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Yuna Software has released Messenger Plus! 5, the latest version of the software developed by the new team. The build is the first compatible with Windows Live Messenger 2011.
New features include online logging, a MyPlus! account and a refresh to the designs of both the website and the application.
Our review will be coming tomorrow.
Download Messenger Plus! 5
New features include online logging, a MyPlus! account and a refresh to the designs of both the website and the application.
Our review will be coming tomorrow.
Download Messenger Plus! 5Over the past few months, Windows Live Messenger's most popular add-on, Messenger Plus! Live has been undergoing a significant organisational change, with its creator Patchou no longer the sole developer of the application. Patchou has now revealed the new work environment in which the new developers of Plus! will be working in:
Read the full announcement and user reactions at the Messenger Plus! forums
Development of Messenger Plus! is being moved from my home office to an office tower in Montreal. A dozen people, including myself, will soon be working from that new location, on various Messenger Plus! projects.
The office already has a new project manager, Jean-François, who's currently assembling the new team. The guy is bright, motivated, and has a solid experience in the field of software development. Meanwhile, I am working on what I was previously referring to "Project K", which is a special add-on we're creating for a special client.
Read the full announcement and user reactions at the Messenger Plus! forumsIt 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 announcementPatchou steps down as distributor of Messenger Plus! Live
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 (15:48 GMT) (43845 views)
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 (15:48 GMT) (43845 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.
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