Friedbeef’s Tech

I’ve been using Microsoft Live Beta 8.0 for the last few weeks, and I have to say based on what I’ve experienced so far, this is by far and away, the best upgrade to MSN Messenger to date. Previous MSN upgrades had always been a ho-hum affair, where I couldn’t tell apart new and old versions without looking REALLY hard.This 8.0 version however, finally brings it home.

Obvious upgrade #1 — Offline Messaging :
Yes other IM clients like ICQ had this feature implemented 10 years ago. I can’t help but think that all this while Microsoft was holding back on this feature hoping, and wishing, somehow, someway, we would be convinced to use hotmail in lieu of offline messaging… and with this feature, it looks like they’ve given up (Thank God). You’d think this would be inevitable when MSN was opened to Yahoo and Gmail accounts, I’m just surprised they hung on for so long.

Obvious upgrade #2 — Cleaner,smarter chatting interface :
Type several messages on after the other, and it won’t repeat your nick several times, instead - it displays your messages as a single clean flow. This makes for a much more readable chatting interface.

Not so obvious but fun to have upgrades:

#3. Shared Folders:
The ability to sync across entire folders rather than sending individual across emails, or individual file transfers. Hassle free, and syncs both ways.

#4. Search as you type contacts:
Useful if you have a long list of contacts.

#5. Better Themes and Sounds:
The message ding, is much more elegant, and the new interface has a shiny Web 2.0 feel.

Problems with the beta:
It was slightly disappointing that I could not get application sharing, remote assistance, and the whiteboard to work properly. Would have been interesting if it did work, but I think can live without them (ignorance is bliss)

You can find a list of full features for Windows Live Messenger, and can download it here

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