Blog list: Messenger Peeps
1:40 pm - April 21, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
Author Archive
More on Windows Live Hack Day
1:57 pm - April 24, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
guest posted by Program Manager, James
What’s better than a company that gives out free coffee and soda at any time of the day? How about a company that not only asks it’s employees to hack up pre-release software, but bribes them with free food, beer, and prizes to do it!
I went to Windows Live Hack Day this year intending to help those people who wanted to hack Windows Live Messenger. As I watched things go on I felt like all I needed was a roving camera and a podcast web site to become a Diggnation host. (trackback-http://revision3.com/diggnation)
I was the lucky program manager to give a presentation on Add-ins, these cool new things Messenger has coming soon to a download link near you. Think of add-ins as electrical outlets. Developers can write their own code, plug it in to messenger and cool things happen.
At the end of the day, we (platform developer Katie and I) received five completed add-in submissions. The winner was a customized-per-buddy auto-responder. With this add-in, this guy made it so Messenger sent back different auto-responses based which buddies IMed him. Second place went to a developer who built a paternity-leave auto-responder. As people IMed him, his Messenger automatically responded, informing the buddy that he was gone for a month of paternity leave.
There was so much excitement around the fact that Messenger is putting energy into building things like Addins – I’m sure we’ll have WAY cooler stuff to show off next year. But I’m getting ahead of myself…to find out more about what’s coming out soon on the Windows Live Developer front, check out some of these other sites and blogs (some have it right, some have it wrong, but all are excited!)
Pop Quiz: WLM Next Release
11:25 am - April 27, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
I have heard a lot of questions about the upcoming release of Windows Live Messenger. So I have compiled this FAQ about the upcoming release. Remember FAQ - stands for Frequently Asked Questions... Not answers.
Take the quiz now (it is mostly multiple choice) and come back later to check if you got a 
When can I use the next release of Windows Live Messenger? 
A. 1 week
B. 2 weeks
C. 5 weeks
D. B & C
E. All of the above
I want to be alerted as soon as it is released. What is the best way to do so?
A. Physic Powers
B. Sign up for Messegner Says Alerts
C. Repeatly clicking refresh button on ideas.live.com
D. E-mail Bill Gates and ask to be notified -- he only gets like 1 million e-mails a day I am sure he will reply to you!
What will the build number of the release be? 
A. 888
B. 999
C. 989
D. 898
E. None of the above
What will the default color of the client be? 
A. Red
B. Yellow
C. Blue
E. Green
F. Purple
G. Orange
H. Pink
I. Rainbow
J. None of the above
Did <insert bug here> get fixed?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Maybe so - we did fix a lot of bugs based on your feedback
Where should I send feedback?
A. Tell your mom (and hope that 6 degrees thing works)
B. Yell at your computer
D. E-mail Bill Gates
<insert name of friend> is stil not using Windows Live Messenger. How can I help them?
A. Therapy
B. Nothing - there is no hope
C. Send them to the ideas.live.com they can sign up and download the client right away!
I am a Butterfly tester. Will connect be used for this up coming release?
A. Yes
B. Yes, of course
C. Definately not no
Why is this queston in blue?
A. Nicole loves this question
B. Orange font ran out
C. It is a hint to another question
D. Just for fun
What is your favorite thing about the new release?
I am sooo excited to hear your guesses for this! But please don't ask for hints - my lips are sealed or zipped shut as the emoticon suggests, ouch.
Photo Album: Program Managers Have Fun Too
7:40 pm - April 27, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
Program Managers Have Fun Too
After Coffee, Time for Beer. Bettina, Nicole & Phil. | Blake, Ranjib, Aaron & Michel Take a break to pose | I Heart Windows Live | If you're in charge of all these PMS, you need lots of coffee | |||
Jen Slurping | Jen, Vlada, Jasmine, Nicole and Heather take a break to pose | Leah Cupping | Lunch, Like Whoa | |||
mmm. breakfast | Nicole and Kristen super happy |
shhhh – it’s a surprise!
2:01 pm - May 2, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
Shhhhh - I don't want anyone to know, but today is Marty's birthday! A special gift will be forethcoming very soon now... but I can't tell you just yet. Just hang in there and another one of our crack bloggers will let the perverbial cat out of the bag. Don't tell anyone I told you ;-)
Photo Album: Windows Live Hack Day
5:22 pm - May 2, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
Released: Windows Live Messenger Beta 8.0.0689 [updatd]
6:58 pm - May 2, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
Some questions have come up so far, which i've answered at the end of this post. I may periodically add to this FAQ
Spring was supposed to bring all kinds of wonderful things including 
and 
, the birthday of our very own Test-master Marty 
, and the first full non-beta release of Windows Live Messenger 8. Well, spring fulfilled almost ALL of its promises...
For two Betas now, we've been paddling down a steady stream of beta tester feedback, the good, the bad, & the ugly, er, aesthetically-challenged. We've been trying new things out, experimenting, and attempting to answer the question "what IS Windows Live Messenger?"
Originally, we'd planned for springtime to mark the end of the Beta, but like your mom’s* home cooking, good things take time. So we’d like to run one more version by you.
Go to www.ideas.live.com to get the third version of Windows Live Messenger Beta 8.0.689 and send your feedback our way.
FYI: This version is like a final draft – a last chance to make any crucial changes/bug fixes. You won’t see many changes between this version and the final release. Feel free to keep making feature requests, though - we’ll add them to the list for the next versions.
If you're new to Windows Live Messenger, check out this post and this post, which explain the changes in the last two betas.
What’s New in Windows Live Messenger Beta 8.0689?
Signing In:
- It’s no Jitterbug or Macarena, but check out the new dancing buddies during sign-in. Can’t see a difference? Besides better-looking icons, they’re actually spinning the other direction (we didn’t want them to get dizzy). Also – the dance is shorter because Login time is WAY faster than in the previous Betas.
Hey Good-Lookin:
- Sweet Colorization Of the Main Window
- Eye-catching Eye-cons.
- Totally new look for Windows Live Call, Computer to Phone Calling (brought to you by Verizon, now the MCI is no more)
- “To: Line” moved locations, check it out:
- For you minimalists, you: Hiding Display Pictures in one conversation window now hides them in every conversation window
- More fun for the minimalists – now you can keep your windows small, but still get at all the functionality thanks to scrolling toolbar on the conversation window….
-
...And the main window.
- New default display picture (actually, I think it’s a little strange - Jasmine thinks "spooky" i think "sad & cold"…maybe it will encourage people to get a real display picture)
Features & Functionality:
- Overall Performance Improvements. EVERYTHING is faster than it was in 7.5
- Return of the Today Page, known in a previous life as MSN Today. I wonder if the Today Page team somehow made it sunny in Seattle...
- My personal favorite feature: No more “so-and-so says:” separating consecutive IMs from the same person. (Turn this on in the Options Menu)
- Copy & paste your friends’ personal messages – especially good if your friend puts a URL as their message.
- Rhapsody Integration, US only...more on this later this week.
- Answer a Call straight from a toast (until you get a handset, that is)
- New Sounds Management - turn on exactly which sounds you want to play when. Upload your own sounds to personalize the music of messenger.
Go! Now! Download! And don’t forget to come back and tell me what you think.
*success! I've been trying to work "your mom" into a post for a while now.
Q: What about Tabs?
A: Tabs are there, i just have them turned off, so my screenshots show no tabs, sorry for the confusion
Q: What if someone updates their friendly name, and i have a nickname set for them, i'll never see the change.
A: good point! i'm investigating why this changed...i will file a bug on this.
Q: I want the file menus back.
A: no problem! In the little dropdown with file, edt, etc, the last option is "Show Menu Bar"
Q: Is this release public?
A: This release is not *quite* public yet, in that you still have to go sign up before you can sign in, but that takes seconds and everone is accepted.
Q: Is your color scheme saved for each sign in
A: Yes!
Blog list: Team Blogs
8:35 pm - May 2, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
Team Blogs
Messenger in Japan
Messenger in Korea
Hotmail in Japan
A temporary problem in Messenger [fixed]
2:31 pm - May 4, 2006 in Inside Windows Live Messenger:
If you're having problems with the service please send email MessengerBloggers@hotmail.com for the fastest support.When we encounter problems that seem to be affecting a large group of people, (like this one) we'll report the status/solution here.
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[original post] |
Normally, when you sign into messenger, it yells to some cloud in the sky, “Yo! Cloud! What buttons and stuff should this person be seeing?” And Cloud answers: “Yo! Messenger, show x, y & z.”
Well, apparently, right now, we’re yelling at the wrong cloud. “Yo! Cloud! You there?” And Cloud just says, “Dude, I don’t know. Ask the other cloud, maybe he knows.”
You may be noticing the problem in the form of your sharing folder icon gone missing, your beta invitations having vanished, the entry points to the messenger phone feature, a few other buttons here and there might not be where you’re used to seeing them.
Fear not! Nothing is lost except the entry points – and that is temporary. We’re working now to figure out the problem (to talk to the right cloud) I’ll post back here when the problems fixed.
[Update]
Problem solved! Messenger found the right cloud.
Messenger: “I missed you, Cloud!”
Cloud: “Aw shucks, Messenger. I missed you too.”
Messenger: “Hug?”
Cloud: “Come here, you.”
To see the results of the happy reunion, sign out of Messenger, exit the application and sign back in. If you don’t see a fixed version, wait about 30/60 minutes and try again. It takes a little while for the fix to reach every country.
****
