News Search
Your search query returned 28 results.
April Fools: Skinning offically coming to Windows Live Messenger?
on Tue 01 Apr 2008 (14:46 GMT)
on Tue 01 Apr 2008 (14:46 GMT)
First of all I am aware this is April 1st, and frankly it's hard to believe anything at the moment, but sometimes 'rumor is just as powerful as fact'. Willz, one of the most active skinners for Messenger has posted news regarding Windows Live Messenger 9 at his blog:
My opinion is that IF Microsoft are creating a skinning feature, it would be rushed and poorly implemented like most features of Windows Live Messenger thus making Messenger Plus! Live's engine superior. But what's the point of me even having an opinion on this day, it could be made up. Then again I believed the Windows Live Messenger 8.0 design was a fake. I guess we will just have to wait.
>> Source: Design Evolved
Well there we go boys and girls we finally have a reason for the delay in the next build of Windows Live Messenger 9.0. Microsoft has been working on a new feature which will change things drastically in the skinning world. Just a couple of minutes ago I received an email from the Windows Live Messenger team which has invited me to test the upcoming Windows Live Messenger 9.0 beta version which will feature none other than skins.
Ill share these details now since they didn't say that I couldn't post this but I'm sure they'll catch on soon enough and I will have to remove this post. So listen up!
Microsoft has been watching skins closely for quite some time now, in fact they started observing my stuff when I released the first version of Ev0 (yeah its freaky people at Microsoft actually tried something that breaks their own EULA..... irony).
Anyway after seeing Messenger Plus! 4.50 launch they saw how much interest there was in skinning and decided to try and implement an official system. At this point their system is apparently working and a new version of WLM 9.0 beta will be offered to butterflies within the next 2 weeks.
But don't think it is good news now, because there is more to this than meets the eye. Whilst official skins may be coming they come at a cost. Yes a cost. Microsoft will be implementing the same system they used for Winks and Dynamic Display Pictures where only developers who pay the license fee for the digital signature will be able to create skins.
So could this mean skinners could implement flash content into their skins? Quite possibly. But sadly this means the average person will not be able to make skins (apparently I will be able to get my hands on a license though because of my history with skinsBig).
Furthermore new "Premium skins" will also be introduced for paying customers which will feature a Windows Live Messenger without ad's.
Yep thats right Microsoft has been keeping tabs on how people remove ads and have come to the conclusion that people want a client without ad's. So they have come up with this new premium Messenger system to allow this (but hey we will get around that too huh Tongue)
So how does this affect Plus! Skinning? From what I have been told, the next Windows Live Messenger 9.0 is built from the ground up so all the techniques I know will be obsolete which could possibly impact the current skins dramatically.
Anyway I will be talking with Microsoft later today with regards to me trying out this new system. All I can say is they better have Aero implemented
Ill share these details now since they didn't say that I couldn't post this but I'm sure they'll catch on soon enough and I will have to remove this post. So listen up!
Microsoft has been watching skins closely for quite some time now, in fact they started observing my stuff when I released the first version of Ev0 (yeah its freaky people at Microsoft actually tried something that breaks their own EULA..... irony).
Anyway after seeing Messenger Plus! 4.50 launch they saw how much interest there was in skinning and decided to try and implement an official system. At this point their system is apparently working and a new version of WLM 9.0 beta will be offered to butterflies within the next 2 weeks.
But don't think it is good news now, because there is more to this than meets the eye. Whilst official skins may be coming they come at a cost. Yes a cost. Microsoft will be implementing the same system they used for Winks and Dynamic Display Pictures where only developers who pay the license fee for the digital signature will be able to create skins.
So could this mean skinners could implement flash content into their skins? Quite possibly. But sadly this means the average person will not be able to make skins (apparently I will be able to get my hands on a license though because of my history with skinsBig).
Furthermore new "Premium skins" will also be introduced for paying customers which will feature a Windows Live Messenger without ad's.
Yep thats right Microsoft has been keeping tabs on how people remove ads and have come to the conclusion that people want a client without ad's. So they have come up with this new premium Messenger system to allow this (but hey we will get around that too huh Tongue)
So how does this affect Plus! Skinning? From what I have been told, the next Windows Live Messenger 9.0 is built from the ground up so all the techniques I know will be obsolete which could possibly impact the current skins dramatically.
Anyway I will be talking with Microsoft later today with regards to me trying out this new system. All I can say is they better have Aero implemented
My opinion is that IF Microsoft are creating a skinning feature, it would be rushed and poorly implemented like most features of Windows Live Messenger thus making Messenger Plus! Live's engine superior. But what's the point of me even having an opinion on this day, it could be made up. Then again I believed the Windows Live Messenger 8.0 design was a fake. I guess we will just have to wait.
>> Source: Design Evolved
Windows Aero Messenger released, and Zero-G 2.0.0
on Wed 26 Mar 2008 (00:23 GMT)
on Wed 26 Mar 2008 (00:23 GMT)
It seemed to go quite unnoticed on here (we're really quite busy ;)) but the most advanced Plus! skin was released earlier this week; Windows Aero messenger. Here's a part of Willz' official announcement:
You can see how advanced this skin is simply by having a look at the options panel here. Be aware that this skin requires Messenger Plus! Live to be updated to version 4.60.
As well, earlier today Willz released an update to his popular skin Zero-G, bringing it to version 2.0.0. This update brings a new possibility: Zero-G is now available in 4 different styles. Be sure to check that out.
>> Get Windows Aero Messenger
>> Get Zero-G 2.0.0
>> Get Messenger Plus! Live 4.60
When the first Windows Aero Messenger was created I had talked to ipab about the idea of modifying his installer program so that people could select how certain parts of the skin were patched. We were going to have it so users could select certain aspects of the theme to be different e.g have a different color vista orb depending on what the user picked.
Of course in the end it was simply a no go due to the unbelievable amount of effort that would have been required. So now we come to Plus! skins. Plus! skins allow resources to be replaced conditionally which opened the way for this idea to work. I was going to make Windows Aero Messenger before Ev0 but couldn't as there was still things missing from the skinning system which just would not allow the core of the skin to be made.
So Messenger Plus! 4.60 was the answer to all of this which allowed the core of Windows Aero Messenger to be created. With the core working I was then able to create some groups that allowed people to switch from Windows Aero Messenger to Vista Live Messenger. But I did not stop there. I made it so pretty much every aspect of the skin was customizable. Here is a screenshot of the final options panel.
Of course in the end it was simply a no go due to the unbelievable amount of effort that would have been required. So now we come to Plus! skins. Plus! skins allow resources to be replaced conditionally which opened the way for this idea to work. I was going to make Windows Aero Messenger before Ev0 but couldn't as there was still things missing from the skinning system which just would not allow the core of the skin to be made.
So Messenger Plus! 4.60 was the answer to all of this which allowed the core of Windows Aero Messenger to be created. With the core working I was then able to create some groups that allowed people to switch from Windows Aero Messenger to Vista Live Messenger. But I did not stop there. I made it so pretty much every aspect of the skin was customizable. Here is a screenshot of the final options panel.
You can see how advanced this skin is simply by having a look at the options panel here. Be aware that this skin requires Messenger Plus! Live to be updated to version 4.60.
As well, earlier today Willz released an update to his popular skin Zero-G, bringing it to version 2.0.0. This update brings a new possibility: Zero-G is now available in 4 different styles. Be sure to check that out.
>> Get Windows Aero Messenger
>> Get Zero-G 2.0.0
>> Get Messenger Plus! Live 4.60
Introducing: Digsby
on Sun 23 Mar 2008 (06:01 GMT)
on Sun 23 Mar 2008 (06:01 GMT)
It's not that often that we have an opportunity to promote different IM programs, but I'm proud to announce that Digsby has finally reached public beta phase.
What is Digsby? Disgsby is an instant messaging, email, and social networking client all in one. It's sort of like Trillian, but far better in my honest opinion. Digsby allows you to add AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber Accounts into one major contact list. Not only that, Digsby allows you to keep up with your MySpace or Facebook accounts by alerting you when you receive new messages, comments, etc etc. It gets better, believe me. Here's the complete feature list:
Instant Messaging
One combined buddy list for all your AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber Accounts.
Manage multiple conversations with tabbed conversation windows. You can drag tabs out into their own windows for important conversations.
Rename contacts with an alias so you don't have to remember buddy names like 'giantsfan123'.
If one of your friends has more than one IM account you can combine them into a single merged contact to eliminate duplicate buddies.
Send your friends SMS messages right from the IM window.
The InfoBox lets you check everyone's status message and profile just by moving your mouse down the list.
Changing your status has never been easier. just one click right on the buddy list!
Multitask while you chat. Minimize the IM window and you see popups of new IM's. Best of all, you can reply right from the popup and get back to what you were doing.
Log conversation history and find the information you need our search-enabled log viewer.
And so much more.
Email
Manage your Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL/AIM Mail, IMAP, and POP accounts right from digsby.
Get popup notifications when new email arrives. Clicking a popup takes you right to the message with auto-login into webmail accounts.
The email InfoBox gives you a snapshot of your unread messages with just one click
Perform actions such as "Mark as Read" or "Report Spam" right from the email InfoBox.
Send emails to your friends right from the IM window. The email is sent directly from any account digsby is tracking for you.
Social Networking
Stay up to date with everything happening on your Facebook or MySpace account (other network support coming soon).
Receive alerts of events such as new friend requests, messages, group invites, etc.
The social network InfoBox gives you a real time NewsFeed of what your friends are up to. Everything from new photos, to status updates, to upcoming birthdays is just a click away.
Personalize
Customize digsby with application skins to give it a personal look and feel.
Change the way your conversations look with themes – everything from simple AIM-style windows to 3D conversation bubbles.
Complete control over the layout of buddies on the buddy list. Change everything from buddy icon size to whether or not to show a snippet of their away message.
Sort your buddy list how ever you want! You can organize buddies manually, by status, by service, by name or by log size to place those you communicate with most at the top. You can even choose a secondary sorting method.
Customizable notification system lets you choose what events you want to be alerted about and how.
Other
Digsby offers complete synchronization between computers and installations. Everything from the skin you chose to your pre-defined status messages follows you from place to place.
You can place a widget on your blog, website, or social network profile so you can chat with visitors right from digsby.
Manage multiple simultaneous file transfers from one simple transfer manager.
Digsby entered private beta phase about 6 weeks ago, and since then has released 15 builds (Which had 35 major changes), 53 added enhancements, and 109 bug fixes. I can honestly say that the team behind Digsby is one of the best product teams I've seen. The only problem that user's are reporting is that Digsby uses a lot of RAM, but if you think about it, if you're using all of this super-client's features, it's going to take some RAM to keep it runnin'.
We're going to keep you posted on the development of this project!
Link: Digsby's Home Page
View: Screenshots
View: Digsby's Developer Blog
Download: The latest public release of Digsby
What is Digsby? Disgsby is an instant messaging, email, and social networking client all in one. It's sort of like Trillian, but far better in my honest opinion. Digsby allows you to add AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber Accounts into one major contact list. Not only that, Digsby allows you to keep up with your MySpace or Facebook accounts by alerting you when you receive new messages, comments, etc etc. It gets better, believe me. Here's the complete feature list:
Instant Messaging
One combined buddy list for all your AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber Accounts.
Manage multiple conversations with tabbed conversation windows. You can drag tabs out into their own windows for important conversations.
Rename contacts with an alias so you don't have to remember buddy names like 'giantsfan123'.
If one of your friends has more than one IM account you can combine them into a single merged contact to eliminate duplicate buddies.
Send your friends SMS messages right from the IM window.
The InfoBox lets you check everyone's status message and profile just by moving your mouse down the list.
Changing your status has never been easier. just one click right on the buddy list!
Multitask while you chat. Minimize the IM window and you see popups of new IM's. Best of all, you can reply right from the popup and get back to what you were doing.
Log conversation history and find the information you need our search-enabled log viewer.
And so much more.
Manage your Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL/AIM Mail, IMAP, and POP accounts right from digsby.
Get popup notifications when new email arrives. Clicking a popup takes you right to the message with auto-login into webmail accounts.
The email InfoBox gives you a snapshot of your unread messages with just one click
Perform actions such as "Mark as Read" or "Report Spam" right from the email InfoBox.
Send emails to your friends right from the IM window. The email is sent directly from any account digsby is tracking for you.
Social Networking
Stay up to date with everything happening on your Facebook or MySpace account (other network support coming soon).
Receive alerts of events such as new friend requests, messages, group invites, etc.
The social network InfoBox gives you a real time NewsFeed of what your friends are up to. Everything from new photos, to status updates, to upcoming birthdays is just a click away.
Personalize
Customize digsby with application skins to give it a personal look and feel.
Change the way your conversations look with themes – everything from simple AIM-style windows to 3D conversation bubbles.
Complete control over the layout of buddies on the buddy list. Change everything from buddy icon size to whether or not to show a snippet of their away message.
Sort your buddy list how ever you want! You can organize buddies manually, by status, by service, by name or by log size to place those you communicate with most at the top. You can even choose a secondary sorting method.
Customizable notification system lets you choose what events you want to be alerted about and how.
Other
Digsby offers complete synchronization between computers and installations. Everything from the skin you chose to your pre-defined status messages follows you from place to place.
You can place a widget on your blog, website, or social network profile so you can chat with visitors right from digsby.
Manage multiple simultaneous file transfers from one simple transfer manager.
Digsby entered private beta phase about 6 weeks ago, and since then has released 15 builds (Which had 35 major changes), 53 added enhancements, and 109 bug fixes. I can honestly say that the team behind Digsby is one of the best product teams I've seen. The only problem that user's are reporting is that Digsby uses a lot of RAM, but if you think about it, if you're using all of this super-client's features, it's going to take some RAM to keep it runnin'.
We're going to keep you posted on the development of this project!
Link: Digsby's Home Page
View: Screenshots
View: Digsby's Developer Blog
Download: The latest public release of Digsby
Patchou: 'Never look at Messenger the same way again'
on Sat 15 Mar 2008 (13:55 GMT)
on Sat 15 Mar 2008 (13:55 GMT)
Messenger Plus! 4.50 brought about new skinning technology for Messenger. Now it was possible to soft-patch resources, create skin options and even manipulate the basic window designs of Messenger. This can be seen in a simple form with Beaver and Steve, created by Nile. However, Patchou has big ambitions to expand this feature:
All this news sounds very interesting, especially the upcoming skinning contest. Stay tuned for more information when it's available.
>> View Patchou's post
>> View a screenshot of the new skins
I'm happy to announce that sometime this year, a big skinning contest will be organised, benefiting both developers (prizes) and users (new, better skins). Details will be announced when appropriate but as of now, something new and cool has already been put in motion in the world of skins: Will Ingles, the creator of popular skins such as Ev0, as agreed to dedicate some of his time to the creation of new skins inspired by movies and music groups.
Your Messenger experience will never be the same, that's guaranteed, and you'll probably never want to go back to the original interface once you've tried a couple of skins either. Also, if you enjoy switching from one look to the other regularly, or, if you just don't want to miss the release of a skin related to a movie that you've been waiting for, sign up to Messenger Plus! Skins Alerts to get instant notifications.
All this news sounds very interesting, especially the upcoming skinning contest. Stay tuned for more information when it's available.
>> View Patchou's post
>> View a screenshot of the new skins
January's best of Messenger skins
on Sat 02 Feb 2008 (17:36 GMT)
on Sat 02 Feb 2008 (17:36 GMT)
Here is a new feature I thought I'll introduce. Every month lots of skins are created for Messenger Plus! Live's skinning engine, but only a hand full are half decent. Here are some of the best looking, and most unique skins for the month of January:
Skin of the month: Deep Blue
Deep Blue is a stylish skin, dramatically changing Messenger's design into something more unique. Its creative design, with a simple colour scheme makes this a skin that looks great on your computer. The highly customizable options allow you to transform this skin to how you want it, from adding/ removing elements to changing the size of display pictures.
Most unique skin: 365 Skin
365 Skin is an ugly skin, but I love it. The idea is you can have a different skin for various events throughout the year e.g. Christmas, your birthday, mother's day etc is wonderful. The colours are awful and it needs polishing, but the idea is interesting and that alone makes this a good skin.
A good contender: Zero-G
I hate Vista skins, which is why I didn't like Zero-G too much. It is too dark for my liking, but nevertheless it still looks great and contains hardly any flaws. It is a little too similar to EvO, but I still highly recommend this skin.
Skins worth a mention
Plus! Live - Matches Messenger's design to Messenger Plus! Live.
Yahoo Messenger - Gives Windows Live Messenger Yahoo Messenger's colour scheme and icons.
Classic WLM - Uses the original alpha builds of Windows Live Messenger 8's design.
>> View the Messenger Plus! Live skins database
Skin of the month: Deep Blue
Deep Blue is a stylish skin, dramatically changing Messenger's design into something more unique. Its creative design, with a simple colour scheme makes this a skin that looks great on your computer. The highly customizable options allow you to transform this skin to how you want it, from adding/ removing elements to changing the size of display pictures.
Most unique skin: 365 Skin
365 Skin is an ugly skin, but I love it. The idea is you can have a different skin for various events throughout the year e.g. Christmas, your birthday, mother's day etc is wonderful. The colours are awful and it needs polishing, but the idea is interesting and that alone makes this a good skin.
A good contender: Zero-G
I hate Vista skins, which is why I didn't like Zero-G too much. It is too dark for my liking, but nevertheless it still looks great and contains hardly any flaws. It is a little too similar to EvO, but I still highly recommend this skin.
Skins worth a mention
Plus! Live - Matches Messenger's design to Messenger Plus! Live.
Yahoo Messenger - Gives Windows Live Messenger Yahoo Messenger's colour scheme and icons.
Classic WLM - Uses the original alpha builds of Windows Live Messenger 8's design.
>> View the Messenger Plus! Live skins database
Messenger Plus! Live skins I just love
on Sat 05 Jan 2008 (14:29 GMT)
on Sat 05 Jan 2008 (14:29 GMT)
I have been putting this post off for a while now. My excuses are exams and the fact this post probably needed time to get a good list together. I am a bit of a Messenger skins fanatic and I have been chatting all about Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 in recent weeks, which revealed a big new feature: a Messenger skins manager.
The skins I have chosen are ones I have found to be well designed, unique and most of all ones with attention to detail i.e. completed fully, polished. Yes, this means no Vista skins!
Ev0
This Messenger skins has been around a while, and its creator was able to get his hands on an early build of Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 so he could get this skin out by release. Its clean design, with unique ideas is complimented by the various colour themes available. To date it has had nearly 200,000 downloads and is probably the best skin available for Messenger Plus! Live.
>> Download EvO
Beaver and Steve
Honestly Nile, this skin is rather ugly; its bright colours and the cartoonish look are not desirable, but it is these things that make it unique, charming if you will. More importantly it uses shapes therefore making it the first skin released to manipulate Messenger's windows. Nile has put a lot of effort into this skin and there are lots of customizable options meaning you can remove things from Messenger until you are happy. I'm actually surprised he didn't try and plug it himself ...
>> Download Beaver and Steve
SkyLines
This skin is very stylish and well made. Looking over all the little details you can see a lot of effort has been put into making this skin. This skin is compatible with Windows Live Messenger 8.5 and 9.0, so what are you waiting for? Add SkyLines to your skin library.
>> Download SkyLines
Nightfall
A dark skin is the best way to describe this. Its simple, but I like simple and I think this is just the start for its creator. The skin is customised for green, red, blue and black colour themes.
>> Download Nightfall
RoyaLive!
Similar to Nightfall this skin uses soft gradients well. It has its flaws, but overall it is a good skin.
>> Download RoyaLive!
Office07
This skin is all about basics. It shows that all you need to do is take your time and perfect the images you want to skin. The colours in Office07 compliment Messenger well, but more importantly its creator designed this website, so I'm forced to think it looks great.
>> Download Office07
Nao Messenger
This skin users colours well in my opinion. The theme of green and blue suits Messenger when used in this way. It adds fun to Messenger, but at the same time good enough to use everyday. It may not be perfect, but Nao Messenger is better than most.
>> Nao Messenger
I hope you liked my list. If you have a skin of your own and want to share it send it our way. Remember these are just a selection of the skins available, view the entire database for more. If your skin is not on the list, there is a chance I missed it, but more probable is I didn't like it.
The skins I have chosen are ones I have found to be well designed, unique and most of all ones with attention to detail i.e. completed fully, polished. Yes, this means no Vista skins!
This Messenger skins has been around a while, and its creator was able to get his hands on an early build of Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 so he could get this skin out by release. Its clean design, with unique ideas is complimented by the various colour themes available. To date it has had nearly 200,000 downloads and is probably the best skin available for Messenger Plus! Live.
>> Download EvO
Honestly Nile, this skin is rather ugly; its bright colours and the cartoonish look are not desirable, but it is these things that make it unique, charming if you will. More importantly it uses shapes therefore making it the first skin released to manipulate Messenger's windows. Nile has put a lot of effort into this skin and there are lots of customizable options meaning you can remove things from Messenger until you are happy. I'm actually surprised he didn't try and plug it himself ...
>> Download Beaver and Steve
This skin is very stylish and well made. Looking over all the little details you can see a lot of effort has been put into making this skin. This skin is compatible with Windows Live Messenger 8.5 and 9.0, so what are you waiting for? Add SkyLines to your skin library.
>> Download SkyLines
A dark skin is the best way to describe this. Its simple, but I like simple and I think this is just the start for its creator. The skin is customised for green, red, blue and black colour themes.
>> Download Nightfall
Similar to Nightfall this skin uses soft gradients well. It has its flaws, but overall it is a good skin.
>> Download RoyaLive!
This skin is all about basics. It shows that all you need to do is take your time and perfect the images you want to skin. The colours in Office07 compliment Messenger well, but more importantly its creator designed this website, so I'm forced to think it looks great.
>> Download Office07
This skin users colours well in my opinion. The theme of green and blue suits Messenger when used in this way. It adds fun to Messenger, but at the same time good enough to use everyday. It may not be perfect, but Nao Messenger is better than most.
>> Nao Messenger
I hope you liked my list. If you have a skin of your own and want to share it send it our way. Remember these are just a selection of the skins available, view the entire database for more. If your skin is not on the list, there is a chance I missed it, but more probable is I didn't like it.
Messenger Plus! Live update (4.50.312)
on Mon 17 Dec 2007 (09:37 GMT)
on Mon 17 Dec 2007 (09:37 GMT)
Patchou has released a minor update to the newly released Messenger Plus! Live 4.50. This version fixes some small bugs found in the initial release of 4.50, which are:
>> Download: Messenger Plus! Live 4.50.312
>> View Patchou's Announcement
>> View Messenger Plus! Live Skins Database
- Updated language files included.
- You now get a clear message when importing a skin that's not compatible with the version of Messenger you're currently using. A message is also displayed if an incompatible skin is enabled in the Preferences panel.
- The script editor is now LTR even with if Hebrew or Arabic is selected.
- Fixed: some preferences are not re-loaded properly when different users sign-in without restarting Messenger.
- Fixed: the Resource Extractor does not properly extracts the resources of Messenger Plus! when asked.
- Some small last-minute issues have been taken care of.
- Scripts: a new ImageId optional parameter has been added to Combo_AddItem(). This allows you to insert items with a picture in combobox controls.
>> Download: Messenger Plus! Live 4.50.312
>> View Patchou's Announcement
>> View Messenger Plus! Live Skins Database
Messenger Plus! Live 4.50.310 released!
on Sun 09 Dec 2007 (07:11 GMT)
on Sun 09 Dec 2007 (07:11 GMT)
After 6 months of development Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 has been released to the public. The main update was the introduction of a Messenger skins manager, improvements to existing features and WLM 9 compatibility.
You can download the build from the offical website and add skins from the database. I suggest reading this article if you want to give skinning a go, which we be building useful links of skinning tutorials.
In the next few months you can expect a huge amount of skins to arrive. The learning curve is small and just about anyone can create a skin. Some will be fantastic, and some will just be plain awful. We will be hosting any that catch our eye in our skins database, giving you a selection of the best.
>> Download Messenger Plus! Live
>> View Patchou's announcement of the release
You can download the build from the offical website and add skins from the database. I suggest reading this article if you want to give skinning a go, which we be building useful links of skinning tutorials.
In the next few months you can expect a huge amount of skins to arrive. The learning curve is small and just about anyone can create a skin. Some will be fantastic, and some will just be plain awful. We will be hosting any that catch our eye in our skins database, giving you a selection of the best.
>> Download Messenger Plus! Live
>> View Patchou's announcement of the release
Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 should be here this weekend
on Thu 06 Dec 2007 (22:01 GMT)
on Thu 06 Dec 2007 (22:01 GMT)
Just a quick post here to tell you Messenger Plus! Live appears to have a release date set for this weekend. Testers have been given the final set of builds over the past couple of weeks and the last minute suggestions and bugs are being dealt with. Skinners are also working hard to reveal their skins ready for the official release. Compatibility with Windows Live Messenger 9.0 is also fully integrated, with just a few minor issues present. You definitely should be looking forward to this release.
A closer look into Messenger Plus! skinning
on Thu 22 Nov 2007 (20:16 GMT)
on Thu 22 Nov 2007 (20:16 GMT)
Last week we revealed the big new feature coming to Messenger Plus! Live: skinning! It appears some things are unclear so I just want to go into the specific details of skinning and some of the things Plus! does to enchant it.
Skins are edited within XML files
No more resource hacking or other odd methods. You can create simple skins with just a few lines of code. This works well and allows even the most novice of skinners to create good skins. You can replace everything including text strings, images, uifiles and even the Messenger Plus! design itself.
Shaping Windows
One thing that has never been possible is changing the shape of Messenger's windows. Messenger Plus! Live now allows you to manipulate windows thus opening a wider range of possibilities within Messenger's set in stone design.
Skin Options
Skinners can now set options within skins. Directly implementable in uifiles, you change just about change any aspect of Messenger with a touch of a button. I've been creating a soft patch using this method which you can view in the screenshot below:
Skins may be compatible with several versions of Messenger
Depending on how a skin is designed, it may work across many versions of Windows Live Messenger thus meaning it is not tied to a specific build (like it currently is).
No Limitations
Whatever was possible in skinning in MSN Messenger is still possible. RLE files are back to PNGs and extra features such as shaping windows and advanced options really make skinning the best it has ever been.
The learning curve is also very low. Some of the stuff above may looks daunting, but it isn't. Skinning is not complicated and just about anyone can create an advanced skin, never mind a basic one. Yes you can create your own Messenger skin within minutes!
>> Download the current release of Messenger Plus! Live
Skins are edited within XML files
No more resource hacking or other odd methods. You can create simple skins with just a few lines of code. This works well and allows even the most novice of skinners to create good skins. You can replace everything including text strings, images, uifiles and even the Messenger Plus! design itself.
Shaping Windows
One thing that has never been possible is changing the shape of Messenger's windows. Messenger Plus! Live now allows you to manipulate windows thus opening a wider range of possibilities within Messenger's set in stone design.
Skin Options
Skinners can now set options within skins. Directly implementable in uifiles, you change just about change any aspect of Messenger with a touch of a button. I've been creating a soft patch using this method which you can view in the screenshot below:
Skins may be compatible with several versions of Messenger
Depending on how a skin is designed, it may work across many versions of Windows Live Messenger thus meaning it is not tied to a specific build (like it currently is).
No Limitations
Whatever was possible in skinning in MSN Messenger is still possible. RLE files are back to PNGs and extra features such as shaping windows and advanced options really make skinning the best it has ever been.
The learning curve is also very low. Some of the stuff above may looks daunting, but it isn't. Skinning is not complicated and just about anyone can create an advanced skin, never mind a basic one. Yes you can create your own Messenger skin within minutes!
>> Download the current release of Messenger Plus! Live
Exclusive look at Messenger Plus! Live 4.50
on Sat 17 Nov 2007 (12:21 GMT)
on Sat 17 Nov 2007 (12:21 GMT)
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:
skins preferences window.">
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! Live
Windows Live Messenger 8.5 released a day early
on Tue 06 Nov 2007 (21:08 GMT)
on Tue 06 Nov 2007 (21:08 GMT)
As part of Windows Live Wave 2 there are a huge amount of Windows Live beta products being released this week. For the first time we have seen in years Microsoft actually set a release date, scheduled for the 7th of November for Windows Live Messenger. However, mess.be have managed to get their hands on the build a day early, marking the new version of Windows Live Messenger 2008 (build 8.5.1302.1018).
So what are the changes? Well, err, hum, ahhh, I don't know. Bug fixes seem to be part of the update and with no word on the development blog I'm confused if this release is actually different. I'm finding a lot of issues still present (does anyone find the sounds are way too loud?) and the design has not been perfected yet.
I'm going to be harsh here, but this is the worse release of Messenger I have had experience of. No new features, more bloat and a general lack of improvement all add up to a poor release. The installer also has issues (I didn't click agree or navigate anything). Who is the project manager?
Messenger Plus! Live works perfectly with the new build but I'm not sure current 8.5 skins will work (some may, some may not, I will confirm later).
>> View screenshots of the update
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1302.1018
>> Download A-Patch for the new build
>> Source: mess.be
So what are the changes? Well, err, hum, ahhh, I don't know. Bug fixes seem to be part of the update and with no word on the development blog I'm confused if this release is actually different. I'm finding a lot of issues still present (does anyone find the sounds are way too loud?) and the design has not been perfected yet.
I'm going to be harsh here, but this is the worse release of Messenger I have had experience of. No new features, more bloat and a general lack of improvement all add up to a poor release. The installer also has issues (I didn't click agree or navigate anything). Who is the project manager?
Messenger Plus! Live works perfectly with the new build but I'm not sure current 8.5 skins will work (some may, some may not, I will confirm later).
>> View screenshots of the update
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1302.1018
>> Download A-Patch for the new build
>> Source: mess.be
Skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.5
on Tue 04 Sep 2007 (21:31 GMT)
on Tue 04 Sep 2007 (21:31 GMT)
Just a quick post here to tell all you Messenger skin lovers out there using Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta that there are a few skins available for you to use.
Are there any good ones worth noting? Not really, however, you can try Ev0, Vista Live Messenger or Windows Aero Messenger for Windows Live Messenger 8.1.
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta
>> View our skins database
Are there any good ones worth noting? Not really, however, you can try Ev0, Vista Live Messenger or Windows Aero Messenger for Windows Live Messenger 8.1.
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta
>> View our skins database
A unique Vista skin: Windows Aero Messenger
on Sun 29 Jul 2007 (19:14 GMT)
on Sun 29 Jul 2007 (19:14 GMT)
Rejoice skin lovers, a great skin for Windows Live Messenger has been updated and you can finally use it after months of development. One of the most popular skins for Messenger, Windows Aero Messenger has been updated to work with Windows Live Messenger 8.1. The update has 6 themes based on Microsoft's Windows Vista Aero theme, a popular skinning theme for many years now.
Unlike other Vista skins it has some unique qualities. It has a range of interesting colours and some cool features and buttons Windows Live Messenger has failed to use. It has always been an impressive skin.
I don't like talking about skins too much, because you need to look at them yourself. All I can say is this is one of the good skins out there, and you should definitely give it a go.
>> View a screenshot of Windows Aero Messenger
>> Download Windows Aero Messenger
>> View our skins database
Unlike other Vista skins it has some unique qualities. It has a range of interesting colours and some cool features and buttons Windows Live Messenger has failed to use. It has always been an impressive skin.
I don't like talking about skins too much, because you need to look at them yourself. All I can say is this is one of the good skins out there, and you should definitely give it a go.
>> View a screenshot of Windows Aero Messenger
>> Download Windows Aero Messenger
>> View our skins database
Vista Live Messenger update for 8.1
on Sun 01 Jul 2007 (17:59 GMT)
on Sun 01 Jul 2007 (17:59 GMT)
Vista Live Messenger is probably the most popular skin for Windows Live Messenger. We have covered a range of news posts on it (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and I'm happy to announce it has been updated to work with Windows Live Messenger 8.1.
The skin has some small changes to it, and simple things really make it blend in with Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista. The skin deserves credit, it is rare we see a skin of such good quality. I highly recommend this using it.
>> Download Vista Live Messenger from Deviantart
>> Download Vista Live Messenger in-house
>> View our skins database
The skin has some small changes to it, and simple things really make it blend in with Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista. The skin deserves credit, it is rare we see a skin of such good quality. I highly recommend this using it.
>> Download Vista Live Messenger from Deviantart
>> Download Vista Live Messenger in-house
>> View our skins database
Another Vista Live Messenger update
on Wed 23 May 2007 (14:46 GMT)
on Wed 23 May 2007 (14:46 GMT)
You may remember the new version of the popular Vista Live Messenger skin that is currently being in development for Windows Live Messenger 8.1.
Yesterday another screenshot was posted by Stianu, one of the creators, showing recent work made on the skin. This skin just keeps getting better, I wonder how long it will be until it is released?
>> View the new screenshot
>> Download Vista Live Messenger (for WLM 8.0)
>> View our skins database
Yesterday another screenshot was posted by Stianu, one of the creators, showing recent work made on the skin. This skin just keeps getting better, I wonder how long it will be until it is released?
>> View the new screenshot
>> Download Vista Live Messenger (for WLM 8.0)
>> View our skins database
Vista Live Messenger update
on Sat 05 May 2007 (14:49 GMT)
on Sat 05 May 2007 (14:49 GMT)
Here is some quick news, fresh in. Vista Live Messenger is a skin currently out for Windows Live Messenger 8.0, and is in development to update it for 8.1. The skin is based around the Aero theme of Windows Vista.
This skin is very popular, and I know you guys love it. Stianu has just released another screenshot showing exactly what they have been doing the past few weeks.
>> View the screenshot
>> Download Vista Live Messenger (for WLM 8.0)
>> View our skins database
This skin is very popular, and I know you guys love it. Stianu has just released another screenshot showing exactly what they have been doing the past few weeks.
>> View the screenshot
>> Download Vista Live Messenger (for WLM 8.0)
>> View our skins database
Windows Live Messenger skins database!
on Mon 30 Apr 2007 (17:31 GMT)
on Mon 30 Apr 2007 (17:31 GMT)
I think a 'whoo-hoo' is in order here. I have added the big list of skins that I had on the liveskins page of this website into the downloads database. This means you won't find any broken URL's, and you can browse a large variety of skins ready to customise Windows Live Messenger.
I have also been searching hard for new skins, and the database is now up-to-date. There are also some very goods skins out at the moment. Enjoy!
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.0
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.1
>> View our skinning tutorial
I have also been searching hard for new skins, and the database is now up-to-date. There are also some very goods skins out at the moment. Enjoy!
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.0
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger 8.1
>> View our skinning tutorial
Upcoming: Vista Live Messenger for Messenger 8.1
on Wed 18 Apr 2007 (20:59 GMT)
on Wed 18 Apr 2007 (20:59 GMT)
The highly popular skin Vista Live Messenger started development again today, with the 3 creators Stian, Willz and iPab springing into action changing Messenger to look and feel like Windows Vista.
The skin has proved to be very popular, and I'm constantly being emailed about installing it as well as people requesting an update. Now the skin is now being designed for Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (finally) and the future looks even brighter. Just take a look at the image below:
>> Discuss the new skin in our forums
>> Download Vista Live Messenger (for Messenger 8.0)
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger
>> Learn how to skin via our skinning tutorial
The skin has proved to be very popular, and I'm constantly being emailed about installing it as well as people requesting an update. Now the skin is now being designed for Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (finally) and the future looks even brighter. Just take a look at the image below:
>> Discuss the new skin in our forums
>> Download Vista Live Messenger (for Messenger 8.0)
>> View skins for Windows Live Messenger
>> Learn how to skin via our skinning tutorial
EvO, a skin to get excited about
on Mon 26 Mar 2007 (18:00 GMT)
on Mon 26 Mar 2007 (18:00 GMT)
Themes for Messenger have been in a downward spiral for a while now, and the classic skinners have disappeared. Windows Live Messenger has started to develop a boring look. Most skinners have great ideas, but they rarely come together well, there are often flaws at the end result, in fact I have only found 3 skins which I deem to be a good quality. They are Vista Live Messenger, Messed Skin and EvO.
EvO has been out for a few months now, but it came out just before Windows Live Messenger 8.1, and the skin was only compatible with 8.0. This affected its popularity. Today Willz, the creator of the skin released the 8.1 compatible version, and it does not disappoint.
The skin is so easy to use, its NSIS installer is impressive and gives you a lot of choice. This makes it so much more user friendly, and will hopefully same me and my admins having to reply to a flood of emails I get about installing skins.
It has the simplicity of a Mac, but with great attention to detail. You can certainly tell this is not a rushed project. However I have to be picky about the contact list, my contacts appear very cramped together, some padding between them will really make this skin shine. Also the background colour in the conversions is a little too much. That being said this is a very good skin and I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
>> Download EvO
>> View our selection of screenshots (White edition with Sky Blue)
>> Visit the official website
>> View our selection of Windows Live Messenger skins (just updated)
>> View our skinning tutorial
EvO has been out for a few months now, but it came out just before Windows Live Messenger 8.1, and the skin was only compatible with 8.0. This affected its popularity. Today Willz, the creator of the skin released the 8.1 compatible version, and it does not disappoint.
The skin is so easy to use, its NSIS installer is impressive and gives you a lot of choice. This makes it so much more user friendly, and will hopefully same me and my admins having to reply to a flood of emails I get about installing skins.
It has the simplicity of a Mac, but with great attention to detail. You can certainly tell this is not a rushed project. However I have to be picky about the contact list, my contacts appear very cramped together, some padding between them will really make this skin shine. Also the background colour in the conversions is a little too much. That being said this is a very good skin and I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
>> Download EvO
>> View our selection of screenshots (White edition with Sky Blue)
>> Visit the official website
>> View our selection of Windows Live Messenger skins (just updated)
>> View our skinning tutorial
Want to change the look of Messenger?
on Sun 25 Feb 2007 (19:14 GMT)
on Sun 25 Feb 2007 (19:14 GMT)
Skins, they are still there, just about. A few months ago I created a page containing a list of skins I found for Windows Live Messenger. Today I updated that page listing the two skins I have found for Windows Live Messenger 8.1. Check it out if you want to change the look of your Messenger. Enjoy!
>> Skins for Windows Live Messenger
>> Skins for Windows Live Messenger
What's happened to skinning Messenger?
on Tue 09 Jan 2007 (20:52 GMT)
on Tue 09 Jan 2007 (20:52 GMT)
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 ...
Why Windows Live Messenger 8.1 has turned out wrong
on Tue 31 Oct 2006 (16:48 GMT)
on Tue 31 Oct 2006 (16:48 GMT)
It's all good every Messenger website telling everyone there is a new beta out, yes I think everyone knows that. However I don't think people are expressing their views enough. This update is meant to fix all the problems Windows Live Messenger has, but Microsoft seems to think that only means bugs.
I actually can't use Windows Live Messenger properly, because my Windows XP machine with 256MB RAM is having serious troubles. Messenger is taking up a whole fifth of my resources (51MB!), which is just ridiculous! Messenger is meant to run in the background and tell me when someone wants to chat, what happened to the purpose of the program?
I'm looking at my contact list without being patched, and I just think Messenger looks incredibly ugly. Why, because it is bloated. I don't want to know about my pending messages, I don't want to search for a contact, or know every activity my contact is doing.
So what does Windows Live Messenger need? Nothing. It needs nothing new, it needs improving. Yes, you may be thinking skins and extensions. Well you can already do that, they are just are awfully done making the feature near to useless. Add-ins took the extensions idea and spat on it, someone must of gone through some stress to produce the add-ins feature and they were never given the right time or tools to complete it properly.
Also here comes my rants about the installer. The installer is the first thing you notice when you download a program. So why does Microsoft pump out a slow, ugly and buggy installers to us all? They set a negative image for the program from the moment someone uses it, it needs changing.
This is what I say, this post was never meant to be nasty to the team. This is my way of expressing my views and hoping someone can do something about them. In conclusion Windows Live Messenger is the corny and bloated version of MSN Messenger, thanks to it's new best friend Mr. Windows Live. Bug fixes are not improvements. The team should take what they have done with the sign in feature and apply that time and effort into all the current features. I just hope I'm not alone, after all my views are useless to add if everyone else thinks they are crap.
Ah, this post got slightly too long, whatever happened to my simple idea, d'oh.
I actually can't use Windows Live Messenger properly, because my Windows XP machine with 256MB RAM is having serious troubles. Messenger is taking up a whole fifth of my resources (51MB!), which is just ridiculous! Messenger is meant to run in the background and tell me when someone wants to chat, what happened to the purpose of the program?
I'm looking at my contact list without being patched, and I just think Messenger looks incredibly ugly. Why, because it is bloated. I don't want to know about my pending messages, I don't want to search for a contact, or know every activity my contact is doing.
So what does Windows Live Messenger need? Nothing. It needs nothing new, it needs improving. Yes, you may be thinking skins and extensions. Well you can already do that, they are just are awfully done making the feature near to useless. Add-ins took the extensions idea and spat on it, someone must of gone through some stress to produce the add-ins feature and they were never given the right time or tools to complete it properly.
Also here comes my rants about the installer. The installer is the first thing you notice when you download a program. So why does Microsoft pump out a slow, ugly and buggy installers to us all? They set a negative image for the program from the moment someone uses it, it needs changing.
This is what I say, this post was never meant to be nasty to the team. This is my way of expressing my views and hoping someone can do something about them. In conclusion Windows Live Messenger is the corny and bloated version of MSN Messenger, thanks to it's new best friend Mr. Windows Live. Bug fixes are not improvements. The team should take what they have done with the sign in feature and apply that time and effort into all the current features. I just hope I'm not alone, after all my views are useless to add if everyone else thinks they are crap.
Ah, this post got slightly too long, whatever happened to my simple idea, d'oh.
Skins for Windows Live Messenger
on Mon 23 Oct 2006 (13:36 GMT)
on Mon 23 Oct 2006 (13:36 GMT)
There used to be literally hundreds of skins for MSN Messenger, it was simple to skin, and there were many installer scripts around. With Windows Live Messenger comes slightly harder skinning and the loss of Jamach, the guy who would complier most installers. This resulted in less skins being made.
The skins I have found only work on certain builds. They all should work on any of the non-beta releases of Windows Live Messenger 8.0. Some come with an installer, others require you to overwrite a file:
You simply have to copy and paste msgres.dll into C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger overwriting the current file. Make sure you close Windows Live Messenger down first and make a backup of the old msgres.dll file beforehand, just in case you want to remove the skin.
Well here are the skins. Enjoy!
>> Vista Dark Blue Messenger
>> WLM Ixtli Skin
>> WLMBlackVista
>> Serbian Live Messenger
>> Windows Live Black Vista
>> Vista Live Messenger
>> Wlm Zex [screenshot]
>> Mess With Messenger
>> WMP 11
>> View our skinning tutorial
The skins I have found only work on certain builds. They all should work on any of the non-beta releases of Windows Live Messenger 8.0. Some come with an installer, others require you to overwrite a file:
You simply have to copy and paste msgres.dll into C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger overwriting the current file. Make sure you close Windows Live Messenger down first and make a backup of the old msgres.dll file beforehand, just in case you want to remove the skin.
Well here are the skins. Enjoy!
>> Vista Dark Blue Messenger
>> WLM Ixtli Skin
>> WLMBlackVista
>> Serbian Live Messenger
>> Windows Live Black Vista
>> Vista Live Messenger
>> Wlm Zex [screenshot]
>> Mess With Messenger
>> WMP 11
>> View our skinning tutorial
MemSkin+ 1.1 beta now out
on Sun 15 Oct 2006 (12:20 GMT)
on Sun 15 Oct 2006 (12:20 GMT)
MemSkin+ is a funky little program designed for MSN and Windows Live Messenger that has changed the face of skinning, by allowing you to select a skin you want to use for Messenger. It works by taking a resource file and loading it in Messenger's resources, replacing Messenger's default uifiles and images. The program works like a dream, however not many skins have been made for it yet.
The 1.1 update allows more compatibility with Messenger Plus! Live, but the most exciting feature now allows you to change skins without restarting Messenger! It's a great idea and a great program, let's hope some good skins come out for it soon.
>> Visit the MemSkin+ website
The 1.1 update allows more compatibility with Messenger Plus! Live, but the most exciting feature now allows you to change skins without restarting Messenger! It's a great idea and a great program, let's hope some good skins come out for it soon.
>> Visit the MemSkin+ website
Windows Live Mail moves up to M8
on Sun 08 Oct 2006 (10:52 GMT)
on Sun 08 Oct 2006 (10:52 GMT)
The Windows Live Mail team have updated their product to M8 (Milestone 8), included in this release is the updated 'flare' design that nearly all Windows Live products share.
This update includes:
- "Send email as ..." feature allowing users to send mail from other email addresses
- More contact display options
- A contact importer
- Better and quicker navigating using your browser's back and forward buttons
- Choose skins not just colours
Not all servers are running M8 yet as it is being rolled out over a few weeks to make the update smoother, so to see it in action sign in and head over to http://by117w.bay117.mail.live.com which it is already running on.
It is thought that this will be the final version of Windows Live Mail before it's release which is set for around the end of October or the start of November. With the release, the @live email addresses should finally be available. It is now known that these new email addresses should be available at most local domains (e.g. @live.co.uk, and possibly @livemail.fr) as well as @live.com and @windowslive.com.
>> Source: LiveSide
>> Windows Live Mail team blog post
This update includes:
- "Send email as ..." feature allowing users to send mail from other email addresses
- More contact display options
- A contact importer
- Better and quicker navigating using your browser's back and forward buttons
- Choose skins not just colours
Not all servers are running M8 yet as it is being rolled out over a few weeks to make the update smoother, so to see it in action sign in and head over to http://by117w.bay117.mail.live.com which it is already running on.
It is thought that this will be the final version of Windows Live Mail before it's release which is set for around the end of October or the start of November. With the release, the @live email addresses should finally be available. It is now known that these new email addresses should be available at most local domains (e.g. @live.co.uk, and possibly @livemail.fr) as well as @live.com and @windowslive.com.
>> Source: LiveSide
>> Windows Live Mail team blog post
Upcoming: Vista Live Messenger
on 05 Aug 2006
on 05 Aug 2006
Since we first saw the beginning of Windows Live Messenger skinning changed. The PNG format had been replaced by the .rle extension, totally turning the skinning world up-side down as there were no images we could edit. Over time people like TheSteve learnt a lot about the .rle extension and started to crack it or certain parts of it. Still a 100% solution has not been found and skinning therefore has become harder, much harder, leaving skinners to manually code the PNG's back in. However, over the past few weeks I have seen some great new skins, and here is one of them ...
Vista Live Messenger is a stunning skin made by Stian and Blue Eyes, designed to make Windows Live Messenger look and feel like Vista's Aero theme. The graphics made by Stian are amazing, it takes real talent to come up with great ideas and then make them alive, it can be seriously hard work.
Skinning is not just about images, no, far from it. There are some nasty things called uifiles, but if you know how to use them your skins can become something special. Blue Eyes has used these well, things have been moved around, bloated parts of Windows Live Messenger have been removed, and some funky menu's etc have been added. It takes a lot of time to get the effect he has, and using the skin myself all I can say is wow.
Vista Live Messenger is just one of the skins I have seen. Other great skinners are working on some fantastic skins as well and you can look forward to them to. You can't really talk about skins too much, the screenshot will speak for itself and when Vista Live Messenger is out, you can be sure to see it posted right here.
>> Download Vista Live Messenger for Windows Live Messenger 8.0
>> Download Vista Live Messenger for Windows Live Messenger 8.1
>> View our guide on installing skins
>> View a screenshot of Vista Live Messenger
>> View msgstuff's skinning tutorial
Vista Live Messenger is a stunning skin made by Stian and Blue Eyes, designed to make Windows Live Messenger look and feel like Vista's Aero theme. The graphics made by Stian are amazing, it takes real talent to come up with great ideas and then make them alive, it can be seriously hard work.
Skinning is not just about images, no, far from it. There are some nasty things called uifiles, but if you know how to use them your skins can become something special. Blue Eyes has used these well, things have been moved around, bloated parts of Windows Live Messenger have been removed, and some funky menu's etc have been added. It takes a lot of time to get the effect he has, and using the skin myself all I can say is wow.
Vista Live Messenger is just one of the skins I have seen. Other great skinners are working on some fantastic skins as well and you can look forward to them to. You can't really talk about skins too much, the screenshot will speak for itself and when Vista Live Messenger is out, you can be sure to see it posted right here.
>> Download Vista Live Messenger for Windows Live Messenger 8.0
>> Download Vista Live Messenger for Windows Live Messenger 8.1
>> View our guide on installing skins
>> View a screenshot of Vista Live Messenger
>> View msgstuff's skinning tutorial
Skinning Windows Live Messenger ... is 100% possible again!
on 03 Apr 2006
on 03 Apr 2006
MSN Messenger has a beautiful long streak of exciting and unique skins, which are easy to download and install. But big bad Windows Live Messenger made this impossible when it was first released making it seem like skinning was part of the past. However, over the months and with people like TB and TheSteve we have found alternatives to break these preventions and the first skin previews came rolling in.
Today the last piece of the puzzle was found; Monkey posted how he found a way to fix the slicing up of the buddy icons, which previously could not be skinned due to the format they were in and how they were coded into the uifiles. Now with this, skinning is 100% possible to do again, that's right no setbacks to what MSN Messenger was.
That being said skinning is much harder than it used to be. You need to learn some important stuff to achieve skinning and coding the images back in will take much longer than before thus meaning there will probably be less skins and they will take longer to release. Nevertheless, the skins released will be by the best skinners around so quality is going way up for sure and it is quality over quantity. When the first skins are released you can be sure to get them right here.
Today the last piece of the puzzle was found; Monkey posted how he found a way to fix the slicing up of the buddy icons, which previously could not be skinned due to the format they were in and how they were coded into the uifiles. Now with this, skinning is 100% possible to do again, that's right no setbacks to what MSN Messenger was.
That being said skinning is much harder than it used to be. You need to learn some important stuff to achieve skinning and coding the images back in will take much longer than before thus meaning there will probably be less skins and they will take longer to release. Nevertheless, the skins released will be by the best skinners around so quality is going way up for sure and it is quality over quantity. When the first skins are released you can be sure to get them right here.