Clean, professional, and blue. Initially built to compete with AOL, it used standard Windows
interface colors. Trustworthy but quiet.
The golden age. The butterfly brought energy. Neon green for 'Online', alarm red for 'Busy', and
that signature orange. The interface became playful, with gradients and gloss.
Microsoft forced migration to Skype. The warm, personal MSN blues were replaced by Skype's chilly
cyan. The butterfly was retired.
The Nudge
Your friend wasn't replying? You could shake their actual screen window. A uniquely physical digital
interaction that demanded attention. (Click this card!)
Now Playing
"Listening to: Linkin Park - In The End". The status line was the first automated social feed,
broadcasting your mood via WinAmp or Media Player.
Custom Emoticons
(a) (l) (k). You could map any image to key combinations. Chat logs became a chaotic collage of
low-res GIFs and animated text.