icelava.net

The great addage "don't fix what is not broken" often goes unheeded. The guilty ones include Microsoft.

With the newer version of Windows Live Messenger floating around now, I had to go about upgrading three of possible computers I'd use Messenger with. Instead of providing the usual MSI package for download and installation, the site only makes available a Live Installer which is a meta installer of sorts. Apparently Microsoft has spent billions of dollars in research to discover people who use Messenger also need to use Sign-in Assistant, Live Write, Mail, Photo Gallery, and some alternative detergent to wash dishes. Seriously, why can't I choose to just download Messenger alone off the site?

So this fanciful Live Installer goes through the paces of becoming a second-stage downloader and then stops at the last possible moment to taunt you and tongue out and flapping hands. A perpetual 99% downloaded status. Now, if a software was written to automate some processes with better efficiency, I can take that. But if the software is there to place efficiency gains into magnitudes of negative, I can live without that.

Thankfully, some one figured out how to exorcise the system of all this Live Evil.

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2873818&SiteID=1&pageid=0#2899044

With the new year full steam ahead, Microsoft has released a new version of Windows Live Messenger. Version 2009 looks less "professional" than 2008, but I kinda like it; it has a larger, more casual and personal look and feel.

Most importantly, no more 99% stuckage in the installation process!

My forums get visited the most of this particular journal entry - testament to just how many deal with the same annoyances from simple activities - I hope 2009's version will no longer invoke this thread anymore.

Now that the Windows Live Messenger experience has been improved, how about improving the Hotmail experience by fixing the javascript bug that prevents selecting, viewing, deleting or junking messages in the email list pane??? Be it IE 7 or 8. I have to load up Firefox in order to work with it. Oh gosh.....