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Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 has been in beta testers hands for a few weeks now, and there are some significant changes. A new design, numerous tweaks and some impressive new features really make this release one of the best ever. Here are the main changes:
Skinning
Messenger Plus! Live's main new feature is fully integrated skins within Messenger! The program manages skins, allows skin creators to develop them easier than ever before (no more .rle issues) and customize Messenger's design to its full potential. It is seriously impressive and I bet more skins like the ones available for MSN Messenger. Skins will be made faster and in a larger quantity. Windows Live Messenger itself could not implement this feature better. Skinning also allows manipulation of Messenger's windows, something which was never possible before. You can see a basic example of this happening in the screenshot below:
Design
Messenger Plus! Live has fully integrated its design with Windows Live Messenger 8.5, but with additional tweaks that Messenger itself can benefit from. Check a look at some screenshots in our gallery and see the new design for yourself.
Changes to contact list clean-up
The new contact list clean up wizard has two modes: one for the contacts on your list and one for the contacts that have you on their list. This helps you know the people you have deleted that still have you in their contact list and who knows you may want to add them again.
Event notifications within conversations
Chat logging
The chat log viewer has had various improvements, which can make the script we talked about, Log Manager seem a little dated. However, new features such as a print preview menu, faster browsing their ability to search within multiple logs, reading over old chats is better than ever.
Scripts
A new debug window is present and the script editor window now has line numbers and the ability to close off certain sections. Basically the script editor is now more practical and similar to that of most modern code editors.
Others
I can assure you the changelog goes on and on and on and you will notice the various little tweaks for yourself. The list above are just the main changes. However, what you will really notice is the development of skins. If you are skinner don't think we have been skinning for long, testers only got it enabled as of yesterday, so you are pretty much in the same shoes as us.
View some screenshots in our gallery
Download the current release of Messenger Plus! Live
Skinning
Messenger Plus! Live's main new feature is fully integrated skins within Messenger! The program manages skins, allows skin creators to develop them easier than ever before (no more .rle issues) and customize Messenger's design to its full potential. It is seriously impressive and I bet more skins like the ones available for MSN Messenger. Skins will be made faster and in a larger quantity. Windows Live Messenger itself could not implement this feature better. Skinning also allows manipulation of Messenger's windows, something which was never possible before. You can see a basic example of this happening in the screenshot below:
Design
Messenger Plus! Live has fully integrated its design with Windows Live Messenger 8.5, but with additional tweaks that Messenger itself can benefit from. Check a look at some screenshots in our gallery and see the new design for yourself.
Changes to contact list clean-up
The new contact list clean up wizard has two modes: one for the contacts on your list and one for the contacts that have you on their list. This helps you know the people you have deleted that still have you in their contact list and who knows you may want to add them again.
Event notifications within conversations
This feature notifies you of your contact events in the chat window themselves, in the area where 'user is typing' is generally displayed. This is mostly visible if you're using Windows Live Messenger 8.5.
Chat logging
The chat log viewer has had various improvements, which can make the script we talked about, Log Manager seem a little dated. However, new features such as a print preview menu, faster browsing their ability to search within multiple logs, reading over old chats is better than ever.
Scripts
A new debug window is present and the script editor window now has line numbers and the ability to close off certain sections. Basically the script editor is now more practical and similar to that of most modern code editors.
Others
- An additional options menu has been adding to contact cards.
- Encrypted log files an now have an optional password hint.
- Event notifications such as when a contact signs out is enabled by default.
- The installer system has been improved with a bigger uninstaller menu and is faster on Windows Vista.
- An option has been added that allows you to hide your 'contact is typing a message notification', something we have already talked about in the past.
- You can show your currently installed scripts with the (!SVER) command.
- A /exit command has been added which closes all current chats and exits Messenger.
- There is now 'disable sign-out confirmation when chats are opened' option in the Customize section of the preferences.
I can assure you the changelog goes on and on and on and you will notice the various little tweaks for yourself. The list above are just the main changes. However, what you will really notice is the development of skins. If you are skinner don't think we have been skinning for long, testers only got it enabled as of yesterday, so you are pretty much in the same shoes as us.
View some screenshots in our gallery Download the current release of Messenger Plus! LiveYou may remember our previous announcement post of a 'Status Signature Generator Service Script' that planned to replace Web2Messenger.
Well the time has come for a limited public beta release. Currently there are 250 registration spots open, so if you would like to be one of the first people to test and use Web2Live to generate some funky looking signature images such as my one below (other designs available) register now!
Click on the link at the bottom of this post and sign up, if you're not lucky enough to grab one of the limited registration spaces, don't worry too much, more registration spots will be opened at a later date.
Web2Live Homepage
Well the time has come for a limited public beta release. Currently there are 250 registration spots open, so if you would like to be one of the first people to test and use Web2Live to generate some funky looking signature images such as my one below (other designs available) register now!
Click on the link at the bottom of this post and sign up, if you're not lucky enough to grab one of the limited registration spaces, don't worry too much, more registration spots will be opened at a later date.
Web2Live HomepageAlthough Patchou posted in his development blog that he would release a new build of Messenger Plus! Live (4.50) by the end of the month, beta testers have received no builds or news about the upcoming version.
It is clear Patchou is knee deep into development and I've just received an email from him revealing a new screenshot of Messenger Plus! Live 4.50.
The screenshot shows a new design, blending in with the new look of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta. Chat logging appears to be more advanced with the ability to search for words in multiple logs. The new version seems to provide a better experience for script developers with a clearer script editor and debug window.
I'm getting rather excited now, I wonder what else Patchou has to show us. He was brief in his email, keeping his cards close to his chest. I believe he will be revealing something big within the next week or so.
View the new screenshot of Messenger Plus! Live 4.50
Update: The BETA has begun, and there is a lot instore in v4.50. More information to be released soon! You're going to be stunned!
It is clear Patchou is knee deep into development and I've just received an email from him revealing a new screenshot of Messenger Plus! Live 4.50.
The screenshot shows a new design, blending in with the new look of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta. Chat logging appears to be more advanced with the ability to search for words in multiple logs. The new version seems to provide a better experience for script developers with a clearer script editor and debug window.
I'm getting rather excited now, I wonder what else Patchou has to show us. He was brief in his email, keeping his cards close to his chest. I believe he will be revealing something big within the next week or so.
View the new screenshot of Messenger Plus! Live 4.50
Update: The BETA has begun, and there is a lot instore in v4.50. More information to be released soon! You're going to be stunned!
Well news has been slow in the messenger world for the past week or so. I need something to post about, keep you interested and what better than an ongoing project for Windows Live Messenger, Screenshot Sender 4.
Some of you may of heard of Screenshot Sender, most likely version 3 by Dempsey. It was probably the second most popular plugin for Messenger Plus! for a few years now, due to its vast amount of useful features. The program enabled you to take print screens of your messenger windows, desktop or even someone's webcam from a touch of a button and send the screenshot to your contact or save it to a directory of your choice. It was very helpful and easy to use, I simply loved it.
Over time Matty joined the project and started work on a new update to the plugin. It was going well, I mean really well, new features, better code, the works. Then Messenger Plus! Live scripts were introduced and because he and Dempsey were beta testers, they started working on Screenshot Sender 4, in a form of a script. Matty is probably the main coder of the project at the moment, Dempsey is far too busy with other things, however progress on the project is still improving ...
Screenshot Sender 4 will be entirely coded in Jscript, to show how powerful Plus! scripting can be. It maybe harder and take longer, but the end result will be great. I asked Matty a few questions about the project and he told me some interesting stuff:
I then asked a few more questions, which were some simple answers, I have mentioned those points in the post already. Finally I asked about if there was going to be a public beta:
View some screenshots of Screenshot Sender 4
Some of you may of heard of Screenshot Sender, most likely version 3 by Dempsey. It was probably the second most popular plugin for Messenger Plus! for a few years now, due to its vast amount of useful features. The program enabled you to take print screens of your messenger windows, desktop or even someone's webcam from a touch of a button and send the screenshot to your contact or save it to a directory of your choice. It was very helpful and easy to use, I simply loved it.
Over time Matty joined the project and started work on a new update to the plugin. It was going well, I mean really well, new features, better code, the works. Then Messenger Plus! Live scripts were introduced and because he and Dempsey were beta testers, they started working on Screenshot Sender 4, in a form of a script. Matty is probably the main coder of the project at the moment, Dempsey is far too busy with other things, however progress on the project is still improving ...
Screenshot Sender 4 will be entirely coded in Jscript, to show how powerful Plus! scripting can be. It maybe harder and take longer, but the end result will be great. I asked Matty a few questions about the project and he told me some interesting stuff:
For the first release there wont be much as it takes awhile to re-code a project, as you have previously seen from Messenger Plus! Live. However eventually most of the features will be added back at one point or another.
For now the ones I/we will work most on are Capturing of active windows, full screen, uploading screenshots once they have been saved, using hotkeys to capture windows and send them to all available contacts (that are online), selecting from contacts in a conversation to send the screenshot too.
Release dates and betas have yet to be discussed we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves. But as previously done with prior versions which have been released to the public we just may. Also I am going to probably add a custom updater never before seen in Plus! Scripts, I hope peoples reaction to it is a good one, lets say every file has the potential of being updated without having to re-download an entire Plus! Script Pack.
View some screenshots of Screenshot Sender 4Page: 1
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