Do you have your own Messenger blog? Tell us about it and we will regularly visit and comment on your posts.Here's the sweeping statement of the day: The Nintendo Wii is the best looking console out there today! Well maybe not, 480p and 16:9 wide-screen support is hardly next-gen graphics and it doesn't compares with the PlayStation's 1080p display. However I find the simple colours and clean interface much more pleasing to the eye than the XMB or the Xbox dashboard. Wii Messenger takes this simple idea and integrates it into Windows Live Messenger.
The good:
The concept itself is a great idea. The clean milk and Tiger skins of the past have always been popular. Messenger itself has a very bloated appearance, and this just makes things easier on the eyes. The skin isn't sloppy either, changing a significant amount of images and icons shows the level of deepth and the creativity the designer has implemented.
The bad:
There are very little options in the skin, meaning it can be difficult to customise Messenger to how you want it to look. Moreover there is some sloppy work in the system tray icons and the display pictures next to the buddy icons in the contact list are hardly appealing.
Once again here is another good skin that's worth a try, breaking away from the Vista style skins that take over the offical skins database. I would recommend using it, but I found the lack of customisation the and ugly icons in the contact list meant I didn't keep using it.
>> Download Wii Messenger
The good:
The concept itself is a great idea. The clean milk and Tiger skins of the past have always been popular. Messenger itself has a very bloated appearance, and this just makes things easier on the eyes. The skin isn't sloppy either, changing a significant amount of images and icons shows the level of deepth and the creativity the designer has implemented.
The bad:
There are very little options in the skin, meaning it can be difficult to customise Messenger to how you want it to look. Moreover there is some sloppy work in the system tray icons and the display pictures next to the buddy icons in the contact list are hardly appealing.
Once again here is another good skin that's worth a try, breaking away from the Vista style skins that take over the offical skins database. I would recommend using it, but I found the lack of customisation the and ugly icons in the contact list meant I didn't keep using it.
>> Download Wii Messenger
[How To] Install Messenger on 64-bit Windows Server 2008 and 64-bit Windows XP
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 (14:06 GMT)
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 (14:06 GMT)
This is mainly a news post for reference, so that some frustrated soul can locate an answer to the issue of installing Windows Live Messenger 8.5 on 64-bit systems. Many thanks to WindowsItPro for supplying the answer:
The latest versions of Windows Live Messenger consist of a very small initial installer, which performs checks on the system and determines whether the system meets requirements. Then, the installer downloads the full Windows Live Messenger installation MSI file and proceeds with the installation automatically.
The initial installer won’t install on Server 2008, even though Windows Live Messenger itself runs fine on Server 2008. To install it, you need to bypass the initial installer that performs the OS check and directly install the MSI file. There are numerous methods to obtain the Live Messenger installer. First, you can go to a site such as www.softpedia.com and search for Install_WLMessenger.msi or Windows Live Messenger. Second, on a Windows Vista machine, you can perform an installation of Windows Live Messenger, then go into Windows Explorer and remove the option to hide protected OS files. Browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\WindowsLiveInstaller\MsiSources, and copy the MSI file to your Server 2008 machine. The latter is the safest option because you know the source of the files you’re using.
The initial installer won’t install on Server 2008, even though Windows Live Messenger itself runs fine on Server 2008. To install it, you need to bypass the initial installer that performs the OS check and directly install the MSI file. There are numerous methods to obtain the Live Messenger installer. First, you can go to a site such as www.softpedia.com and search for Install_WLMessenger.msi or Windows Live Messenger. Second, on a Windows Vista machine, you can perform an installation of Windows Live Messenger, then go into Windows Explorer and remove the option to hide protected OS files. Browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\WindowsLiveInstaller\MsiSources, and copy the MSI file to your Server 2008 machine. The latter is the safest option because you know the source of the files you’re using.
The Windows Live Messenger 9 beta program closed this week and looking back over the whole experience brought this question back to my mind: was this beta program public dogfood? All signs point to a big "yes" ... [long post alert!]
The actual beta program was designed to gather feedback on the totally new features (animated display pictures, signature sounds, multiple points of presence, etc) and suggestions about what people want from the new version. Releasing a build like they did at the early stage they were at in the development cycle meant that they could get good user input and feedback and actually have time to implement changes and improvements to the software.
This is unlike most of the betas we have been seeing recently (e.g. Windows Live wave 2 beta) where the changes to the software are already mapped out and beta testing only appears to be to check that it doesn't crash on "real-world" PCs and that there are no major bugs. This beta seemed to show a real shift in the way Messenger is developed, which could be attributed to the Sinofsky effect.
Microsoft need to improve their Messenger client to stay on top of the game and what better way of attracting new users (and persuading current ones to keep using it) that including new features that people actually want and not just their own ideas. Despite lots of criticism of the way this Messenger beta was handled, we are being led to believe that big changes have been happening to the software behind the scenes during all this time of unusual inactivity and silence from the development team.
They don't want these major changes and additions to the software leaked to the public and hence weren't too bothered when the things that the public knew about anyway were leaked through news and the leaking of the beta software itself. The leaking of the beta (which could easily have been prevented by Microsoft but surprisingly wasn't) also meant that they could see how the servers coped with the new features - all of which are fairly server intensive - which is one of the purposes of dogfood releases.
The closure of the beta program seems like a logical step at the moment as, with no new version since late November last year, there is nothing really left to test. Not much is known about the next beta version so, as always, everything is left to be seen in the next few months when it is released into the wild, readying itself for a final release with the rest of the Windows Live wave 3 suite in late 2008 (or early 2009).
Want some wildly guessed tips for the new version anyway? Look out for a possible new UI, changes to audio and video chats (including multi-person functionality), Windows Live Groups integration, "Echoes" integration, and Office/Office Live (Workspace) integration (and/or even Live Mesh integration).
Please note: the usual standard blogging disclaimer applies; the views expressed here are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of their associated employers, companies or organisations.
Thanks to LiveSide for the image and plethora of links.
The actual beta program was designed to gather feedback on the totally new features (animated display pictures, signature sounds, multiple points of presence, etc) and suggestions about what people want from the new version. Releasing a build like they did at the early stage they were at in the development cycle meant that they could get good user input and feedback and actually have time to implement changes and improvements to the software.
This is unlike most of the betas we have been seeing recently (e.g. Windows Live wave 2 beta) where the changes to the software are already mapped out and beta testing only appears to be to check that it doesn't crash on "real-world" PCs and that there are no major bugs. This beta seemed to show a real shift in the way Messenger is developed, which could be attributed to the Sinofsky effect.
Microsoft need to improve their Messenger client to stay on top of the game and what better way of attracting new users (and persuading current ones to keep using it) that including new features that people actually want and not just their own ideas. Despite lots of criticism of the way this Messenger beta was handled, we are being led to believe that big changes have been happening to the software behind the scenes during all this time of unusual inactivity and silence from the development team.
They don't want these major changes and additions to the software leaked to the public and hence weren't too bothered when the things that the public knew about anyway were leaked through news and the leaking of the beta software itself. The leaking of the beta (which could easily have been prevented by Microsoft but surprisingly wasn't) also meant that they could see how the servers coped with the new features - all of which are fairly server intensive - which is one of the purposes of dogfood releases.
The closure of the beta program seems like a logical step at the moment as, with no new version since late November last year, there is nothing really left to test. Not much is known about the next beta version so, as always, everything is left to be seen in the next few months when it is released into the wild, readying itself for a final release with the rest of the Windows Live wave 3 suite in late 2008 (or early 2009).
Want some wildly guessed tips for the new version anyway? Look out for a possible new UI, changes to audio and video chats (including multi-person functionality), Windows Live Groups integration, "Echoes" integration, and Office/Office Live (Workspace) integration (and/or even Live Mesh integration).
Please note: the usual standard blogging disclaimer applies; the views expressed here are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of their associated employers, companies or organisations.
Thanks to LiveSide for the image and plethora of links.
Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 is an integrated communications client that enables you to communicate with contacts within and outside your organization. Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 is a Universal application that is built to run on both PowerPC-based and Intel-based Macs and makes it easy to take advantage of the full power of real-time communications.
Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 improves support for users of the VoiceOver feature in Mac OS X, and it fixes user interface issues that appear when Messenger is used with some European languages.
>> Download Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 (official source)
>> Find out more about Messenger for Mac
Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 improves support for users of the VoiceOver feature in Mac OS X, and it fixes user interface issues that appear when Messenger is used with some European languages.
>> Download Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 (official source)
>> Find out more about Messenger for Mac
Despite Messenger Plus! Live integrating itself with the design, and the user's colour scheme of Windows Live Messenger, it contains noticeable differences, that give it an unique look, whilst making it appear part of the main program. Basilis has noticed this difference and has created a skin for Windows Live Messenger based on Messenger Plus! Live's design.
The good:
The skin has a plausible design. Windows Live Messenger looks cleaner with the lighter look and use of gradients. The status icons also make it easy to know which contacts are available , unlike in Messenger where the buddy icon status are easy not to notice. The skin is highly customisable, allowing you to remove buttons and sections as you desire.
The bad:
Some of the images used have become pixelated and don't look great when Messenger is expanded (mainly on the main contact list banner). Some icons could have been changed to match the brighter style of the skin (such as those in the contact list), and the branding of "Basilis" on the sign-in page is a slight annoyance.
Overall this is a good skin, and I believe it shows how good Messenger Plus! Live's design can look if used within Windows Live Messenger. Some added polishing to the skin would have made the skin better, but the level of customisation allows you to patch out elements and buttons you dislike.
>> Download Messenger Plus! Live skin
The good:
The skin has a plausible design. Windows Live Messenger looks cleaner with the lighter look and use of gradients. The status icons also make it easy to know which contacts are available , unlike in Messenger where the buddy icon status are easy not to notice. The skin is highly customisable, allowing you to remove buttons and sections as you desire.
The bad:
Some of the images used have become pixelated and don't look great when Messenger is expanded (mainly on the main contact list banner). Some icons could have been changed to match the brighter style of the skin (such as those in the contact list), and the branding of "Basilis" on the sign-in page is a slight annoyance.
Overall this is a good skin, and I believe it shows how good Messenger Plus! Live's design can look if used within Windows Live Messenger. Some added polishing to the skin would have made the skin better, but the level of customisation allows you to patch out elements and buttons you dislike.
>> Download Messenger Plus! Live skin