I have somewhat given up fighting msn messenger, since everybody's life seems to depend on it. But if you need any more reasons why msn messenger sucks, this is it:

Live messenger is censoring more or less silently any messages containing any of the following strings:

• .info
• profile.php?
• download.php?
• gallery.php
• pics.php
• ListAllTopics.php
• .scr
• .pif

Users of older messengers get no notification at all about their messages getting dropped which can lead to amusing conversations. Microsoft's latest entry in their censorship list is ".info" preventing links to any of dot info websites being sent. The censorship is not only affecting links, since sentences with.information, .screensaver or java snipplets like java.awt.ScrollPane will get blocked too, so mind your dots. For more .information visit this thread at Worse than failure.

If you are looking for alternatives to msn messenger, i have been recommending google talk to anyone who cared. It works on Windows and any platform with a jabber client [pidgin, adium] including mobile phones [nimbuzz, gotalkmobile, fring, talkonaut] and web browsers.

Update: Internet wide outrage [digg, slashdot]. Let's see if Microsoft will get their shit together and fix their software instead of blocking random words. :-)