Instant Messaging : while instant messaging does not qualify as middleware, it does support other innovative products such as game software the would allow users to play against each other. The leader in this technology is AOL with almost61 million users worldwide (as of February 2002).
As a result, according to Mike France, " Microsoft is clearly trying to leverage its Windows monopoly to build a customer base for its messenger system rather than those produced by rivals. By embedding its instant messaging service into Windows XP, Microsoft seeks to thwart AOL's growing dominance in this area.