A new version of Messenger Plus! Live, labelled 4.10, is now available for download. Of course, the first thing to mention is that this version is entirely compatible with Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (which is still currently in beta though, I can’t guarantee anything for the final release). Some bugs have been fixed, interface windows can now display right-to-left text properly for languages such as Arabic, registry settings have been documented, the whole software is more stable, more enjoyable, etc… update now! ;)

The second reason why this new version is important concerns scripts. A lot of things have been done to improve both developers’ and users’ experience as this feature of the software has rapidly become very popular over the past few months. Script developers can find the list of changes/improvements in the official changelog and users now benefit from a completely redesigned Scripts Database! (brought to you by MenthiX). Coolpicks have been added and will be rotated from time to time to promote some of the best scripts available, all the files have been reorganised in new categories, Windows Live Alerts have been set-up and it’s now easier than ever to find the script that’s right for you with the new browsing options.

So, for now, enjoy the new release and come back soon to get the details on the scripting contest that will soon be organised for scripting developers only (a more general contest will be organised right after it for everybody). Meanwhile, you can already start to work on your scripts with the updated documentation :-).

The beta version of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 has been made available to private beta testers for about a week now and more and more people are asking for a compatible version of Messenger Plus!. I can happily say that Messenger Plus! Live 4.10 (previously labelled 4.02) is currently in the work and will be entirely compatible with the new Messenger, however, I do not plan to release this version before at least another two weeks. The main reason for that delay is very simple: the current beta of Messenger 8.1 is extremely unstable and brings nothing really new to its users. I encourage all of you to stick with version 8.0 for now, you’ll feel much better without a Messenger that can crash every 5 minutes during a chat :).

Appart from that, internationalization of the web site continues with the following new languages: Chinese Traditional, Italiano and Japanese. Also, localized domain names have finally been set-up for many of the current translations, more will come with new translations in the near future:

www.msgpluslive.dk
www.msgpluslive.nl
www.msgpluslive.be
www.msgpluslive.co.uk
www.msgpluslive.ee
www.msgpluslive.com.tw
www.msgpluslive.cl
www.msgpluslive.es
www.msgpluslive.jp
www.msgpluslive.it
www.msgpluslive.de

September 15th: addition of the french language and three other domain names:
www.msgpluslive.com.br
www.msgpluslive.com.ar
www.msgpluslive.fr

Here is the first official update since Messenger Plus! 4.00 was released 3 weeks ago. Version 4.01 fixes problems that were preventing some users to get Messenger Plus! to work. Due to popular demand, the Quick Icons feature is also back in the game. The new panel displays faster and better than before, customization is also much more understandable now. Some things have been fixed in the scripting engine and Messenger Plus! is now 100% compatible with Yahoo Messenger contacts (for those of you who are beta testing this new feature of Windows Live Messenger). For a full list of changes, check out the change log.

Now that all of this is done, I feel better moving on with the upgrade. People who currently have Messenger Plus! 3 installed with Windows Live Messenger will be prompted next week to download the new software. Also, the msgplus.net domain now points to msgpluslive.net. If you still need to access the old web site (to get help on Messenger Plus! 3 for example), please go to http://old.msgplus.net. Most of the old site will be kept at this address as long as it’s deemed necessary. Translators will start working on msgpluslive.net next week so you’ll soon be able to browse this site in your native language (give them some time though, it’s holidays for everybody ;).

Last May, I was proudly announcing that Messenger Plus! had celebrated its 5th birthday. Well, it’s now time to celebrate the 7th year of Messenger’s own life… happy birthday Messenger! it’s good to remember that without Messenger, there would be no Messenger Plus! so check out Leah’s blog for some related free items :). Have a great summer!

Welcome to the new home of Messenger Plus! :). After a bumpy ride during the first couple of hours following the release (way too many people trying to access the site), the site should finally be accessible to everybody. It took a long time but I’m glad I was able to keep my promise and release Messenger Plus! Live soon after Windows Live Messenger, along with its new web site. Messenger Plus! Live 4.00 is finally available to everybody who’s using the new Messenger client from Microsoft. A big thank you to all the people who supported the development since last November, including, but not limited to, the graphic designers, the testers, the translators and the forum helpers.

For a “first” version, I honestly think it’s as good as it could be. I still regret not being able to add the Quick Icons panel back in time but well, this will make future updates more interesting to everybody :). Messenger Plus! Live marks the beginning of a new generation of Messenger add-ons, blending in the interface of Messenger and providing the proper tools to developers who want to add their own features thanks to the new scripting engine.

Once you’ll have downloaded and installed the new Messenger Plus!, make sure to come back and get some of the scripts that are already in the database, courtesy of the beta testers :). Control Messenger with voice commands, manage your RSS feeds, make details search on the web… and this is just the beginning. The Messenger Plus! Live Scripting Engine lets people customize their Messenger in details, with very simple commands. Even non developers can benefit from it to create (with some help) the one option they’ve always wanted in Messenger or by downloading simple self-installing scripts from databases such as the one on this site.

Experience the new features of Messenger Plus! Live now, have fun with the scripts, and have a terrific summer! This web site is still pretty new and some things (like a proper translation) are still missing but we’re working on it! We will monitor the upgrade closely to make sure you all get the best experience possible. If needed, updates will be posted in a timely manner. Thank you ALL for your incredible support, I sincerely hope you will be satisfied with what you’ll see and remember to post your feedback on the forum, we’re here to listen :).

They did it! Microsoft finally released Windows Live Messenger publicly today. After the longest period of public testing for a MSN Messenger client, Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger 8) is going to be a pleasant surprise for old time Messenger users. The interface of this new version has been completely redesigned, it’s more simple, cleaner, and yet more powerful than anything else MSN has released so far. You’ll have to get used to talk about Windows Live though and not MSN (although I suspect most of us will keep on calling the client “MSN” for a long time).

Because of the new direction taken by Microsoft, Messenger Plus! was also completely redesigned. It took 8 months of full time work but your favorite add-on is now ready to go public as well. The new version of Messenger Plus! (4.00), distributed under the name “Messenger Plus! Live”, will be officially released this Saturday, June 24th, at 23:40 GMT. The new web site will also be put online at the same time, and a last post on this site will be made to start the transition period. These are exciting days for anybody interested in Microsoft’s Messenger clients and its surrounding communities, make sure you don’t miss any associated event!

See you soon at msgpluslive.net :).