No more custom domains on Windows Live / Outlook.com

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CYaBro

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#143456 15-Apr-2014 13:56

For those that don't already know Microsoft has stopped accepting new registrations for custom domains on their Windows Live / Outlook.com service.

According to Mike Schackwitz, Principal Group Program Manager for the Outlook.com service, Microsoft will “wind down the Custom Domains product” while continuing to support existing custom email addresses “indefinitely.”

A real shame but probably not surprising as Google stopped their free email service a while ago now too.

Anyone know of any good replacement system that is still free?

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

marpada

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#1025593 15-Apr-2014 13:57

http://www.zoho.com/mail/ , up to 20 free mailboxes

trig42

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#1025617 15-Apr-2014 15:00

That's a pity, their custom domain service works really well (I am migrating my ISP based emails over to it slowly).

bener

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#1025624 15-Apr-2014 15:14

marpada: http://www.zoho.com/mail/ , up to 20 free mailboxes

Beware, Zoho support can be shocking (from my one off experience) - I had a customer with two email accounts that were blocked for an arbirtary reason, I'm sorry I can't remember, but regardless of the cause, there were no notifications sent out, and the user had no idea why both their accounts stopped working. It was very convoluted to find the answer - that they were blocked - and our several requests for an unblock went unanswered.

Coil

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#1025710 15-Apr-2014 17:11

I use it for my domain. Very good service. Bumma its being shut down.

allan

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#1025713 15-Apr-2014 17:14

TimA: I use it for my domain. Very good service. Bumma its being shut down.

Likewise, it's a great service - and in fact was right about to set up the domain email for a small charitable organisation there, but not now obviously

networkn

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#1025733 15-Apr-2014 17:54

One more reason to NOT use free offerings. Eventually companies want a payback for their costs, either directly or indirectly. A lot of people will move to paid services rather than go to the hassle of migrating away. It's a clever marketing ploy.

mattwnz

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#1025737 15-Apr-2014 18:02

networkn: One more reason to NOT use free offerings. Eventually companies want a payback for their costs, either directly or indirectly. A lot of people will move to paid services rather than go to the hassle of migrating away. It's a clever marketing ploy.

Either that or they stop operating. Many online businesses are unsustainable long term, and they tend to be at the low cost or free end of the market.

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networkn

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#1025740 15-Apr-2014 18:12

mattwnz:
networkn: One more reason to NOT use free offerings. Eventually companies want a payback for their costs, either directly or indirectly. A lot of people will move to paid services rather than go to the hassle of migrating away. It's a clever marketing ploy.

Either that or they stop operating. Many online businesses are unsustainable long term, and they tend to be at the low cost or free end of the market.

Even cheap services run that risk. Also they can pretty much do whateever they want with those services. I bet 1% of people or less read the EULA.