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Microsoft account Linking will be discontinued

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    thebill22thebill22 Posts: 1,504
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    I've just got this email and I'm quite annoyed they are doing it, I run a scout group where our GSL will want to view all the emails going into each different account but now he will have to log into one account, log out, log into the next one, log out, etc rather than just keep clicking on each alias and viewing them all there!
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    whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    I think it is. I have three email addresses myself - one Hotmail (the one my university provided me with), one Yahoo and one Gmail. The Gmail is used the least. I only have it because I set it up when I got my Android phone, but I'm thinking of switching to Gmail from Yahoo.

    Did you uni not give you a .ac.uk address? :confused:
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    Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    Did you uni not give you a .ac.uk address? :confused:

    Many universities pay Google or Microsoft to host their student email, but you still get the relevant .ac.uk address.
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    Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    If you can't see the problem with that I really hope you have nothing to do with software design

    I couldn't see what your point was.

    You seemed to have a problem with there being two login methods, not that you didn't want to use the only one on offer for the Windows 8 version of Skype.

    As a software developer, I'm used to this sort of user vagueness...
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    jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    Daveoc64 wrote: »
    I couldn't see what your point was.

    You seemed to have a problem with there being two login methods, not that you didn't want to use the only one on offer for the Windows 8 version of Skype.

    As a software developer, I'm used to this sort of user vagueness...

    I want to be able to use my own Skype account that I've had for years on Skype. I have no need or want to set-up a new account. The poor design of the Skype metro app forces you to use a microsoft account. How is this being vague ? why don't they just let you sign in with your original account like every other version of Skype on every other platform including the desktop version
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    wiltwilt Posts: 978
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    I want to be able to use my own Skype account that I've had for years on Skype. I have no need or want to set-up a new account. The poor design of the Skype metro app forces you to use a microsoft account. How is this being vague ? why don't they just let you sign in with your original account like every other version of Skype on every other platform including the desktop version

    Because, eventually, you wont be able to sign in with your Skype username on those, either.
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    Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    I want to be able to use my own Skype account that I've had for years on Skype. I have no need or want to set-up a new account. The poor design of the Skype metro app forces you to use a microsoft account. How is this being vague ? why don't they just let you sign in with your original account like every other version of Skype on every other platform including the desktop version

    It was the "mess" portion.

    It's not a "mess" to move people to a single account for a variety of services from a single company. As noted above, this is a transition period. Eventually, you'll only be able to use a Microsoft account to login.
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    jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    Daveoc64 wrote: »
    It was the "mess" portion.

    It's not a "mess" to move people to a single account for a variety of services from a single company. As noted above, this is a transition period. Eventually, you'll only be able to use a Microsoft account to login.

    Can you point me to any evidence of this?

    Are Microsoft going to forca all Skype users for example on Android to create a microsoft account and likewise people who use Skype on iPads or macs ?
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    JSemple3JSemple3 Posts: 8,652
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    While we're on the subject of Microsoft: (Maybe somebody might want to start a new thread)

    Technet's being retired:

    http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1162252-microsoft-retiring-technet-subscriptions/
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    wiltwilt Posts: 978
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    Can you point me to any evidence of this?

    Are Microsoft going to forca all Skype users for example on Android to create a microsoft account and likewise people who use Skype on iPads or macs ?

    I would bet everything I own on it.

    Microsoft own Skype, and are positioning the Microsoft account as your one stop shop for all Microsoft services. It doesn't matter what device you own, they want you to have a Microsoft account.

    Yahoo did it with Flickr.
    Google did it with YouTube.
    Microsoft will do it with Skype.
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    noise747noise747 Posts: 30,857
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    wilt wrote: »
    I would bet everything I own on it.

    Microsoft own Skype, and are positioning the Microsoft account as your one stop shop for all Microsoft services. It doesn't matter what device you own, they want you to have a Microsoft account.

    Yahoo did it with Flickr.
    Google did it with YouTube.
    Microsoft will do it with Skype.

    i am glad I signed up for Skype a while back then, i don't need a MS account for it.
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    call100call100 Posts: 7,278
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    noise747 wrote: »
    i am glad I signed up for Skype a while back then, i don't need a MS account for it.

    Yet.............;)
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    noise747noise747 Posts: 30,857
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    call100 wrote: »
    Yet.............;)

    and how will they do that? I got a user name and a email address which I use for Skype, now if they force me to change that, it would mean that everyone I talk to on skype will need to update their contacts. I don't think even MS would do that as people would start to find alternatives.


    I know I don't have many people on my Skype list, but some people have loads.



    MS may link my email address with MS account, but I somehow can't see it myself.
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    call100call100 Posts: 7,278
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    That wouldn't be difficult. Surely it would just be used as an MS account 'alias'?
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    Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    noise747 wrote: »
    and how will they do that? I got a user name and a email address which I use for Skype, now if they force me to change that, it would mean that everyone I talk to on skype will need to update their contacts. I don't think even MS would do that as people would start to find alternatives.


    I know I don't have many people on my Skype list, but some people have loads.



    MS may link my email address with MS account, but I somehow can't see it myself.

    Contacts are linked to your account, not the name or login that you use with it.

    It's already possible to add contacts by searching using their Microsoft Account details.
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    jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    Daveoc64 wrote: »
    Contacts are linked to your account, not the name or login that you use with it.

    It's already possible to add contacts by searching using their Microsoft Account details.

    obviously the contacts are linked to the account but I still can't see them forcing users to manually change the account name/password. It would be a bit like a mobile phone company asking all users to change thier telephone numbers
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    wiltwilt Posts: 978
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    obviously the contacts are linked to the account but I still can't see them forcing users to manually change the account name/password. It would be a bit like a mobile phone company asking all users to change thier telephone numbers

    It would be nothing like that - that is a huge and disruptive move which would require everybody to update every contact they have.

    This would be:
    Require users to link their skype account to a Microsoft account to login.

    Keep Skype usernames as an alias that can still be used to add people as a contact.

    This is a bit like how gamertags work on Xbox Live - login with your Microsoft account, but can be found using your gamertag.

    This is what happens when a company with a large unified account service buys a company with their own accounts system - the fact that the metro version of Skype can't even login with a skype account makes their intentions obvious. The writing is on the wall chaps, you should come to terms with it or begin planning your move to another service.
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    noise747noise747 Posts: 30,857
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    wilt wrote: »
    It would be nothing like that - that is a huge and disruptive move which would require everybody to update every contact they have.

    This would be:
    Require users to link their skype account to a Microsoft account to login.

    Keep Skype usernames as an alias that can still be used to add people as a contact.

    This is a bit like how gamertags work on Xbox Live - login with your Microsoft account, but can be found using your gamertag.

    This is what happens when a company with a large unified account service buys a company with their own accounts system - the fact that the metro version of Skype can't even login with a skype account makes their intentions obvious. The writing is on the wall chaps, you should come to terms with it or begin planning your move to another service.

    since I don't use the Metro UI i had no idea that the metro version of skype would not accept skype user names. a bit stupid to be honest.

    skype is crap anyway since MS have taken it over, audio quality have gone downhill and the software is awful, so i have already found a alternative to be honest for what I mainly use it for.

    I have already got one MS account, but i will nto link it with Skype and I don't want another.
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    call100call100 Posts: 7,278
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    Skype is still working fine here since the takeover, using the desktop version or the W8 app version (different accounts)..
    That said, I'm awaiting a new independent alternative to emerge as the new leader. The hard part for me will be getting the people I call in the US to change to anything new....
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    jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    wilt wrote: »
    It would be nothing like that - that is a huge and disruptive move which would require everybody to update every contact they have.

    This would be:
    Require users to link their skype account to a Microsoft account to login.

    Keep Skype usernames as an alias that can still be used to add people as a contact.

    This is a bit like how gamertags work on Xbox Live - login with your Microsoft account, but can be found using your gamertag.

    This is what happens when a company with a large unified account service buys a company with their own accounts system - the fact that the metro version of Skype can't even login with a skype account makes their intentions obvious. The writing is on the wall chaps, you should come to terms with it or begin planning your move to another service.

    This will be hugely disruptive and I don't think they would do it. I think the fact that you can't use your old Skype account in the window8 metro version is I suspect a feature that is missing or an oversight.
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    call100call100 Posts: 7,278
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    If you download the latest Skype desktop client you will be given the opportunity to merge your accounts with your MS login......Maybe there will be an update to the W8 app at some time to give the same function.
    They have started to integrate Skype into Outlook as well.
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    wiltwilt Posts: 978
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    This will be hugely disruptive and I don't think they would do it. I think the fact that you can't use your old Skype account in the window8 metro version is I suspect a feature that is missing or an oversight.

    You will have to do it once, hardly turning your world upside down.

    Microsoft spend a lot of money running their Microsoft Account service - of course they are going to do it. What's the point in having it if one of their most popular services doesn't use it?

    An oversight? Microsoft, a company that makes billions every quarter making software simply forgot to implement Skype account logins on the metro app? Pull the other one. :D
    Ballmer: Hey guys, you know that Skype metro app you just released?
    Skype Staff: Yeah?
    Ballmer: Well, there's something wrong with it - you will kick yourselves when I tell you...
    Skype Staff: What is it?
    Ballmer: Well you forgot to put in the Skype account login!
    Skype Staff: What?! No way...what are we like?!

    Yes, that's how it happened. I'm sure it'll turn up in the next version if they remember...
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    jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    wilt wrote: »
    You will have to do it once, hardly turning your world upside down.

    Microsoft spend a lot of money running their Microsoft Account service - of course they are going to do it. What's the point in having it if one of their most popular services doesn't use it?

    An oversight? Microsoft, a company that makes billions every quarter making software simply forgot to implement Skype account logins on the metro app? Pull the other one. :D


    Yes, that's how it happened. I'm sure it'll turn up in the next version if they remember...

    I don't care if they make trillions every day. They may just have run out of time on adding the feature considering it a low priority or perhaps it was deliberate ?

    But why would they do that while at the moment the current Skype account works on all other variations of the software.

    Still can't see them asking all the Skype users to force them to set-up a Microsoft account in any manual way, perhaps new users. Maybe they will just auto-create an account based on the existing Skype one in the background but some sort of nag to register a new account, nah that would be stupid.
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    wiltwilt Posts: 978
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    jonner101 wrote: »
    I don't care if they make trillions every day. They may just have run out of time on adding the feature considering it a low priority or perhaps it was deliberate ?

    But why would they do that while at the moment the current Skype account works on all other variations of the software.

    Still can't see them asking all the Skype users to force them to set-up a Microsoft account in any manual way, perhaps new users. Maybe they will just auto-create an account based on the existing Skype one in the background but some sort of nag to register a new account, nah that would be stupid.

    It was deliberate, they want it to use the account you sign in to Windows 8 with. When I downloaded the metro version of Skype I didn't need to login via the app as it automatically used the account associated with my Windows 8 profile. This is the sort of things unified accounts allows them to do.

    They will want to do a gradual transition - once a certain percentage of people have linked their accounts voluntarily they will begin to apply more pressure to do so over time until they start removing the option from other pieces of software.

    Just take a look at what Yahoo did with Flickr and Google did with YouTube.

    It costs a lot of money to run a secure accounts system on a large scale - especially when billing/topping up is involved like it often is with Skype accounts. Running two at the same time is silly, so over to Microsoft accounts it is.
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    jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    wilt wrote: »
    It was deliberate, they want it to use the account you sign in to Windows 8 with. When I downloaded the metro version of Skype I didn't need to login via the app as it automatically used the account associated with my Windows 8 profile. This is the sort of things unified accounts allows them to do.

    They will want to do a gradual transition - once a certain percentage of people have linked their accounts voluntarily they will begin to apply more pressure to do so over time until they start removing the option from other pieces of software.

    Just take a look at what Yahoo did with Flickr and Google did with YouTube.

    It costs a lot of money to run a secure accounts system on a large scale - especially when billing/topping up is involved like it often is with Skype accounts. Running two at the same time is silly, so over to Microsoft accounts it is.

    Hmm well I just checked my you tube account, it still have the same user name that I had before I had any google account. I hardly use it so don't remember how it got linked. It must have been a pretty simple process anyhow.

    So I'm sure this is what they may do, there will probably be just some sort of automated or very simple process to alias your Skype account to the Microsoft one. It's not a massive deal on something like you tube, the alias name is the only thing you really care about.

    Perhaps Skype will just pop up one day and ask if you want to create a Microsoft account with the same alias name. Perhaps it will be automated or perhaps it will auto suggest an account to link to if you already have one.

    It's If they expect your Skype alias to be changed that will screw it all up. That would be the killer equivalent of expecting all your customers to change their telephone numbers

    And btw a lot of people have multiple Skype accounts usually personal and business where you want to keep them separate, so It's still an oversight or feature problem that you have to log in with the Microsoft account in the windows 8 app
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