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It has been a tough month for the Messenger Plus! community, with news the software has a new distributor and that its developer Patchou now only maintains a limited role. After weeks of unanswered emails and issues about poor relationships with the new developer Yuna Software, there appears to have been a crucial turning point that may mean our these worries are not valid.
"Back to the roots ... for a fresh start"
This was the title of a post Patchou made to his community on Thursday, where he addressed the concerns of its members who feel that the software has taken a turn in the wrong direction. Patchou has since attempted to reassure his users and had some good news to tell:
Although Yuna Software is still present and the current distributor of Messenger Plus! Live, its overseeing powers have been reduced. Patchou is sovereign again, which is a great thing. Add to this that there with be several new developers working on Plus! may mean more features and a smaller timeframe between releases.
Patchou has changed his avatar of the forums to one he used when developing Messenger Plus! 3 as a reflection on returning to his roots.
Willz leaves skinning
Following from our post on the decline of Messenger skinning, Willz has told the Messenger Plus! community that he intends to leave skinning due to time constraints and creative differences between Yuna Software. Although he did suggest if improvements were made, he would return again. Nevertheless it is still a blow for skinning as there will no doubtedly be less activity from someone who has done much to keep the skinning community alive in recent years.
Read Patchou's full announcement
"Back to the roots ... for a fresh start"
This was the title of a post Patchou made to his community on Thursday, where he addressed the concerns of its members who feel that the software has taken a turn in the wrong direction. Patchou has since attempted to reassure his users and had some good news to tell:
I'm back in charge of things. That means you can ask me questions, like you did before (and I'll take too much time to answer some of them, as I did before ). That also means that software development is back on track, with proper releases, documented changes in the change log.
Although Yuna Software is still present and the current distributor of Messenger Plus! Live, its overseeing powers have been reduced. Patchou is sovereign again, which is a great thing. Add to this that there with be several new developers working on Plus! may mean more features and a smaller timeframe between releases.
Patchou has changed his avatar of the forums to one he used when developing Messenger Plus! 3 as a reflection on returning to his roots.
Willz leaves skinning
Following from our post on the decline of Messenger skinning, Willz has told the Messenger Plus! community that he intends to leave skinning due to time constraints and creative differences between Yuna Software. Although he did suggest if improvements were made, he would return again. Nevertheless it is still a blow for skinning as there will no doubtedly be less activity from someone who has done much to keep the skinning community alive in recent years.
Read Patchou's full announcementAre you among those who are using the Windows Live Messenger extension Messenger Plus! Live? Please read this message thoroughly, it is directed toward you.
Originally started as a personal project of its creator Cyril Paciullo (known as Patchou), Messenger Plus! has many lovers around the world. Truly, a vivid community has developed around it, where people meet to talk about the software, develop scripts for more features, as well as skins for changing Messenger’s visual appeal. I’m sure that you have tried out the one or another script or skin, too. For a program such as Messenger Plus!, its community is an important part.
The role of Yuna Software
With Cyril having invested years of his life into the development of the add-on, some months ago he felt that it was about time to involve more people. This would give him more freedom and allow the software to meet the requirements better that are set by a user base of 62 million users. By that time, Cyril made the company official that he had founded years ago, Yuna Software. That also meant investors came in who currently have the majority of the share in the company.
Sadly, in recent times things start to go wrong with Messenger Plus!. Yuna Software was keeping silent about everything they did. They set up their offices silently. They talked with sponsors silently. They published new Plus! versions, you guessed it, silently. Eventually, everybody within the community became suspicious about this silence. They tried to introduce a community manager, but it is not proved yet if the manager will be able to break the silence that Yuna Software is holding.
The effects that this development might have on Messenger Plus as well as on the community are immense, as Yuna Software does not seem to care much about the user base. In the worst case, Plus! will become so ad-bloated and uninteresting that it will lose most of its users. Users like you.
There is a way
What can we do to help that Messenger Plus! stays what it is? Messenger Plus!’s original creator, Cyril Paciullo, tells us:
Email support@yunasoftware.com if you have any issue. All the emails are forwarded to the appropriate people.
What could such a mail contain? Here are some ideas for you.
- Tell Yuna Software why you are using Messenger Plus!
- Why did you originally use it?
- Has Messenger Plus! become better over time? How so?
- How did you learn about the software? From a friend?
- How would you feel if there were no scripts nor skins anymore?
- Would you like advertisements integrated into Messenger Plus?
- Send your personal message to support@yunasoftware.com.
- (If you want, send me a copy [CC to yuna@mynetx.net] that I can archive, but that’s up to you.)
You are part of what makes Messenger Plus! successful.
It is up to you what its future is going to be like.
Patchou steps down as distributor of Messenger Plus! Live
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 (15:48 GMT) (40835 views)
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 (15:48 GMT) (40835 views)
With the new year comes change and the world of Messenger is no exception. Messenger Plus! Live is Windows Live Messenger's most popular add-on with over 60 million users. Recently Patchou has stepped down as distributor of the extension and now Messenger Plus! is privately developed by Yuna Software. This post should elucidate the details to what this may mean for the program's future.
Specifics are somewhat obscure, as Patchou himself created this company some years ago. What does appear to be the case is his control over development and management of the software and its community. Maybe this can be considered a buy-out of Messenger Plus! although this idea certainly lack clarity.
So what do we know? Well yesterday Patchou sent out a lengthy email to his beta tester team to elaborate on the new developers role and sponsor strategies for his Messenger extension. It appears he will be developing the next milestone of the software (it is his code and he has the contextual knowledge of the Messenger API), however his control over the approach appears to have been narrowed.
This simple statement summarizes the situation at hand and although Patchou can't explain the reasons why in explicit detail for legal reasons, it is important to understand Messenger Plus! Live is no longer Patchou's project and will be taking on a new direction.
A snowball effect?
The reaction within the Messenger community has been understandably negative. Patchou has established the largest MSN/ Windows Live Messenger community and this situation coupled with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether. It is Messenger Plus! that is responsible for the new acceleration of skin and script developers as well as establishing some household names within the Messenger community. Willz has since expressed concern over whether to continue developing skins:
Patchou has established the largest Messenger community and this situation coupled
with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether
I too have noticed a decline in Messenger developers. Similar websites to ours have either been closed or neglected and to be honest we face similar problems. The threat of substitute services such as social networking websites has led to a diminution to the popularity of IM in general (with the exception of online web messengers). I personally find it laborious to find the time for Messenger Stuff as within the past as do my admins. It may be a despondent fact to face but the Windows Live Messenger community has been experiencing a piecemeal downturn for years.
This could however be a great thing
Looking to a more optimistic side, this could mean great things for Messenger Plus! Live. With a dedicated team of developers, more features can be implemented and the time-frame between releases could be shortened. We have yet to see what Yuna Software has to offer, so lets presume the best and judge them on their results, it could be the thing the Messenger community needs.
Specifics are somewhat obscure, as Patchou himself created this company some years ago. What does appear to be the case is his control over development and management of the software and its community. Maybe this can be considered a buy-out of Messenger Plus! although this idea certainly lack clarity.
So what do we know? Well yesterday Patchou sent out a lengthy email to his beta tester team to elaborate on the new developers role and sponsor strategies for his Messenger extension. It appears he will be developing the next milestone of the software (it is his code and he has the contextual knowledge of the Messenger API), however his control over the approach appears to have been narrowed.
I need all of you to understand that I am not personally associated with Messenger Plus! anymore.
This simple statement summarizes the situation at hand and although Patchou can't explain the reasons why in explicit detail for legal reasons, it is important to understand Messenger Plus! Live is no longer Patchou's project and will be taking on a new direction.
A snowball effect?
The reaction within the Messenger community has been understandably negative. Patchou has established the largest MSN/ Windows Live Messenger community and this situation coupled with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether. It is Messenger Plus! that is responsible for the new acceleration of skin and script developers as well as establishing some household names within the Messenger community. Willz has since expressed concern over whether to continue developing skins:
At the moment things aren't really crystal clear so I can't really 100% judge the situation. But there have been recent developments (ones that I choose not to disclose) which have started to make me doubt that I will continue to skin in 2010.
Patchou has established the largest Messenger community and this situation coupled
with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether
I too have noticed a decline in Messenger developers. Similar websites to ours have either been closed or neglected and to be honest we face similar problems. The threat of substitute services such as social networking websites has led to a diminution to the popularity of IM in general (with the exception of online web messengers). I personally find it laborious to find the time for Messenger Stuff as within the past as do my admins. It may be a despondent fact to face but the Windows Live Messenger community has been experiencing a piecemeal downturn for years.
This could however be a great thing
Looking to a more optimistic side, this could mean great things for Messenger Plus! Live. With a dedicated team of developers, more features can be implemented and the time-frame between releases could be shortened. We have yet to see what Yuna Software has to offer, so lets presume the best and judge them on their results, it could be the thing the Messenger community needs.
Messenger Plus! Live is the most popular and successful add-on for Windows Live Messenger which has had a long and fruitful history. It is responsible in an indirect way for the start of Messenger Stuff, as it was the Messenger Plus! community that led me to know more about MSN Messenger when I joined it back in February 2005. So I thought I would forward Patchou's somewhat long, yet interesting read into the story of Messenger Plus!
Read the Messenger Plus! Story
Patchou had this to say to his users and supporters within the Messenger community:
Patchou had this to say to his users and supporters within the Messenger community:
Thank you all, one last time, for all the support you've given me for such a long time. It's been a terrific ride and I hope it will continue on the same direction for many years to come. I wrote this text as much for visitors to read it as I wrote it for myself so thank you for your time and take care of yourselves.
Guardian interviews Patchou and other programmers about adware
on Fri 30 Jan 2009 (18:48 GMT) (1388 views)
on Fri 30 Jan 2009 (18:48 GMT) (1388 views)
The Guardian is a paper I read everyday, before school, with a coffee, with my friends. During a free period I went online to research into an essay and clicked into the technology section, where I found an article on the Messenger Plus! Live creator, Patchou. Btw, I want to make it clear my life does not involve around being an old man, reading newspapers and drinking coffee, I do have real fun too.
Patchou created controversy some years ago when he was awarded a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) award for his contribution to MSN Messenger. However, it was soon revoked when Microsoft community members continuously highlighted the optional adware program included in his add-on. The capitalist approach to creating software has raised debate, and the article looks deep into the issue. The author then gets the opinions of similar programmers, including the creators of Stuffplug and MessengerDiscovery Live.
Read the full article at the Guardian website (highly recommended)
Patchou created controversy some years ago when he was awarded a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) award for his contribution to MSN Messenger. However, it was soon revoked when Microsoft community members continuously highlighted the optional adware program included in his add-on. The capitalist approach to creating software has raised debate, and the article looks deep into the issue. The author then gets the opinions of similar programmers, including the creators of Stuffplug and MessengerDiscovery Live.
But this is a man who has also outraged millions. His sin? A Faustian pact with dark forces responsible for distributing adware, those pop-up windows that torture PC users the world over. Messenger Plus! Live comes bundled with a "sponsor's program", which the unwary install unwittingly on their machines. They are then subjected to messages urging them to buy insurance, take out credit cards, play poker or download ringtones. To his opponents this breaks a sacred code of geek ethics and the two sides engage in furious online debates. Supporters say Patchou has provided a brilliant piece of software free to millions of people and the adware is harmless; critics call him "a scam artist making money off gullible young Live Messenger users".
Read the full article at the Guardian website (highly recommended)StuffCast Episode 1: Patchou joins us for an exclusive interview!
on Sat 16 Sep 2006 (20:34 GMT) (2161 views)
on Sat 16 Sep 2006 (20:34 GMT) (2161 views)
Finally, after what seems forever, we have released Messenger StuffCast! StuffCast is a weekly podcast for you to download about MSN, Windows Live Messenger and technology in general. It is hosted by Anileator, Valspy and Vaccination, who will be providing you with a sum up of the weekly news as well as reviewing new Messenger add-ons and tools.
To kick off the show we have an exclusive interview with Patchou who discusses his infamous software, Messenger Plus!. He talks about developing his software and how it has evolved over the years. Patchou also gives his views on the new Windows Live Messenger 8.1 and Windows Vista RC1.
The podcast will arrive every Sunday, summing up the past week of news in the world of Messenger. Shows last half hour each, making it quick and simple to catch up with Messenger. So what are you waiting for? Download, listen and enjoy StuffCast today!
I would like to thank all my presenters especially Valspy who helped get the project started.
Digg It! Visit the StuffCast website
View StuffCast Episode 1
Download StuffCast Episode 1
Add StuffCast to iTunes
To kick off the show we have an exclusive interview with Patchou who discusses his infamous software, Messenger Plus!. He talks about developing his software and how it has evolved over the years. Patchou also gives his views on the new Windows Live Messenger 8.1 and Windows Vista RC1.
The podcast will arrive every Sunday, summing up the past week of news in the world of Messenger. Shows last half hour each, making it quick and simple to catch up with Messenger. So what are you waiting for? Download, listen and enjoy StuffCast today!
I would like to thank all my presenters especially Valspy who helped get the project started.
Visit the StuffCast website View StuffCast Episode 1 Download StuffCast Episode 1 Add StuffCast to iTunesPage: 1
Messenger Stuff
