When is Messenger 8.0 for OS X due?


Recommended Posts

What about Skype for Mac? True you need yet another IM account but video works well on that.

Skype is great but the problem isn't what other Services and Clients can we use. The problem is what are all my Friends using? It's no good switching to Skype if all my friends are using MSN I can't convince them all to switch just because I want them to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use Adium which integrates 3 MSN accounts and one Facebook account. Apart from the lack of video conferencing I'm very happy with Adium.

That's what I use.

Unfortunately, Adium is full of bugs and isn't better than Microsoft Messenger on the Mac for me, since it cannot send custom emoticons, cannot do video, cannot do audio, cannot do handwriting...

I don't care about multiple accounts, supporting all these protocols, etc. This is not what I need. I'm using it because I prefer its interface, it's more Mac-ish IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a beta for 8.0, seems okay, same UI more or less, just with video, but that's a bit hit and miss on the beta I've got. >.>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do wish they would hurry up with it, is there any third party alternatives to MSN that have A/V for Mac at all?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still use MSN for Mac, even though you can customize Adium, it just doesn't work well enough for me. I don't care if Messenger 8 has video chatting etc. All I want is offline messages, display pictures that actually work, and being able to chat while appearing offline would be great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

aMSN, but it's a piece of JAVA crap. :p

Eek, no thanks. This is exactly why I'm using this not-really-fully-featured Adium.

Same for Mercury Messenger (but this one's a real mess, too!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a beta for 8.0, seems okay, same UI more or less, just with video, but that's a bit hit and miss on the beta I've got. >.>

How you got the beta?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's a build floating around the internet. However, it's highly unstable to the point where it's pretty much useless. Beyond A/V nothing really changed or has been added.

How hard is it for those MacBU people to at least take a second to look at Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and then come up with an updated interface? I mean, bordered windows and a sidebar... Really?! They must have missed the memo... :/

Edited by .Neo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still use MSN for Mac, even though you can customize Adium, it just doesn't work well enough for me. I don't care if Messenger 8 has video chatting etc. All I want is offline messages, display pictures that actually work, and being able to chat while appearing offline would be great.

Adium has offline messages...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

personally id stick with adium

so far its doing

2 msn

1 yahoo

1 facebook

1 aim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah i am using Adium as well i have the beta of msn 8 installed however 90% of the time i try to use the video chat i can see them but they cannot see me its worthless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's an app out called Nimbuzz which promises audiochat for MSN accounts here http://www.nimbuzz.com/en/mac/

It does not offer much else besides being able to connect to AIM and a few other services.

Have only tried loading the app and signing up for an account, but I have not tried the audiochat thing yet. And I pretty much uninstalled it again a few minutes because it was too clunky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah i am using Adium as well i have the beta of msn 8 installed however 90% of the time i try to use the video chat i can see them but they cannot see me its worthless.

Yeah same here. Video chat is insanely buggy. Luckily it's not a public beta so I can understand that I'm not supposed to have this right now.

It's just sad to see that they're keeping the same boring and old interface. It's so easy to change with Interface Builder, it just takes a couple of clicks and we could have something more Leopard-friendly.... or even better then, Snow-Leopard-friendly. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah same here. Video chat is insanely buggy. Luckily it's not a public beta so I can understand that I'm not supposed to have this right now.

It's just sad to see that they're keeping the same boring and old interface. It's so easy to change with Interface Builder, it just takes a couple of clicks and we could have something more Leopard-friendly.... or even better then, Snow-Leopard-friendly. :)

Since this is a Beta, how do you know they aren't planning on altering the UI at some point between now and release?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since this is a Beta, how do you know they aren't planning on altering the UI at some point between now and release?

1. They already included Video and Audio. Give them a break, it's Messenger Mac's team, after all!

2. The final versions of Microsoft Messenger on the Mac never really changed compared to the betas.

3. If they change it, I'll be really happy and retire those sentences, but as of now, I don't have faith at all :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since this is a Beta, how do you know they aren't planning on altering the UI at some point between now and release?

Because the developers are likely to die a slow and horrible death when incorporating more than one new feature per release. And before you ask, yes, a single bug fix counts as a feature.

It's the only plausible reason I can come up with really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because the developers are likely to die a slow and horrible death when incorporating more than one new feature per release. And before you ask, yes, a single bug fix counts as a feature.

It's the only plausible reason I can come up with really.

Not exactly the concrete answer I was hoping for.

The new office for mac will be coded in cocoa, so is the new version of messenger for mac also coded in cocoa?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is not entirely AdiumX fault for not enhancing MSN. AdiumX is like an Native UI on top of Libpurple. The library that Pidgin use. Libpurple is maintain by Pidgin devs and they dont care much about MSN. Since they have a problem realizing that MSN has the largest IM market shares. They personally dont use MSN and they hate MSN as well.

The general answer is, Libpurple is an open source project, if you want something, code it yourself.

Another problem is reverse engineering MSN protocol is quite hard. Since M$ is constantly updating their protocol. And just like every M$ product, MSN protocol is a complex mess. Which makes the job much harder.

The same goes to MacBU, they had ZERO control on the MSN protocol what so ever. And it doesn't look like MSN / IM team will inform them about their protocol changes. The MSN protocol doesn't looks like have much planing with Muti Platform either. Which require constant work around even for their own company.

Skype didn't work out since it is like an Internet Audio / Video client more then messaging. Many of the FUN MSN functions were never incorporated and never will be according to their Dev.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many of the FUN MSN functions were never incorporated and never will be according to their Dev.

I've never really seen much use for the "fun" functionality in any of the messengers - all I need is text and the ability to send/receive files - heck, I don't even use video/handwriting in any of my platforms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not exactly the concrete answer I was hoping for.

Obviously, you're not going to get a concrete answer. The only people who know work for the MacBU.

The new office for mac will be coded in cocoa, so is the new version of messenger for mac also coded in cocoa?

From what I know it already is?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep I think version was a big move to the Cocoa coding platform.

It was pretty much the only feature they ''added'' :p

But it did make things a lot faster on both Intel and PowerPC platforms...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.