Messenger Stuff: MSN and Windows Live Messenger News

Change your contact list's background with Background Changer

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:48:25 GMT

You may or may not know that you can give your contact list an image background by placing a compatible image within your Messenger directory. This adds an extra layer of depth to the customization of Windows Live Messenger, but is often missed by users as the option isn't accessible within Messenger's preferences.

Background Changer is a Messenger Plus! Live script that easily allows you to browse and select an image to use as a background. Created by Veggie and CookieRevised, this script is well written and easy to use. Its simplicity should not be underestimated, particularly if you love to customize Messenger to make it your own.

>> Download Background Changer (requires Messenger Plus! Live)

Windows Live Messenger 10: Tabbed chatting coming?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:57:28 GMT

Perhaps one of the most overdue and speculated features of Windows Live Messenger's history is the prospect of tabbed chats within conversations. Back in March 2006 project manager of Windows Live Messenger at the time, Leah Pearlman told the Messenger community about the idea of tabbed chatting:

Tabbed conversation windows. I don't know when we'll do it, but it's on the list.

Shortly after, popular add-on Messenger Plus! provided an effective third party solution, although StuffPlug did provide a basic tabbed conversation feature since MSN Messenger 6.2. Since then with every new major build of MSN/ Windows Live Messenger the development team have hinted at introducing such a feature. Now LiveSino are reporting the feature to be confirmed (originally translated from Chinese):

I've used M1 version, there is already a tab chat feature.

Of course the source in question is neither public or reliable, but rumor and speculation aside I cannot see a reason to why Windows Live Messenger 2010 would leave this feature out.

>> Source: arstechnica via LiveSide

Mandatory update to Windows Live Messenger 2009 explained

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:19:54 GMT

Over the past couple of months Microsoft have been rolling out prompts to optionally upgrade to Windows Live Messenger 2009 while discontinuing support for older versions of their popular IM client. This is common practice and the schedule has been published well in advance. As ever with these updates there have been a series of requests to keep using an older version of Messenger and this post is an attempt to persuade otherwise.

Why do I have to update?

Quiet simply, older versions of Windows Live Messenger have several security holes, bugs and compatibility issues. In order to keep the service running smoothly Microsoft aims to keep its users using the latest versions of MSN/ Windows Live Messenger.

Can I still use Windows Live Messenger 8.1 or 8.5?

Officially no. If you attempt to sign in using either version a message will be displayed asking you to update and the sign-in process will be terminated. However, it is still possible to "trick" the servers into thinking you're using a newer version of Messenger. You can read some instructions on how to do that here. This however is highly unrecommended as you are exposing yourself to many security threats as explained by this Micrsoft Security Advisory (973882) article.

What are the problems with using an outdated version?

Messenger expert and enthusiast CookieRevised, who has voiced strong concerns over users attempting to use older and unsupported versions of Windows Live Messenger had this to say:

There is actually no reason why you should not update... except for the looks maybe (but that can be altered with Plus! skinning). Moreover, not updating means that you will be vulnerable to possible bugs, and even worse, security issues.

Common problems and solutions

Many thanks to MeEtc over at the Messenger Plus! Forums for supplying this information.

I get an error saying "Windows Live Communication Platform has encountered an Error" and Messenger will not run.
Windows Live Support has found a fix for this issue and posted it on their blog: http://messenger-support.spaces.live.com/blog/cns...8B853F!15941.entry

I don't like how the new version looks. How can I change it?
There are a few ways that the interface has changed. First is the addition of scenes. When a conversation window is open with a contact, their scene and background colour will automatically be applied. This can be changed by going to Tools > Options and select "Use Default Scene" from any conversation window.
Second, using a Messenger Plus! skin can change the interface completely.

Not-so-speedy-speedlinking: October 2009 catchup

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:35:49 GMT

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted here so I feel I owe an explanation. Having just started university things have been a bit manic and with Halloween being tonight, I thought I should squeeze in a post before venturing out.

Messenger Plus! 4.83: Patchou has released a small update for Messenger Plus! Live which addresses some bugs and compatibility issues, whilst removing traces of the recent contest. [Read more]
MessengerDiscovery 3.0 plans: Matt, the creator of MessengerDiscovery has already outlined the program's future development plans. Perhaps the most notable new feature on the list is the end of the proxy connections and the application becoming open source to encourage other developers to migrate to Messenger. [Read more]
eBuddy receives a re-code: The hit web messenger eBuddy is working on a new web messenger, from the ground up, drawing on newer technologies and better user-interaction. A sleeker interface, along with greater depth for customization and a new layer of polish ensures the service stays up to date with this fast moving industry. [Read more]
Interview with Marcus Schmidt: Marketing manager over at Microsoft, Marcus Schmidt reveals his personal thoughts about the future of Windows Live Messenger and what he would like to see in the upcoming Wave 4 series of Windows Live products. [Read more]
A standalone web messenger from Microsoft: Microsoft Singapore have released their own web messenger client based on the Messenger API library. As the old Microsoft web messenger was recently discontinued for one built inside of Windows Live Hotmail this is an interesting move, yet one that should please those seeking a fully featured, yet non-bloated client on the web. [Give it a go]

Microsoft investigating 'Thousands of Hotmail passwords leaked online'

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:39:00 GMT

Microsoft are today investigating a report by technology website Neowin.net that over 10,000 Hotmail account passwords have been posted online, through the debugging website pastebin.com. According to the technology site, the details posted are real user's account details and not simply made up. The details have since been removed from the site.

Users are advised to change their passwords and as a extra precaution change their security question.

Microsoft said in a statement to the BBC News website that they are currently "investigating the situation and will take appropriate steps as rapidly as possible".

Update:
Microsoft have confirmed on their Windows Live Wire blog that the account passwords being leaked are likely due to the result of a phishing attack as they have "determined that this was not a breach of internal Microsoft data". If you believe you have been a victim of phishing, you should change your password and ensure your computer has up to date antivirus protection. Messenger Stuff recommends the recently released Microsoft Security Essentials software for protection which is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7.

>> What to do if you think your account has been stolen
>> Change your Hotmail password and security question
>> News Source: Neowin.net - Thousands of hotmail passwords leaked online
>> View Microsoft's statement: BBC News - Hotmail accounts 'posted online'

Connecting the social: BuddyFuse enters public release

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:34:23 GMT

BuddyFuse is an add-on that integrates Twitter, Google Talk and the social networking website, Hyves into Windows Live Messenger. We've been talking about it over the past couple of months, giving previews of its development cycle and today its creator Juzzi has released a build for public download.

In the current version, you can add your accounts from Google, Twitter and Hyves (a popular Dutch social network). Once you have added your Google account, all your Google Talk chat contacts will be loaded into Messenger. When your friends are online on Google Talk you can chat with them just like with regular Messenger buddies. Our Twitter support currently means BuddyFuse can automatically Tweet your Messenger personal message status updates. In the video below you see how everything works

BuddyFuse has been in private testing for some months now and with new features on the horizon the program should shape to be one of the most popular and useful add-ons for Microsoft's hit IM client.

>> Download BuddyFuse for Windows Live Messenger
>> BuddyFuse blog: BuddyFuse now available

Snow Leopard skin for Windows Live Messenger 2009

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:32:41 GMT

Here is a skin I've come across a couple of weeks ago for Windows Live Messenger 2009. Snow Leopard skin, based on Apple's new version of OS X 10.6 that was released last month is designed to make Messenger look like Apple's popular operating system UI.

Personally, I think this skin several flaws as it places too much emphasis on Leopard's style wallpaper, rather than the clean, slate feel of other Apple products e.g. iTunes. What makes this interesting is that others don't seem to agree and it has become one of the most popular skins created for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger. The skin has had over 1 million downloads despite still being in its beta stage.

If this skin looks appealing to you, then I recommend giving it ago as it is one of the fastest growing skins I've seen in terms of popularity for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger and its creator, coolzee deserves great credit for that achievement.

>> Download Snow Leopard skin for Windows Live Messenger 2009 (requires Messenger Plus! Live)

What do users want from Windows Live Messenger 10?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:17:29 GMT

With Windows Live Wave 4 already appearing in several Microsoft products, it is only a matter of time until we hear news about Windows Live Messenger 10. I asked members of the Messenger Plus! community forums to provide their opinions and tell me what they wanted out of Messenger in Windows Live Wave 4. Below is a summary of their responses:

Integration with social networking websites i.e. Facebook
Bigger display pictures by default
Tabbed chatting (we've heard this one before)
A clean up of the program's UI design
Fix server issues where messages become undelivered
More customisable toast alerts
The ability to choose which side of the conversation display pictures appear on
The option to turn off cleartype font rendering

You can see our list of wanted features from many months ago. From what I've noticed the list is not concerned with big new features, but minor tweaks to enchant what appears to be a rich IM experience. However, I always felt Windows Live Messenger 2009 was about that anyway. Nevertheless Microsoft needs to bring something unique to the table in order to get out of the rather piecemeal updates we have seen since the beginning of Windows Live Messenger.

As ever please drop a comment with your ideas, you never know who is reading.

Beta test MessengerDiscovery with Facebook Chat integration

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:12:01 GMT

A couple of weeks ago we stumbled upon a new feature coming to MessengerDiscovery and today Facebook Chat comes to Windows Live Messenger with the public beta test of MessengerDiscovery 2.1.

As promised, everyone can now download and install the latest version of MessengerDiscovery - version 2.1. Everyone is invited to test this new version and report bugs/give feedback. MessengerDiscovery 2.1 has been in development for three of months and has undergone some rigerious testing to ensure that you do not encounter any major bugs even though it is a beta.

The feature seems really useful for those into the popular social networking website Facebook, which for me personally is the main way to contact my friends aside from my mobile phone. Hopefully Microsoft has a first party solution coming too in Windows Live Messenger 10.

>> View screenshots of MessengerDiscovery with Facebook Chat integration
>> Download MessengerDiscovery 2.1 beta

Windows Live Wave 4 surfaces: Starting with Hotmail

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:42:35 GMT

After many months of rumor and speculation there appears to have been a drop in the ocean, and with it the start of Windows Live Wave 4. Windows Live Hotmail has received some changes that are being rolled out throughout September it what appears to be the start of a new series of Windows Live milestone updates.

So what about Messenger? Well Windows Live Messenger 10 is not specifically targeted here, but as Hotmail and Microsoft's IM client are closely related one can expect some light to breakthrough soon. For now however, we can only continue to speculate. Below is a list of the changes in Milestone 1 of Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4 (thanks to LiveSide and our own mynetx).

Auto Refresh of Inbox: Inbox is refreshed when a user is logged into WebIM, instead of after 60 seconds.
Auto save Drafts: emails automatically saved to drafts as they are composed. Current auto save is set to 3 minutes.
Keyboard Shortcuts: �Lots of keyboard shortcuts, including shortcuts to match both Yahoo and Gmail.� Here�s a list of the keyboard shortcuts.
Contact Picker Improvements:
1. edit contacts in compose
2. recent email data used in auto-complete and contact picker
3. copy/paste enabled in IE
4. a �verify recipients� feature added
Download all attachments: multiple attachments to an email downloaded together as a .zip file.
WebIM Contact List: �view online contacts� added.
Mobile browser improvements: backend changes to improve mobile performance.
Action Bar at bottom of page: Reply/Forward/Delete is now available from both the top and bottom of an email.

Facebook chat integration coming to MessengerDiscovery

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:07:06 GMT

Last month's update to MessengerDiscovery was by no means the end of a heavy development period. A couple of days ago, the program's developer, Matt posted within his forums that he was continuing with development:

It has been a couple months since a major update but I am happy to announce that MessengerDiscovery 2 is back into full-time development. Along with a new MessengerDiscovery version I will be announcing/releasing a few new products that I've been working on during my big break.

Within the last hour details of the update surfaced on the MessengerDiscovery Twitter feed, where three tweets giving light on a Facebook chat integration feature were posted. The tweets [1] [2] [3] read:

This looks very exciting, but we will have to wait and see how well the feature is implemented and what changes it brings to the Messenger experience.

>> View a screenshot of the new Facebook chat integration inside MessengerDiscovery

What's going on with msgstuff.com? 2.0 is here!

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:05:10 GMT

OK, I don't think I've done one of these posts in years, and in many ways they are overdue. I think it's time to let you readers know what's going on with Messenger Stuff and the updates that have been going on around the website.

Messenger Stuff receives a major annual release at the end of August/ start of September. This year the update came in a beta wave, before the full release being uploaded a couple of weeks ago. This time we hit the major milestone of 2.0, which took over four years to arrive. Below is a breakdown of the history of releases:

1.0 (1st July 2005): The initial release of Messenger Stuff.

1.1, 1.2: Were piecemeal updates leading up to 1.3 as 1.0 contained very little content.

1.3 (19th February 2006) - Brought about the basics of this news system and created the very first admin panel along with mod_rewrite links. Basically this was the start of the engine used today.

1.5 (23rd April 2006): One of the biggest updates to the website. The downloads database was re-coded, admins had a new dashboard to work from.

The first year was the slowest year by far. A lot was done and achieved, and Messenger Stuff was rather popular even in its early days. Soon we were recording podcasts. adding constant design updates and lots of content. This occurred in the days when I had a significant amount of free time and passion. In many ways the following years have flown on by.

1.6 (26th August 2006): An entire re-code of the website resulted in a more polished engine and design for users to enjoy. The update added a complete news system, while molding several new features into place. 1.6.1 - 1.6.5 soon followed over the year.

1.7 (10th September 2007): Many of the features you see on the website today have been nearly untouched since this major release. Granted a few tweaks have been added here and there, but the bulk of the MsgStuff engine that runs today was built on 1.7.

1.8 (8th September 2008): A major design shift, moving away from the deep blues and larger header we used for years. A comments spam system, among SEO urls and a general sense of organisation throughout the website were probably among the biggest improvements in this milestone.

Changes in Messenger Stuff 2.0

Asides from the new design with a darker blue background and new textures, much of the changes have been "under the hood" so to speak. Most changes are within the admin panel and the news system. I feel I have reached the point where Messenger Stuff doesn't need much more, aside from content being regularly delivered and maybe a face-lift from time to time. This brief history has, in many ways been a post for myself, as I've had the chance to look over all of our old admin posts and change logs to see how Messenger Stuff has developed over the years.

I would like to thank you, the users for your support and feedback, and my admins who have contributed throughout the years. None of this would have been possible without you. Now, let me find some real news to post about ...

Time to update: Microsoft soon enforcing users to install latest Messenger

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:27:55 GMT

The phenomenon of Microsoft enforcing mandatory updates to MSN/ Windows Live Messenger are not uncommon. Although much of these are claimed to be "security" focused, there is the case that Microsoft rightly prefers users to be using the latest protocol their client can communicate with to avoid server issues. Still, for many users using older versions of Messenger, this is a pain as there is a significant amount of people choosing to use an older, outdated build. Below is a breakdown of the current schedule of mandatory upgrades coming within the next couple of months:

August 25th: Message displayed to users using versions 8.1 and 8.5 to optionally upgrade
Mid-September: Those using versions 8.1 or 8.5 will be locked out of the Messenger service and forced to upgrade
Early-October: Users using an outdated version of Windows Live Messenger 2009 will receive the option to upgrade
Late-October: Those using older versions of Windows Live Messenger 9 will be locked out of the Messenger service and forced to upgrade

To conclude, this series will stop users normally being able to sign into Windows Live Messenger versions 8.1 and 8.5, while also making those who haven't updated to the second QFE patch to do so by the end of October.

>> Source: The MessengerSays blog

QFE patch updates Windows Live Messenger to build 14.0.8089.726

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:56:07 GMT

With the release of Windows Live Movie Maker this week, the second QFE (Quick Fix Engineering) patch has been released for the Windows Live Wave 3 cycle, updating the entire range of Windows Live desktop applications, including Windows Live Messenger.

Microsoft have not confirmed what the update provides, but one can assume it is security or integration with Windows Live Movie Maker related. The release does not fix the large personal message bug we talked about earlier in the week. Jonathan-Kay has provided a msi file for each installer over at his blog.

This release does not appear to conflict with add-ons such as Messenger Plus! Live and Willz has confirmed skins are unaffected.

>> Download Windows Live Messenger

5 tips for being a secure Messenger user

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:51:14 GMT

As viruses, backdoors, Trojan horses, even root kits are commonly spread these days, you should pay close attention while using Windows Live Messenger in order to maintain your own and your computer's safety. Here are some tips that help you to stay secure:

Do not click every link you receive.
Be careful about strange instant messages, even when they are sent by contacts you know. There are bad people stealing the passwords of Windows Live IDs in order to send unsolicited messages, also known as SPIM.
Do not accept every contact that is adding you.
Watch out when accepting people into your contact list. Do you really know who they are? Before talking too intensely with new buddies, ask yourself: "Would I invite this person into my house in real life?" If you doubt, then why meet virtually.
Think before sending personal information to buddies.
Would you note down your mobile phone number and publish the piece of paper in your city's public square? No? So you see how vital it is to be careful about which personal information you share with people you do not really know, especially your real name, address, date of birth or any phone numbers. Microsoft or Windows Live will never contact you about your Windows Live ID password, so don't tell anybody your password, regardless of what they claim to be.
Do not blindly accept all files that are sent to you.
Files are the worst thing when it comes to virus danger. Accept only files where you know the con?tents, and only accept files that are sent to you by people you know you can trust. Always use a virus scanner to avoid random infections of your system. Be sure to keep a cur?rent back-up of all important data on your computer on an external device that is not connected normally.
Use your common sense.
If something sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true.