credit where credit is due

[Maximum Error]

What was always your biggest complaint about messenger? Mine was always that it was far too bloated and cluttered my screen. All i want to do when i chat on msn is exchange text between me and the person i am talking to. Not a huge thing to ask for but have a look at the messenger 7 interface:

total cluttered and hugely off putting to people who dont want a crowded IM experience.

Messenger 8 got better; but i have to say i take my virtual hat off to the WLM team for what they have done it the current beta;

A completely clean, tidy and professional looking interface. Nothing is being pushed into my face and everthing is easy to use.

[Calum Veteran]

I agree completely!

I love how easy it is to hide the top buttons, display picture, etc in the new beta (as much as I love having the display picture there on the left, I hide the top buttons).

Another amendment they have made is in the new beta update (going to be an informal release candidate) which will be released in a few weeks - they have taken out the icons in the top buttons completely. So instead of icon and text, it just says things like "Photos", "Files", "Invite", etc. That is another thing which will make it look less cluttered.

[Sean B. Veteran]

The best thing about this version is that much of the so called "bloat" is hideable. Something that users all around the world wanted.

[Denis W. Veteran]

As much as I like the new interface...

Another amendment they have made is in the new beta update (going to be an informal release candidate) which will be released in a few weeks - they have taken out the icons in the top buttons completely.

I still have yet to find a logical reason as to why they're stripping toolbar icons away in Windows Live Wave 3 and Windows 7. Cleaner? Perhaps. More work for your eyes to distinguish between two different toolbar buttons? Maybe.

[Calum Veteran]

As much as I like the new interface...

I still have yet to find a logical reason as to why they're stripping toolbar icons away in Windows Live Wave 3 and Windows 7. Cleaner? Perhaps. More work for your eyes to distinguish between two different toolbar buttons? Maybe.

I too don't really understand the reason for this, however because I have been so used to icons there and this is different, I don't mind it so much. I actually do think there's a chance it may be more efficient this way?

I've been using the wave 3 beta of Windows Live Mail since September and I don't think it's made it harder for me to distinguish the toolbar buttons. I actually haven't really noticed much of a difference in the clearness of it, it is just much tidier and less cluttered I guess.

[Timan Veteran]

They cleaned the ui up... but what they've done is added the biggest damn margin/padding around everything. So windows that you used to be able to use small, now take up 90% of the screen.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Whereas the MSN7 conversation screen took up about 50% of the actual conversation space :p

[Denis W. Veteran]

The conversation window's not the only place with lots of padding - the contacts list has a lot of padding between names, even moreso if you choose to show their display pictures beside their names.

Or maybe all this padding is done to make this application high-DPI ready.

[McDave]

Can you remove the Advertisment from the bottom of the convo window without patching?

[Guest]

Yeah, its looking a lot better now :).

Can you remove the Advertisment from the bottom of the convo window without patching?

No.

[McDave]

I agree that MSN or WLM looks better. So if by default you can't remove the Add the WLM refreanced has been patched so can't really use that as a comparision, the MSN pic has not been patched.

Secondly the WLM image has the display pictures hidden they currently take loads of space. You could minimise the display pictures from MSN Messenger but that has not been done.