Tag - Wave-3

If you've been using the latest beta version of Windows Live Messenger lately, I have some good news: Messenger Plus! is now fully compatible with it! Although I don’t like releasing anything that's not "final", the growing popularity of this new Messenger made it clear something had to be done on my side. For that reason, Messenger Plus! Live 4.79 has been added to the Download section and the Change Log has been updated accordingly.

Keep in mind that this is beta material so no support will be given for it. Some of the improvements (display pictures in notification popups for instance) are global to all Messenger versions so if you like what's fresh and new, this beta is for you. Also, while you have fun with this new release, get prepared for a very special promotion coming your way for Christmas. Those of you who like action figures and collectibles (yes, you read correctly) are in for a shock.

Previously these options were greyed-out, but today they're being activated and directs you to the appropriate websites associated with the Group (we'll talk about Groups more in-depth later). Unfortunately most of these links currently directs you to the 404 "We can't find that page" page you'd get when you visit any of the beta urls we've found previously ... with the exception of one – Groups Calendar!

For the past few weeks I have been playing around with 9 seeing what has changed and how far we can push things. I have to say that although there are a lot of changes and nearly double the amount of layout files to modify, overall 9 is going to bring some really interesting things to the table. One of the things I am looking forward to playing with is with some of the new effects that Messenger 9 brings such as fades, text glows and other types of animation.

I should also point out that I am only able to modify 9 because of a small workaround that was discovered that allows us to force Messenger to use its old layout files over the new ones. This allows skins, Messenger addons and patches to do their thing on 9 once again. Most people are counting this as a victory saying that stuff is possible again on 9, but really all this was was something to buy us some time. The old layout files have a really high chance of not existing in the final version of 9 so we will be back to square one.

The main problem about 9 still exists and in order for things to survive in the final version of 9 the new layout file format of Messenger 9 has to be figured out properly or we will be stuck with not being able to modify Messenger again. This new layout file isn't standard XML and style information that we can easily edit with any text editor, instead it is some weird file type that can't be read or edited properly without cracking it.

Basically instead of using Messengers own resources like always, the new Aero frame that Messenger uses relies on Windows Vista's own theme which means skinners can no longer edit this part of Messenger under Windows Vista unless Aero is disabled at all times. So what does that mean exactly? It means that you will not be able to have a truly complete Messenger skin under vista whilst Aero is enabled. There are a few other things that 9 brings that also kill a few skinning techniques that people use at the moment. One of the new things the 9 brings to the table is the fact that resources are now 90% MSNRLE, which means there will be a lot of resources that will not be able to be replaced without being able to replicate the layers that MSNRLE images use. One of these is the emoticons, normally skinners edit one png image, but with the new beta they are now an MSNRLE image which means they are impossible to replace because there is no emoticon code anywhere and in order to replace a MSNRLE with a png you must have access to its code. The only solution is to somehow replicate the layered MSNRLE (which isn't possible at the moment).

The Windows Live Team invites you to be an extension of our development process by giving us feedback on our software. You'll be helping us ensure that we deliver a great experience to all Windows Live users.

As a Windows Live beta tester you'll have an opportunity to try out multiple Windows Live products as part of a single beta program! As always, this beta program contains all of the great components you've come to expect from a Windows Live beta, including the ability to file bugs and talk to the product teams in private newsgroups.

Unlike past betas, this is a small-scale beta with a very limited number of open seats. The nomination survey will close as soon as we reach our target number. If you want to participate in this beta, please act quickly. (Early entry doesn't guarantee final approval)

In a week's time, we will send out mass invitation to previous Windows Live beta testers, which means you probably will receive a second invitation for this beta. When you receive the second e-mail, please ignore it. Do NOT take the nomination survey because by that time you should already be approved in this beta, there is no need to waste your time and ours.

In the feature department quite a few things have been added and changed as well. The biggest of which is the new Groups feature (while the old groups are renamed to Categories). A Group is a special chat room to which you can invite your buddies, and which stays on your contact list until you delete it (making it an instant multi-party conversation). The group will appear to be online when a another buddy in the group is also online. With a group, you can share files, photos, chat history, etc. (More coverage on Liveside). Aside from groups, there's another new entry in the contact list: the Favorites category. This category is always shown at the top, and when contacts are added to them their full details are shown in your contact list (similar to the "Show all contact details" feature in v8.5). The favorites category is also shown on older clients, where it will display as a regular category.

Along with the new UI of the conversation window (most noticeably the display pictures appearing at the left side of the conversation), a new feature has also been added: photo sharing. You can add or remove photos from the current session, and browse through them while you and your buddy discuss the currently displayed photo. Although we couldn't try it out in detail yet, this promises to make it much easier to show all those holiday and party photos to your buddies.

The build in question is the first milestone after the questionable BETA period which was closed at the end of June, with a new second milestone already coming up. We can't wait to see what turns up in the next few months... Seeing as the most-requested features haven't been added yet (Messenger Team, we're looking at you!). We will keep you posted.