Unforced prompt to upgrade to 8.1 has the wrong information
on Mon 05 Feb 2007 (17:28 GMT) (2469 views)
on Mon 05 Feb 2007 (17:28 GMT) (2469 views)
Looking at Mess.be just now, if you are a user of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 beta, you are prompted to upgrade to the latest official version. However the prompt says a new beta is available, which it untrue, it is the official release and it leads to an outdated 'What's new' page.
Now the only way I can see this mistake happening is if someone not on the Messenger team added the prompt and made the website information. In which case it is a poor way to manage a program. I always see it as the small things that count, the attention to detail is what is best.
OK, this is maybe not the biggest scandal of the year, I just thought I would past this 'news' on. Hopefully something interesting I can post about will happen soon.
Now the only way I can see this mistake happening is if someone not on the Messenger team added the prompt and made the website information. In which case it is a poor way to manage a program. I always see it as the small things that count, the attention to detail is what is best.
OK, this is maybe not the biggest scandal of the year, I just thought I would past this 'news' on. Hopefully something interesting I can post about will happen soon.
Parental controls coming very soon to Windows Live Messenger
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 (22:42 GMT) (1914 views)
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 (22:42 GMT) (1914 views)
The Internet can be a dangerous place for children. Chat rooms are disappearing and some people are finding new ways to trap vulnerable children. Over at Live and Beyond they explain how a new parental control feature for Windows Live Messenger works:
It's a great new feature which I have heard at a great new blog. Hopefully this will be good for children using Messenger. Seriously, I know users as young as 8 who use their Messenger account all the time (not to sound dodgy or anything).
Source: Live and Beyond
To put this clearly - the parent's Windows Live ID will oversee the child's Windows Live ID (as the Family Safety product does anyway), but now parents will be able to approve and decline contacts to the child's Windows Live Messenger view. Parents will be able to view information on the person who’s about to be added, view their Space, check ages etc.
It's a great new feature which I have heard at a great new blog. Hopefully this will be good for children using Messenger. Seriously, I know users as young as 8 who use their Messenger account all the time (not to sound dodgy or anything).
Source: Live and BeyondWell we know that signing into Messenger has yet again been improved, however I want to know what it is like when I actually use it. I use Messenger half the time for talking and half the time it is just on, in the background while I surf the net or do some work. For this reason I want Messenger to run, or preferably jog without effecting my computer's performance.
Windows Live Messenger has a high system memory usage. It is a fact, some tales are worse than others, but essentially it's a hog of RAM. The public beta of 8.1 was simply awful in this field, I had to convert back to 8.0, it was simply ridiculous.
When using the new build today I think the issue may have been resolved. The new Windows Live Messenger uses more system memory than usual when you are chatting, but in the background, it's virtually non-existent. This small change of only firing Messenger up when it is needed now allows me to run more powerful programs without the risking of knowing my computer will become unbearably slow. I'm typically finding a 2MB RAM usage when Messenger is humming in the background.
I think I will look into this a bit more closely and see if what is happening to me is not just a coincidence. Please leave a comment if you are experiencing something similar.
Windows Live Messenger has a high system memory usage. It is a fact, some tales are worse than others, but essentially it's a hog of RAM. The public beta of 8.1 was simply awful in this field, I had to convert back to 8.0, it was simply ridiculous.
When using the new build today I think the issue may have been resolved. The new Windows Live Messenger uses more system memory than usual when you are chatting, but in the background, it's virtually non-existent. This small change of only firing Messenger up when it is needed now allows me to run more powerful programs without the risking of knowing my computer will become unbearably slow. I'm typically finding a 2MB RAM usage when Messenger is humming in the background.
I think I will look into this a bit more closely and see if what is happening to me is not just a coincidence. Please leave a comment if you are experiencing something similar.
Did you reach this page looking for Windows Live Messenger 9? Read this article for more information on this.
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 may only just be out the door but it would appear that work has already started on the next version of Messenger - version 9.
According to f1ux0nat0r at Live and Beyond:
Last October, we reported that the Messenger team had started planning for WLM 9 - but has work really started already?
Salem, another official Connect tester of Windows Live Messenger, seems to slightly contradict this and says that a member of the Windows Live team called Mike answered some questions from Connect testers about future betas and the new release:
So at the moment it looks like we do not have a clear idea of what the next Messenger beta will be. It could well be version 9 unless problems with the current 8.1 version arise. We'll just have to wait and see.
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 may only just be out the door but it would appear that work has already started on the next version of Messenger - version 9.
According to f1ux0nat0r at Live and Beyond:
Windows Live Messenger 9.0 has already begun (there will be no more interim releases, or at least if there are, there won’t be any beta programs for it). Current testers of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 who have access to the Microsoft Connect pages will be automatically transferred to the next beta (9.0) so don’t you worry - plenty more to come.
Last October, we reported that the Messenger team had started planning for WLM 9 - but has work really started already?
Salem, another official Connect tester of Windows Live Messenger, seems to slightly contradict this and says that a member of the Windows Live team called Mike answered some questions from Connect testers about future betas and the new release:
Mike also confirmed that there are a few plans for a forthcoming WLM Beta process, the team are not yet sure if this will be for a minor (8.x) release or a major one (9.0) or when this will be.
So at the moment it looks like we do not have a clear idea of what the next Messenger beta will be. It could well be version 9 unless problems with the current 8.1 version arise. We'll just have to wait and see.
Official (Connect) beta testers of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 beta have just been informed that the inevitable has happened and it has (finally) been released.
The surprisingly long beta period, which began on the 7th September last year (and opened up to a public beta on the 31st October), has not seen many major changes since the first beta release - apart from some new beta features being removed.
The new features since the last 8.0 release will be posted/updated soon.
It looks like this version has been released just in time to coincide with the release of Windows Vista, especially seeing as it is the first version of Windows Live Messenger to be fully compatible with Vista - and as we reported last year even the betas appeared to run better on Vista than 8.0 versions.
If you like to patch Messenger then you'll be glad to hear that Mess Patch has already been updated for the new version. For more information and to find out when A-Patch gets updated keep an eye on our "Visually Patching Windows Live Messenger" guide on the forums.
The latest versions of Messenger Plus! Live and StuffPlug 3 both appear to be fully compatible with the new release, apart from one small issue in StuffPlug 3 with the talking to blocked contacts feature which is automatically disabled due to incompatibility.
Update: The creators of Messenger Plus! and StuffPlug have both confirmed that their addons are compatible. Patchou has said "As far as I can see, the current release of Plus! works perfectly with it". He also asked for any bugs found to be posted in the Bugs section of the Messenger Plus! Live forums. The Blasphemer said "Just tested my current development version of SP3 with WLM8.1, everything seems to work fine except for two features. So yes, I will probably push out a new version in a few days (possibly weeks)" - and we'll tell you when the new version is out.
Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0178.0 (choose your language out of the 34 available)
The surprisingly long beta period, which began on the 7th September last year (and opened up to a public beta on the 31st October), has not seen many major changes since the first beta release - apart from some new beta features being removed.
The new features since the last 8.0 release will be posted/updated soon.
It looks like this version has been released just in time to coincide with the release of Windows Vista, especially seeing as it is the first version of Windows Live Messenger to be fully compatible with Vista - and as we reported last year even the betas appeared to run better on Vista than 8.0 versions.
If you like to patch Messenger then you'll be glad to hear that Mess Patch has already been updated for the new version. For more information and to find out when A-Patch gets updated keep an eye on our "Visually Patching Windows Live Messenger" guide on the forums.
The latest versions of Messenger Plus! Live and StuffPlug 3 both appear to be fully compatible with the new release, apart from one small issue in StuffPlug 3 with the talking to blocked contacts feature which is automatically disabled due to incompatibility.
Update: The creators of Messenger Plus! and StuffPlug have both confirmed that their addons are compatible. Patchou has said "As far as I can see, the current release of Plus! works perfectly with it". He also asked for any bugs found to be posted in the Bugs section of the Messenger Plus! Live forums. The Blasphemer said "Just tested my current development version of SP3 with WLM8.1, everything seems to work fine except for two features. So yes, I will probably push out a new version in a few days (possibly weeks)" - and we'll tell you when the new version is out.
Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0178.0 (choose your language out of the 34 available)Windows Live Messenger release dates have been annoying. Microsoft don't announce them just in case any last minute bugs pop up. However that doesn't stop speculation. In fact, with the original official release, many websites seemed to be making up release dates, often being wrong.
Windows X's Shrine reports that an insider told them that Windows Live Messenger 8.1 would be released on January 25th. However there is no real evidence for this, and well, it may be very untrue. That being said I have to report these things, and sometimes I'm right, but I have been known to be wrong. Let's just see what happens in 5 days time.
Windows X's Shrine reports that an insider told them that Windows Live Messenger 8.1 would be released on January 25th. However there is no real evidence for this, and well, it may be very untrue. That being said I have to report these things, and sometimes I'm right, but I have been known to be wrong. Let's just see what happens in 5 days time.
MSN Messenger was a skinning dream. The resources were simple and easy to locate, often small tutorials were posted to help skinners get started. Even grasping uifiles wasn't that hard, and many skins from all different abilities kept appearing. I remember MSN Messenger 7.0 inparticular because it had over a 100 skins for it.
Windows Live Messenger has changed all of this. The resources were dramatically modified, PNGs were changed into Microsoft's dreaded .rle extension, something which cannot be edited. Although progress towards solving the extension is currently under way, it's still not going to be perfect. This huge change to how Messenger works has gotten rid of the small time skinners will big ambitions.
Skinners who know their stuff, kept on going. But it was hard. PNGs had to be manually coded back in, a chore which was just ridiculous, and made skinning Messenger well over twice as long. This made some give up, me included - it simply was not worth the effort.
Despite all the problems Windows Live Messenger gave, there were some signs of hope. Some skins did appear, mainly one got the attention of the pubic, that being Vista Live Messenger. Others that were in development seem to have disappeared, and well, skinning Messenger seems to be dying, and it soon will be gone.
Unless something changes ...
Windows Live Messenger has changed all of this. The resources were dramatically modified, PNGs were changed into Microsoft's dreaded .rle extension, something which cannot be edited. Although progress towards solving the extension is currently under way, it's still not going to be perfect. This huge change to how Messenger works has gotten rid of the small time skinners will big ambitions.
Skinners who know their stuff, kept on going. But it was hard. PNGs had to be manually coded back in, a chore which was just ridiculous, and made skinning Messenger well over twice as long. This made some give up, me included - it simply was not worth the effort.
Despite all the problems Windows Live Messenger gave, there were some signs of hope. Some skins did appear, mainly one got the attention of the pubic, that being Vista Live Messenger. Others that were in development seem to have disappeared, and well, skinning Messenger seems to be dying, and it soon will be gone.
Unless something changes ...
Fanatic Live is reporting the new public beta of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 is being directly targeted towards Windows Vista users. The current public release has some major issues with Windows Vista, like many other software, although this is odd from a Microsoft product:
Source: Fanatic Live
Having signed into Windows Live Messenger 8.0.0812 on Windows Vista just before, I was prompted with an optional update. Not expecting an update from 8.0 to 8.1 beta, I did some testing, and have come to the conclusion that the Windows Live Messenger team is confident version 8.1.0168 brings enough fixes to warrant an automatic update.
Source: Fanatic LiveA new version of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 has been released, build number 8.1.0168 (the last one being 8.1.0106).
Although no official announcement has been made yet, the new version can be downloaded now from the beta's Windows Live Idea's page.
No visible changes have been spotted yet so it is thought that the new version may only fix several bugs which were discovered in previous 8.1 beta versions.
Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0168 beta (direct link)
Download A-Patch (already updated for the new version)
Update: Nicole has posted about the beta refresh at MessengerSays (the Windows Live Messenger team blog). The updates have apparently been based on user feedback, and she says that users of the existing 8.1 betas existing will be prompted to update soon.
MessengerSays blog post
Although no official announcement has been made yet, the new version can be downloaded now from the beta's Windows Live Idea's page.
No visible changes have been spotted yet so it is thought that the new version may only fix several bugs which were discovered in previous 8.1 beta versions.
Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0168 beta (direct link) Download A-Patch (already updated for the new version)Update: Nicole has posted about the beta refresh at MessengerSays (the Windows Live Messenger team blog). The updates have apparently been based on user feedback, and she says that users of the existing 8.1 betas existing will be prompted to update soon.
MessengerSays blog postI am becoming known as someone who likes to complain about modern Messenger, well certain points of it. However yesterday I came across a thread over at the Messenger Plus! Forums, which I thought was interesting. It listed one person (DragonQ) and his friend's pet hates about Windows Live Messenger.
This didn't target things that may seem ambiguous, it really listed certain problems, that are an annoyance when trying to use Messenger. Despite sounding like a rant, it lists 29 things they did not like about the program, and it can be rather chilling when you know you have had the exact same problem. Anyway I recommend you read it, hopefully someone, somewhere related to Messenger or Windows Live will see it and pass it along.
View: 'A compiled list of the awfulness of WLM'
This didn't target things that may seem ambiguous, it really listed certain problems, that are an annoyance when trying to use Messenger. Despite sounding like a rant, it lists 29 things they did not like about the program, and it can be rather chilling when you know you have had the exact same problem. Anyway I recommend you read it, hopefully someone, somewhere related to Messenger or Windows Live will see it and pass it along.
View: 'A compiled list of the awfulness of WLM'
Messenger Stuff