I generally have a row of floating desktop contacts along the top of my second monitor, which lets me easily keep an eye on the contacts that I care about the status of, and it's a great feature.
A problem occurs, however, when I log into my desktop from my laptop using Remote Desktop. If Messenger is already signed in when I switch from local usage to Remote Desktop everything is fine (although obviously I can't see the desktop contacts that are on the now-non-existent monitor), but if I sign in to Messenger while already connected over Remote Desktop all of my desktop contacts get thrown into a totally useless pile in the top-left of the screen. I understand why MsgPlus does this (the second monitor no longer exists, so attempts to position desktop contact windows on it are futile), however MsgPlus
saves that new on-top-of-each-other-in-the-corner-of-the-screen position, so even when I log back onto my desktop locally and get both screens back, all the desktop contacts remain in that corner uselessly. It's bad enough having to resize all of my windows out of my laptop's 1024x768 resolution and back into something approaching 1680x1050, but repositioning those desktop contacts takes an age - especially as I have them set to be hidden when offline, so I have to disable that option while I move them all.
The ideal solution, here, would be for me to be able to specify one position for them all when I'm sat at my desktop, and another for when I'm using it remotely from the laptop so that I can keep the desktop contacts on the secondary monitor (where I keep all the Messenger windows themselves) while working, yet still see and use them from the laptop. I realise that that would be a mess to program and make user-friendly and bug-free, though. As such, I think it would be perfectly acceptable if MsgPlus did either of these two options:
- Move the contacts into that pile when I'm using RDC, but don't save their positions, thus allowing them to be automatically positioned back on the secondary monitor when it once again exists. If I choose to move any of those desktop contacts from that pile its new position should be saved, but I can't see any benefit whatsoever in saving the "pile in the corner" positions .
- Leave the contacts where I left them, whether or not that monitor exists (but this could cause problems when someone genuinely gets rid of a second monitor or drops down in screen resolution, with no intention of restoring the monitor/resolution)
Versions:
Windows Vista Business SP1
Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1018
Messenger Plus! Live 4.60.0.324
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