Over the years, Microsoft attempted to upgrade Hotmail several times. This resulted in a large number of Hotmail users signing up for the service without realizing that it wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

At the same time, Microsoft began offering increased storage capacity to Hotmail accounts. However, MySpace failed miserably and was later sold off to Specific Media Group. They did so because they thought social networking would soon surpass traditional e-mail usage due to popularity of sites such as Facebook. Eventually, Microsoft bought Web Host Europe, making them responsible for providing Hotmail web space, domain registration and customer support. This meant that if you wanted to host your website on someone else's servers, they'd have to charge extra money each month. It offered free web hosting, while others charged $199 per year for similar features. Microsoft decided to keep Hotmail in order to gain an edge against its competitors. In 1999, Microsoft bought AIM, so eventually both 'AOL' products had to be discontinued entirely. As AIM became increasingly popular among teens, many used it alongside other instant messengers like ICQ or IRC. The latter provided an attractive alternative to AOL Instant Messaging (AIM). You could access either through Internet Explorer (IE) 6. When I first started using Hotmail (in 1998), there were only two main options: MSN Messenger Service and Hotmail. If you need recommendations based on your country and interests, check out our guide to finding the right email service for you.

If you're completely new to email providers, here are some general guidelines on which service is best suited for which type of user.

We'll also see whether you should consider migrating your account away from Hotmail to another provider. But what happened exactly that made Hotmail fall out of favor? And more importantly - does this mean that today's Hotmail is not really owned by Microsoft anymore? Let's take a look at how the situation changed over time. Nowadays, people often get their emails from Gmail or Yahoo Mail instead. Hotmail was a pioneer when it came to online email services, but as we all know, things change. Is Microsoft closing old email accounts?.

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