What is the Messenger Service?
Starting back with Windows NT, and carried forward into all subsequent operating systems, Microsoft included a simple way for users on a network to send each other short “pop-up” messages. Network administrators might have used it to notify everyone of system-wide events. It was a nice idea, though in its original form it never caught on widely. There is a standard command line program “Net Send”, that can be used to generate these messages, and there’s also a GUI (Graphical User Interface) application to do the same. If you’re curious to see the graphical interface: On Windows 2000 or XP, right-click on “My Computer”/”Manage”. Then under “System Tools” right-click on “Shared Folders”. Choose “All Tasks” and finally “Send Console Message…” You probably didn’t know any of that was there, and neither do most people. It’s a never-used feature that has been replaced by the various well known, popular, and feature-rich instant messaging systems. But, like a great many other “legacy” featu
