aMSN

Was ist aMSN?

aMSN was created to bring the look and feel of Windows Live Messenger to Linux, Mac and Windows. Development began in the mid‑2000s and the project peaked around 2010, accumulating about 40 million downloads on SourceForge. It never received major updates after 2012 and is now considered abandoned, with modern alternatives like Pidgin or Empathy filling the gap.

The client reproduced most of the original Messenger features: contact list, instant chat, file transfer, emoticons and status messages. It used the same visual theme as the Windows version, so users switching from Windows felt immediately at home. Because it relied on the now‑defunct MSN service, it stopped working when Microsoft retired the protocol in 2013.

aMSN was aimed at users who wanted a nostalgic MSN experience on Linux without running Windows in a VM. It appealed to long‑time MSN users and to developers interested in a simple Qt‑based messenger. Today it serves mainly as a historical reference; anyone needing a functional messenger should choose a maintained client.

Ideal für: Nostalgic users who want to see how the old MSN client looked on Linux.

Wichtige Funktionen von aMSN

• Emulates Windows Live Messenger UI
• Contact list with groups and status icons
• One‑to‑one chat with emoticons
• File transfer between contacts
• Offline messaging and status messages
• Customizable themes and sound alerts

Tipps für Windows-Umsteiger

Since aMSN relied on the obsolete MSN protocol, you’ll need a different service (e.g., XMPP/Jabber). Export your contact list from aMSN (it stores contacts in a simple XML file) and import it into a modern client like Pidgin. Keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl+N for new chat and Ctrl+Q to quit are the same, but expect a different workflow for adding contacts and handling group chats.