How to get Messenger contact list through .NET

Question

I want to be able to get the list of Messenger contacts of a certain user through .NET.
I've seen Messenger Connect, but it's still under beta and with limited access.

Any ideas for easier alternatives? I thought it would be as easy as invoking a WCF service.
Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

One option is the Windows Live User Data APIs, which contains the Windows Live Contacts API. See the documentation on retrieving contacts.

Keep in mind that the API is considered deprecated, and will eventually be replaced by Messenger Connect. See this post for more information on a possible timeframe for the service being discontinued.

Answer 2

Try Jbuddy from Zion Software, multiprotocol support.