I just wanted to know if any of you had downloaded the new Messenger 2009 BETA (http://download.live.com/messenger).

I think it's horrible, rubbish and slow.

D:

I think it's ... slow.

Well that might well be because it is in fact a Beta and therefore not a final release.

And it even could be the 1st beta released.

ARGH excessive antialiasing in messenger!

MY EYES

Yauhui, didn't you have a "I hate this new Vista-suited skin" attitude to WLM too?

In any case, I use Trillian now. It takes up only 10% as much RAM as WLM.

So it's a slightly lighter shade of blue now.

Who still uses MSN Messenger? All the cool kids switched to Google Talk ages ago. I can't remember the last time I logged into MLM/MSNM.

I used it years ago, now I mostly use Steam or IRC. My lab partner this year wants me to use MSN, but as I recently had to redo my entire system, I vowed not to ever clog my computer with that crap again. Thank God for the HTML version.

http://webmessenger.msn.com

Miranda IM!
Customizable as Firefox.
Yay!

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h133/franpa/untitled-23.png
Runs fine here and is just as fast as 8.5 (if not, faster). Heres A screenshot using one of the colour themes.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h133/franpa/untitled-23.png
Runs fine here and is just as fast as 8.5 (if not, faster). Heres A screenshot using one of the colour themes.

I like how Emma and Scott apparently do not even count as one person, and how John only has one friend. :D

Yeah, but minus 10 points for using my least favorite color.

I only like reddish orange. Not the tangy or creamy stuff.

I like how Emma and Scott apparently do not even count as one person, and how John only has one friend.
thats how many are online, not how many are in that category.

thats how many are online, not how many are in that category.

Really? That seems a bit...crap. What was wrong with the whole "Online/Total" before? Surely that was a much better way of doing it.

Or is that a choice, and you just decided to go the crap route? :p

I have it, but rarely log on.

You can put offline and mobile contacts in separate categories if you want. I have enabled this behaviour.

IRC FTW!

I idle on far too many channels...

#blamethepixel on devientart

#worms on gamesurge

#help on wormnet (yes, the real wormnet)

#wiidev on blitzed

#hackmii, #wiidev, #wiidevot, #wiihelp, #wiihelp_staff and maybe some that I forgot on EFNet

#esl.worms on QuakeNet (I'm not even sure why I idle there...)

I only really use Steam now, if I use a messanger at all.

Really? That seems a bit...crap. What was wrong with the whole "Online/Total" before? Surely that was a much better way of doing it.
Tell me, why was that better? The only use I know of it would be where you wake up thinking "I wonder how many friends Paul has..."

Who still uses MSN Messenger? All the cool kids switched to Google Talk ages ago. I can't remember the last time I logged into MLM/MSNM.Therefore all the not cool kids (and I guess I've always thought of myself as one of those :p) are still clunking along with Messenger. And we probably outnumber the cool kids.

Google Talk's all right, though. It's a handy backup at the very least.

Tell me, why was that better? The only use I know of it would be where you wake up thinking "I wonder how many friends Paul has..."

Well besides that very reason (Knowing the total might have its uses!), it is just neater and more organized if you ask me. What if you want to send someone an offline instant message or some such? Then you have to sift through potentially hundreds of offline people to find them! (Well not in my case, but still)

But eh, I concede that it is probably just me. I just prefer it that way.

I prefer the easier Online/Offline categorisation in WLM2008.

And sometimes the personal message of some of my contacts don't appear on the main window.

I prefer the easier Online/Offline categorisation in WLM2008.
That hasn't vanished from WLM 2009. At the minimum setting it lists them in 3 categories in the 2009 beta. They are Available, Mobile and Offline.

Given this is a Beta and the Layout functions in the Options don't all function yet, I would assume there are some more changes to occur at some point. (sorting contacts within categories by first & last name or by status does not work. I would sort them by status if it did.)