet bought yahoo

    why is yahoo acting like microsoft

    UPGRADE is a dirty word

    the ‘new’ version is seriously broken

    plus the ‘download’ is a b.s. little thing that tries to do ‘online install’

    that is wrong

    the only RIGHT WAY to install something is a standalone installer

    yahoo is really blowing it

    they deserve to get eaten by microsoft with this kind of behavior

    Comment by phloid domino — March 12, 2008 #

12. Sarah:

    Assuming you read these comments, I think you are again seeing the still unaddressed frustration with the performance of messenger over the last two years or so. Some people seem to like the older versions because they are less problematic. I doubt that many would mind having to “upgrade” if the upgrades mke the chat experience better. Unfortunately, that is just not the case. Sure there are more bells and whistles. But the most basic function of a chat program, and a chat room, is to allow people to meet new friends, and chat with them. When that basic function is compromised as badly as yahoo messenger has become, you will have folks looking for ways to overcome these problems. If you folks would finally address the completely overwhelming infestation of bots and booting, the complaints this blog entry has generated will be a thing of the past. The problems with the most basic functions of chat are never addressed while more bells and whistles continue to be added on with newer versions that only compound the issues causing so much frustration.

    So how about it. Any insights into how you will assure those who currently use older versions that their chat experience will not worsen if they upgrade to the newer, more problem riddled versions? Provide that assurance and messages such as your post will be much better received. Follow the usual course of pretending all is well will only anger that many more loyal users….. users who have used the program all the way back to versions 5.5 and 5.6. These are you most loyal users. They deserve better.

    Comment by Bill Simpson — March 13, 2008 #

13. I was using YM 5 for many years now and it was great. It was light and worked fine. I received a message that this version will die and I’m really sad about that. The new versions got plenty new features but are useless for me since I won’t use them. My computer seems to work slower since it’s using a lot more memory AND doodle is missing from the IMV That was the feature I liked the most in YM and it disapeared. I went to the IMV page and clicked a link that was supposed to install it ( http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/singleimv.php?imv=doodle ) but all I can do with that is chatting with myself :-s

    Comment by superyo — March 13, 2008 #

14. […] is good tactic by Yahoo! to force Instant messaging users to upgrade. The latest Yahoo! Messenger versions are […]

    Pingback by Yahoo Messenger Retires Older Versions — March 13, 2008 #

15. I have to agree with a lot that has been said. The higher up you go the more memory is taken up, not to mention the sudden increase of spamming I get. You have made some things better but I have an older couputer that doesn’t have the resorces for all the new upgrades. Making people take up more resourses will either force them to buy new coputers (not good tactics) or they will go to another chat system that doesn’t require so much.

    I’m using 8.1.0.421 and tried the 9 for only a few hours before changing back, mainly because youcan’t transfer anything in the 9. one. I don’t know if this can be fixed but afraid to try again since I use that feature a lot.

    Comment by Garfield2late — March 13, 2008 #

16. […] you are still using these versions, head to the following link to do what is recommended by Yahoo! […]

    Pingback by Messengers World » Blog Archive » Yahoo! retiring Yahoo Messenger versions 5.5 & 5.6 — March 13, 2008 #

17. When is yahoo! gonna offer users the chance of having a local stored ignore list and better filters instead of a limited Filter.txt/enc file to just replace text with ****

    Surely a company as big as yahoo! could offer users the use of regular expressions to combat spam at the user level?

    Yahoo servers disconnect a person receiving data when their buffer reaches a certain size in bytes, why isn’t the same rule used for IP addresses sending over this limit in a short burst?, this would surely combat the booters out there that use multiple logins to the yahoo servers to send multiple packet floods to a single user.

    You keep limiting the amount of data size that can be transmitted but this does nothing but effect the single user as the smaller you make the allowed size the more bots these people just need to fill the buffer and disconnect some, which is pretty small as they can just sign in 20 ids to kick anybody at will.

    You should be watching how many logins come from the same IP address and what id’s are logged in, this is the only way you will combat booting in a whole.

    Yahoo! Messenger 6,7,8,and 9 offer no security for users whatsoever in the form of online attacks via your own packet system.

    As for tightening up your captcha image to be less readable is a joke as they can still be read at a reasonable success rate by automated captcha readers using edge detection and other forms of captcha processing still and the porn bots are still very active in the chatrooms.

    You have to give users something to look forward to in updating to the new versions and in yahoo messenger 9 beta i see no reason why someone would want to update from earlier builds for a few more smileys and a sharpened i-face.

    Make these options available to your users, give them the power to take back control of what they can see and not see in chatrooms, otherwise they will just go and use something else that gives them peace of mind with better filtering capabilities.

    My 5c worth!

    Comment by Dermot — March 13, 2008 #

18. I think it is good to retire these old version and promote new ones. I appreciate this decision

    Comment by Tinh — March 13, 2008 #

19. […] blogul oficial Y!Messenger s-a anunțat retragerea versiunilor 5.5, 5.6 de Yahoo! Messenger. După data de 2 aprilie aceste versiuni nu vor mai […]

    Pingback by   That’s all folk’s! La revedere cu versiunile 5.5, 5.6 - Y!M Collection — March 14, 2008 #

20. Most people will be upset that version 5 will be ending because this means that their booter programs will end, at least the ones that rely on version 5 to boot. Version 5 was built with the protocols that allow booters to circumvent the security patches that version’s 8 and 9 have. Personally I feel that versions 6 and 7 should be retired as well to make Yahoo chat a more secure program since they are less secure as well.

    Comment by Juan Valdez — March 14, 2008 #

21. So disappointed to hear this news !
    Only the v5.6, the best version that worked well on my daddy’s Pentium II machine. The only way that he want to talk to his son will now end.

    Comment by Y!M User — March 14, 2008 #

22. Hi Sarah,
    Retiring YM 5x may or maynot be a great idea.. Honestly I’ve not had a single issue with YM 9Beta.. I love it.. and use most of its features.. cos I find it beneficial.. Couple of arears where the performance could be enhanced:
    1. Voice quality between PC to PC calls could be improved..
    2. Few spam IMs still do sneak in..
    3. Video quality could be improved.. Sometimes I use MSN messenger for video and Gtalk for PC to PC calling cos of superior voice clarity.. but I’d head back to using YM anyday if it was improved.
    4. The fact that MSN users and YIM can IM eachother is great.. but why not extent the functionality to sharing webcam also.. seems logical..
    Anyway, I love YM.. and look forward to further enhancements in future!
    cheers!

    Comment by Vish — March 15, 2008 #

23. […] features an inline video player Posted on March 17, 2008 by Carlo Maglinao Yahoo Messenger releases 9.0 beta and is set to retire versions 5.5 and 5.6 by April 2, 2008. You can download the version 9.0 here. The latest allows you to link a video and […]

    Pingback by Yahoo Messenger 9.0 features an inline video player « TechBays — March 17, 2008 #

24. Well, looks like I am being made to leave Yahoo’s Messenger service. Just the same, AIM and MSN are superior to this anyways. And AIM features an open protocol that one can program around!

    Comment by Cliff S — March 17, 2008 #

25. I can agree with some of these posts, and I am going to put in my two cents (I left it off in the last post, oops?).

    I am going to continue to use 5.6 up till the end, then migrate my friends to AIM or MSN. Probably AIM. Anyways, I agree with one post, for a company that hasn’t been taken over by micro$oft, yall are sure copying their tactics damn well. Sarah, If you’re tracking the comments, Do you care to add in on why Yahoo Messenger doesn’t have an open protocol for developers to use? And maybe do up some nice 3rd party clients? I may consider staying if I can at least use a third party client, Because I refuse to use this ugly, overloaded, memory-hogging, slow-as-hell piece of dookie. I’m sorry that this comment has less-than-pleasant terms in it, but it’s all truth. I’m sure some of the people who have commented on this blog entry agree with me. Since when do we need to subject our friends to annoyances like background music in PC to PC calls? WTF, Seriously. Who the hell would want to hear rap music blasting out their speakers for no apparent reason. (flower power, and I’m only 24, go figure! lol)

    Also, what about Messenger users whose PCs CAN’T handle 8.x or 9.x? Not everyone can afford a brand spanking new PC, Some people are lucky to even HAVE a working machine. What’s your solution for THIS hurdle? I’d like to see it.

    END

    Comment by Cliff S — March 17, 2008 #

26. I am just going to dump Messenger altogether, and use Yahelite pager. No bloat, no ads, just Pm’s.

    Comment by platonic.hate — March 17, 2008 #

27. Yahelite? Maybe I should check this out. I have been a Yahoo! Messenger user since v4 and then it was called Yahoo! Pager. What happened to the good old days?

    Thanks for the idea platonic! You rock dude

    Comment by Cliff S — March 18, 2008 #

28. well i think its a good idea also i would like too see newer Release with 8.1, i don’t care much on 9.0 beta but also some upgrades or bugs should be fixed in a newer build of 8.1 anyways keep up the good work Sarah Bacon and the others over there

    Comment by Cisco — March 18, 2008 #

29. You’re the only one that does, Cisco. Keep dreaming. But the bugfix idea is good. Perhaps they should keep 5 going for those who can’t reliably run 8/9.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 18, 2008 #

30. Will there ever be a Yahoo Classic? For us dedicated 5 users? (Like me)

    Comment by Cliff S — March 21, 2008 #

31. I think it’s a good move, they should even extended to the last version which doesn’t have ad banner

    This way all users will have to see the ads/banners to be able to use the service. No people should be entitled to use ‘free (ad-less)’ service

    Comment by John — March 22, 2008 #

32. Do you still have a version of Yahoo Messenger that will work on my Mac OS10.3? The new one requires OS10.4 and I can’t afford to upgrade all my machines.

    Comment by Frank — March 22, 2008 #

33. To John: It’s not deadly hard to block ad banners, (I actively do this across my entire LAN). One can remake YM5.x with the required banners though, But it’s entirely upto the Y! Messenger team.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 22, 2008 #

34. I’ve gotta say to yall, this really isn’t going to make people like me upgrade, It’s just gonna make us seek other services. Way to go Yahoo!. Way to show that you really care more about silly features and less about your users. I give that a 1 out of 10 for creativeness.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 23, 2008 #

35. Cliff S Stop with your complaining it’s rather annoying

    Comment by Cisco — March 24, 2008 #

36. To Cisco: Stop praising them, it’s rather annoying.

    To Brandon: It happens, even with Yahelite. And sadly, spambots still manage to get in. They’re working at it I’m sure. Chat is decent though, at least to me. So all’s good, Just give it time and it shall be sorted, although I;d like to see the need to only verify once per session, as in not needing to enter it to change rooms.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 24, 2008 #

37. Cliff S, Praising them ? Well praising would actually be a good thing think about it if you made something and put it out too the public and i or someone else just keep complaing all the time do you think you would find me or them annoying yes you would ppl do not like complainers witch you are one as from all the post by you ive seen nothing but complaing by you and yes that is annoying. and i think what Yahoo and the Team over there by Yahoo i think yes its a good idea on what they are doing

    Comment by Cisco — March 24, 2008 #

38. ok i have a ? why cant u make the newr one a lil like the older one its a better progame becuz u can ingorn people that is not in your ym list and still go in chat rooms and see people talking the music and all that is all good but it seems like no matter what anyone doses they are not going to be happy so i would say just keep doing what u are doing and not worrie about the rest

    Comment by megan — March 25, 2008 #

39. To Cisco: This is true, just some of us like things as they are. Not trying to sound like a huge pain here. They work hard at this and do well, just they need to tie up a few loose wires here

    To Megan: Yahelite does most of that if you require something simple. Although it is a bit advanced, but you can try that. If not, maybe something like Miranda IM would work out.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 25, 2008 #

40. This sucks I still use Yahoo Messenger 5.6

    why why??????

    Comment by Larry — March 26, 2008 #

41. Larry you ask y well its simple Yahoo Messenger 5.6 is old you can no longer get voice on it anywhere also you can not enter in to chat anymore so its a good idea what they are doing also i think they should do the same with 6.0 also seeing as you cant enter in too rooms also

    Comment by Cisco — March 27, 2008 #

42. Cisco: Who needs voice, when all some people want is just IM. and their new ones only cause problems with some people.

    It’s better to chat with a program like YahElite rather than messenger anyways, as it blocks more spam than YM can.

    Other than that, upto everyone else.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 27, 2008 #

43. Cliff S get a life no one cares what you type on here all you do is complain if thats what you want just too IM with users whoopie go download 7.0 or 7.5 or something then turn things off its not hard go cry about it and Grow up your sounding like a 2 year old baby now when you keep going on gezzzzzzzz get a life

    Comment by Cisco — March 27, 2008 #

44. I gave up on Y! after 6 Beta, but it’s upto everyone else. I’m only one person. If I just want IM, I’ll stick to YahElite.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 28, 2008 #

45. I’d try emailing them about that. Likely to get faster results, although I’m positive they’re working on that.

    Comment by Cliff S — March 29, 2008 #

46. Aww… I remember the old versions, and everynow and then I’d download them from hosted sites to just go back in time for awhile and chat with simplicity. I loved them so much, it is what made me stay with Yahoo messenger. I just wish they would put the typing sound when you type to someone in the newer version.

    I’ll miss you, Old Yahoo…

    Comment by Snap — March 31, 2008 #

47. I agree 5.6 was the best messenger, I used it up til now…I hate the new messengers with all that crap on them, I just want to chat I don’t need all that b.s!!! You should consider making a messenger that’s simple or for people that don’t want all that crap! and the web messenger sux!!!

    Comment by candy — April 1, 2008 #

48. Less than 8 hours left to use the good version.

    Comment by Y5 user — April 1, 2008 #

49. Looks like 5.6 client still works? It’s April 2nd, 9 AM EDT…anyone else?

    Comment by Kevin — April 2, 2008 #

50. Any news on when it will actually be turned off?

    Comment by Allasandis — April 2, 2008 #

51. As of 10:10AM CDT, 5.6 is still able to sign in. Use it while ya can

    Comment by Y5 user — April 2, 2008 #

52. Well, I’ve used Yahoo Pager for many years(older version 5.5). And it’s worked great. Retiring these versions are a big mistake. I’m going to keep using my 5.5 version unitl I cannot use it anymore…after that I will try and move to version 6. If that doesn’t work or gives me trouble then…good bye to Yahoo. Bad move. And what’s with the web messenger? Why would you need to install shockwave? AIM can do it without shockwave and flash why cannot Yahoo do this. That way every operating system that can support HTML can use it. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

    Comment by Bob — April 2, 2008 #

53. the oldest available version of 6 is usable, find it at oldapps.com

    Comment by Y5 user — April 2, 2008 #

54. 1:30PM CDT: 5.x still works. Maybe this is one big April fool’s joke?

    Comment by Y5 user — April 2, 2008 #

55. 3:38PM CDT: 5.6 now dead methinks. None of my logins work, a blank System message appears, all names giving Password error.

    Comment by Y5 user — April 2, 2008 #

56. Sorry for the post flood

    I found that Y5 will still work if you keep trying it. It’ll take between 1 and 6 tries.

    Comment by Y5 user — April 2, 2008 #

57. Yahoo 5.6 expired right now…

    RIP

    Comment by superyo — April 2, 2008 #

58. It has finally died, 5:19PM CDT. No amount of trying works, But one never knows. Last time it took me 13 tries, then 1 after that. Those of you who are currently signed into 5.x are fine as long as you do not disconnect. If you do, well, SOL.

    Comment by Y5 user — April 2, 2008 #

59. =)) ha ha Good Job Yahoo keep up the good work

    Comment by Cisco — April 2, 2008 #

60. Well, guess that’s done with. Oh well. Now, what about the bot problem?

    Comment by Cliff S — April 2, 2008 #

61. Tried it twice this morning…and was successful both times from the 5.6 client….maybe not R.I.P. just yet??

    Comment by Kevin — April 3, 2008 #

62. Guess this the final end of yahoo chat for me. It’s been working this direction since 5.6 was shelved for the 6.x version.
    I agree with Cjk. It’s a shame to be force into big bulky useless cosmetics called upgrades, and improvements and enhanced security, and in reality opens you up to all kind of new vulnerabilities .

    Comment by UncleD — April 5, 2008 #

63. 5.5 or 5.6 didn’t work with Vista, still waiting for messenger for Vista and not the Beta version

    Comment by 2bits — April 7, 2008 #

64. well, I will have to disassamble some new version of yahoo messenger, breaking your stupid license agreement. just to reverse-engineer the method to identify the program version. this is because some UNIX clients that also support YM protocol no longer work properly - yes, there are other operating systems out there, there are other computer architectures like VAX, VMS, PDP or Sun Ultrasparc. and you did not think of this so we will have to do it in our way.

    Comment by fox — April 13, 2008 #

65. Well, I for one am sorry to see Yahoo Messenger 5.6 finally go, first of all it allowed me to insert a background picture in the buddy list, I also liked the fact that I could get my tabs on the bottom of the buddy list for sites like Travelocity, local news, sports and weather etc. I have inquired about this in the past to Yahoo but Yahoo has ceased to get back to me on this…..I wish that they would consider letting the user put a background picture in their buddy list, it was a nice feature and I enjoyed seeing the photo of my choice in there!!! Let’s all lobby for this along with the tabs for Travelocity etc……:-) Or at least let us go back to the old version!!!

    Comment by JR — April 13, 2008 #

66. Try this link, it will tell you all about Yahoo Messenger skins…..

    http://www.wackyb.co.nz/Yahoo!_Messenger_Skin_History/

    Comment by JR — April 13, 2008 #

67. i think it is total bs that yahoo retired messenger 5.6 i hate the new messenger to much extra garbage to go with it i hate it hate it hate it the other was simple and now every im i send or receive everyone knows my real name and that is stupid what if i dont want people to know my nameand you have to list your name when u sign up for an id

    Comment by lizzie — April 13, 2008 #

68. lizzie as for y you hate the new messenger cuz it shows the 1st name and last name you picked when you made a id when you could have put what ever you liked but also if it never did show on 5.6 or so users with the newer build could still see it as they ware on the newer build that would have not mattered just you would have seen there real nic’s but also you can go in your settings and on the new yahoo messenger also you can set it to just seeing there real id not there 1st and last name so its not really a problem now for users who do like older builds i would say go to 7.0

    Comment by Cisco — April 14, 2008 #

69. wow! all this time i’ve been harping about the new yahoo msgr sux, takes up too much RAM and has all these “features” which only appeal to 9 y-o. you’ll have it together! hooray! i’m NOT the only one!!!! correct, anything above 5.5/6 sux! w/ older version, CAN chat with 6 folks at once, try that with the new version … you can’t! even if have 1 gig RAM, “new” “improved” YM can’t keep up! AND, the IM box takes TOO much space, as in on ur screen. one of these decades, YM /Sarah, etc. will figure out to make scaled DOWN vers. of YM. there are a lot of folks whom can NOT afford to get a new puter (i am one of them) nor RAM, love 5.6 YM; but, like others, am gonna find something else … cause ALL i want is to TXT with others — correct, there are those of us whom do NOT want “bells and whistles” … ONLY TXT! i like the comment about “older TRUE YM … users deserve better …”

    Comment by olfogeydebbie — April 23, 2008 #

70. As many people have already said here, the last version of Yahoo Messenger that was even somewhat well behaved was version 5, since version 6 it has become a bloated pig that gobbles up your CPU resources and RAM (I’ve seen Messenger use well in excess of 100 MB just sitting there idle).

    Then to further insult us, Yahoo Messenger’s default installer is set up to where it tries to hijack Internet Explorer’s home page, install a useless toolbar, and then backs up the dump truck and pours a score of icons on your desktop.

    Yahoo, I marked your Messenger “Return To Sender” at version 6, I still install it once in a while just to see if you’ve done anything useful with it (including 9.0 beta), and the answer is that you’ve made it through 3 major releases with the program just getting worse, the only thing I even kind of half-enjoyed was Launchcast Radio, but you guys have to face it, Last.FM is just so much better.

    Anywho, for those looking to migrate off of the now useless 5.x versions, give Pidgin or Trillian Basic a try, they’re both free (they don’t support webcam, but Trillian Pro does).

    I for one am using Trillian Pro, which is several IM networks in one, and uses maybe 10-12 megs of RAM at idle.

    Yahoo, I’m sorry to tell you, but if you haven’t got the hint yet, YOU SUCK!

    Comment by Ryan — April 28, 2008 #

71. Oh, almost forgot, for those looking for an old version of Yahell Messenger that still works, try the “UNIX” build, yes that’s right, Yahell has given Linux users a huge extended middle finger with that pathetic excuse for a program, the thing hasn’t even been updated since like 2000….

    But then again, if you’re on Linux you’re using Kopete or Pidgin.

    By the way, Yahoo Messenger For The Web blows too, about the only reason to use it is if you’re on a public internet terminal that doesn’t allow you to install software.

    The only reason I even deal with the whole Yahell messaging protocol at all anymore is because I’ve accumulated quite a list of contacts over the years.

    Every once in a while Yahell gets a bug up their collective ass and locks out all third party instant messengers, but at least the developers of those programs fix it expeditiously, until now Yahell has left it’s 5.x users well enough alone, but nobody will ever fix those clients.

    Comment by Ryan — April 28, 2008 #

72. Yahoo Messenger 3.0 (1.3 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 3.5 (1.9 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 4.1 (2.3 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 5.0 (2.2 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 5.5.1228 (2.6 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 6.1922 (4.5 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 7.0 (8.2 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 7.426 (8 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 7.437 (8 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 7.5.0.647 (7.7 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 8.0.0.506 (10 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 8.1.0.249 (10 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 8.1.0.401 (10 MB)
    Yahoo Messenger 8.1.0.402 (10 MB)

    Wow, a 400% increase in size with no important features added! (5.5-8.1)

    Comment by Ryan — April 28, 2008 #

73. I use Yahoo!Messenger 8.1
    Works fine but have much bugs and exploits.

    Comment by nora pentr mama — May 3, 2008 #

74. once again corporate companies doing what they want not caring what we want. their new messenger sucks, the older version was much better. they are the new elite in our country, thinking they know what is best for the rest of us.

    Comment by gary — June 3, 2008 #

75. Look people i have used evry version of yahoo as they came out since yahoo has been around. Not only does it keep getting better but the features keep you in touch with your family as the world upgrades to a newer approach of communication. Yahoo advertisments are on as far as i seen the meesenger its self and u can disable this feature and not get any news at all.also if you have launch cast streaming from your yahoo then get a grip and stop complaining they have to use advertisements so you can use it for free. There arent many commercials on the launch cast any way. If you dont like advertisements it is simple go get off your lazy butt and start paying for a messenger that isnt as good and dont have them. By the way the yahoo messenger is by far the best messenger there is. Not only is it easy to use but it is up to date with the changing of our great world that is ever so changing. The only yahoo that i have seen a problem with is the vista messenger and as a vista user myself i have kept the 9.0 version on my computer when i upgraded.The reason is because the vista messenger is a test version and it dont have all the features like conference with multiple people. although you can call someone elses computer on a one on one basis. So for now I will keep them both installedd on my computer and hope that the vista version will be more like the regular version. Also note that some features of the vista version is also better u can chat with multiple people and not have them all over your desktop by having them all in one window and each of them can still remain seperate chats. Keep up the great work yahooooo. I would like to know why they didnt merge with microsoft when they had that chance.

    Comment by christopher elings — August 15, 2008 #

76. […] headline comes from Yahoo! stating that versions 5.5 and 5.6 of Messenger will be shut down (http://www.ymessengerblog.com/blog/2008/03/11/we%e2%80%99re-retiring-versions-55-56/). Yahoo! will most likely do this by denying certain protocol versions in the YMSG protocol to be […]

    Pingback by Yahoo! Coder’s Cookbook » Messenger 5.5 and 5.6, RIP — August 22, 2008 #

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