With Upgrade to Software, MSN May Nip at AOL's Heels "The MSN 8 software represents an effort by Microsoft to catch up in areas where AOL is still perceived to have an advantage. It will allow parents to control and monitor their children's use of the Internet and will offer a variety of methods to block unwanted junk e-mail. Microsoft is also including a variety of features it had been selling on a stand-alone basis. For example, the Internet software includes the photo editing capability of Microsoft's $39.95 Picture-It software and a bill-paying service that had cost $5.95 a month on its MSN Money Central Web site."