Shoutbox

Hello everyone!

I don't wanna appear presumptuous and maybe whatever I'm gonna write here will result wrong (in both content and form, because my english sucks )


Everytime someone asks for colored nicknames the answer is always the same:

quote:

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This can't be done any more because Microsoft changed the way nicknames are displayed in Messenger.  Now, nicknames don't technically exist, and all contacts are displayed using their names as set on their Windows Live Profile.

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[Just an example, written by whiz here]


But is it true?
I think it's not completely true.
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CASE 1:

A updated to Windows Live Messenger 2011,
B didn't update, so still got Windows Live Messenger 2009

When A is chatting with B:
- A sees B's Windows Live Profile name instead of the nickname
- B sees A's nickname, the last one that A used when still got Windows Live Messenger 2009


CASE 2a:

Both A and B updated to Windows Live Messenger 2011

When A is chatting with B they see each others Windows Live Profile name instead of the nickname.


CASE 2b:

Both A and B updated to Windows Live Messenger 2011 and installed Messenger Plus! 5

In Messenger Plus! 5 there's an option to show contact's with "Profile name", to show 'em with "Nickname - Profile name" or to show only "Nickname".

If A is chatting with B and enabled the feature that shows only "Nickname" and B didn't so:
- A sees B's nickname, the last one that B used when still got Windows Live Messenger 2009
- B sees A's Windows Live Profile name

If B enables this feature too both A and B see each others nickname instead of Windows Live Profile name.


CASE 3:

Besides Windows Live Messenger 2011 and Messenger Plus! 5, A and B installed WLNameEditor, a popular script that allows you to change your nickname showing tags, emoticons and special characters.

If A uses this script to edit his nickname, B (that enabled the feature that shows nicknames) sees A's new nickname. The same if B got Windows Live Messenger 2009.
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I tested everything I said, with Windows Live Messenger 2009 and 2011, patched and non patched with A-Patch, in both Windows XP and 7, with Messenger Plus! 5 and with and without MessengerDiscovery 3.1

So I demonstrated that in Windows Live Messenger 2011 we still can use nicknames, see them and change them.


It can be hard, but I think that in future versions of Messenger Plus! we (you ) should:

- Improve the feature that shows nicknames (becouse it causes a bug* that I'll report at the end of the post) and make it show nicknames instead of Windows Live Prifile names instead of user's name too
- Reintegrate the feature that solves tags in nicknames (because actually when you enable the option that shows nicknames you will see the horrible tags)
- Integrate something like WLNameEditor in Messenger Plus!, even without emoticons and simbols, so everyone will be able to edit his nickname without that script (I remember another add-on called StuffPlug which allowed to edit nicknames directly in Contact List, by clicking on it just like the personal message )


* the bug I mentioned above is that when you enable the feature that shows nicknames instead of names, in chat windows whent you type emoticons you will see them as text, and the image will be moved to the end of the message, like said here



So it's everything. I hope my post is understandable and useful.
If there's something that is not clear, just ask me.
If I made a grammatical or conceptual mistake and you want to correct me feel free to do it.

Greetings.

I didn't feel like reading the entire thread. The reason we are telling people it isn't possible because of the protocol change is you cannot change your nickname in the new version. Whatever it was set to previously is what you are stuck with (unless you downgrade and change it.) The protocol doesn't allow for nickname changes any longer.

I haven't tested it yet but I do believe the /nick command doesn't work which means that none of the nick name changing features work.

quote:

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Originally posted by matty
I didn't feel like reading the entire thread. The reason we are telling people it isn't possible because of the protocol change is you cannot change your nickname in the new version. Whatever it was set to previously is what you are stuck with (unless you downgrade and change it.) The protocol doesn't allow for nickname changes any longer.

I haven't tested it yet but I do believe the /nick command doesn't work which means that none of the nick name changing features work.

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LOL, I know the thread is a bit long.
But, listen to me, I've just made another test right when I read your reply:


My PC: Windows 7 Ultimate x86 SP1, Windows Live Messenger 2011, Messenger Plus! 5, A-Patch(ed), MessengerDiscovery 3.1 and WLNameEditor. Connected with my account.

My friend's PC: Windows XP SP3, Windows Live Messenger 2009 "pure", without mods. Connected with my friend's account.

My friend's PC was displaying me as "Ryder66".
In my PC I opened WLNameEditor.
In the space where you have to write your new nickname there was my profile name (for example Abc Def) instead of the nickname that was shown to my friend.
Then I changed my nickname in "Test", then applied it.
Almost immediatly in my friend's PC my nickname changed in "Test".

In my opinion it was enough to prove that my Messenger shared the new nickname though Microsoft protocol.
But maybe it wasn't enough for you, so I made another test:


My PC: the same as above

Another friend's PC: Windows 7 Home Premium x86 SP1, Windows Live Messenger 2011, Messenger Plus! 5.

My other friend's PC was displaying me using my profile name (Abc Def).
I told him to enable the Messenger Plus! 5 feature that shows nicknames instead of profile names.
In his computer my display name changed to "Test" (LOL, I forgot to change it).
In my PC I opened WLNameEditor.
Once again in the space where you have to insert the new nickname there was my profile name (Abc Def) instead of Test.
But again, when I changed it to "123" then applied it, almost immediatly in my other friend's PC the nickname changed to "123".

So I proved that it works between two WLM2011 too.
I hope it's enough You can test it yourself.

It can be done!

Got it!

Nickname features are there in Plus! 5.10 to be released in few weeks

Sabri B.
Project Leader
Kimahri Software

Ryder66,

Although nicknames are technically still possible (mean reason probably being that Windows Live Messenger 2009, and even Windows Messenger, is still in use), the protocol did drastically change regarding them. What people were saying about nicknames not being possible anymore, in the sense that they aren't visible, is indeed true.

Without 'hacks' (like Messenger Plus! might do) there is no way for Windows Live Messenger 2011 to display nicknames.
Hence the "it is not possible anymore due to protocol changes" answers etc... And thus Whiz was correct though.

So, even if Plus! might make it possible again to see and change nicknames, remember that a common user, using Windows Live Messenger 2011 without Messenger Plus!, will not see nicknames but profile names.
This is quite different than how it used to be before the protocol change and introduction of Windows Live Messenger 2011 (you didn't need Messenger Plus! to see or change nicknames).

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
Ryder66,

Although nicknames are technically still possible (mean reason probably being that Windows Live Messenger 2009, and even Windows Messenger, is still in use), the protocol did drastically change regarding them. What people were saying about nicknames not being possible anymore, in the sense that they aren't visible, is indeed true.

Without 'hacks' (like Messenger Plus! might do) there is no way for Windows Live Messenger 2011 to display nicknames.
Hence the "it is not possible anymore due to protocol changes" answers etc... And thus Whiz was correct though.

So, even if Plus! might make it possible again to see and change nicknames, remember that a common user, using Windows Live Messenger 2011 without Messenger Plus!, will not see nicknames but profile names.
This is quite different than how it used to be before the protocol change and introduction of Windows Live Messenger 2011 (you didn't need Messenger Plus! to see or change nicknames).

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I know that it's not possible to see nicknames in a clean installation of Windows Live Messenger 2011, and I did not mean that people saying that it's not possible anymore were totally wrong: I knew they changed the way protocol manages nicknames.

But I thought it was worth it to add this feature in future Messenger Plus! releases.

Where's the problem if someone that didn't install Messenger Plus! will see Windows Live Profile names? Wasn't it the same years ago (I use WLM with MP! since June 2007 ) when they had to see horrible nicknames tag?

Oh, and I quoted Whiz just to write an example and introduce my post and my idea, I hope I didn't offend anyone here!

My post just wanted to be a tip, never meant to contraddict someone.
If you will add this feature, well, I'll be happy and I think a lot of other users would be.

Ryder66

I apologize for language mistakes, but I wrote this post quickly and my english isn't the best

Ah ok,

quote:

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Originally posted by Ryder66
Where's the problem if someone that didn't install Messenger Plus! will see Windows Live Profile names? Wasn't it the same years ago (I use WLM with MP! since June 2007 ) when they had to see horrible nicknames tag?

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As for the 'problem seeing profile names', that wasn't so years ago and it can't be compared with nickname tags for that matter. The issue some people have with profile names is a privacy issue, not a problem with 'horrible tags' or 'seeing the wrong thing'.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ryder66
I hope I didn't offend anyone here!

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never

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
As for the 'problem seeing profile names', that wasn't so years ago and it can't be compared with nickname tags for that matter. The issue some people have with profile names is a privacy issue, not a problem with 'horrible tags' or 'seeing the wrong thing'.

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Oh, you're right, I haven't considered it...
But I think adding nicknames feature with Messenger Plus! wouldn't solve or worsen their issue... It would be just a "premium feature" for those who chose to install Messenger Plus!.

For this issue I've done the following:
- in Name I wrote my nickname (in my case Ryder66, it accepts numbers)
- in Surname I pasted a symbol (in my case the "omega", that worked perfectly)

Otherwise a way to remove the surname is this:
- Open Windows' Character Map
- Enable Advanced view
- Search for "left right mark"
- Then double-click the first result, select it in "Characters to copy" and Copy
- Paste it in your Windows Live Profile instead of your surname
- Done

[Tested again both methods right now ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ryder66
But I think adding nicknames feature with Messenger Plus! wouldn't solve or worsen their issue... It would be just a "premium feature" for those who chose to install Messenger Plus!.

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500% agreed.

You can do it still with the script Any Title Manager Works for me, atleast.