Shoutbox

Hey everyone,

the beta tests on Messenger Plus! 3.60 have started and this new awaited version of Plus! is scheduled to be released sometimes in September. Everything is going fine, however, as I already stated in previous messages during the past months, it's becoming harder and harder for me to find new good stuff to add in Messenger without bloating it for no reason.

Because of that, I'd like to have your honest opinion about the future of Messenger Plus!. What would you think if version 3.60 was the last real update of Messenger Plus! ? I'm talking hypothetically here, I don't currently plan to stop after this release but I want to know what you would all think about it. Isn't it better to stop while the program still looks good instead of trying to push too hard for new useless features? maybe some of you already think that of the latest versions and in that case, I want to know.

It's been more than 4 years already and there are many other projects I'd like to start. As long as there will be good support for Messenger Plus!, I'll continue to maintain it, too many users seem to depend on it today and I won't let anybody down, however it may be also time for me to move on and start something fresh.

Let me know
Patchou

If 3.60 was the last real update, that would be completely fine with me. The current version already does everything I want it to, and then some.

If you do stop developing, I think it's be better to do it when you're all burned out of ideas and still amazingly popular. Just make sure there's compatibility updates

if msgplus stops....does that mean the forums will stop?....if not then its up to you and if you cant think of any more features then how will you continue?...if you stop all you need to do is check the forums for little features that are wanted to be added with the next campatability update.....
* dylan! remmeber the meeting with microsoft
* dylan! thinks they paid patchou to stop making plus!

Patch,

iv'e been using it  since 2.0 an think you have done a Great job, but if you feel you need to start another project, , i think everybody should be happy with 3.5x release aswell as 3.60 release . its prolly best you do stop at 3.60 before you do get burnt out on Plus an start a new project so whatever  that is i'd support it

quote:

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Originally posted by dylan!
* dylan! remmeber the meeting with microsoft

* dylan! thinks they paid patchou to stop making plus!

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You know, it's better not start speculating about it. It does sound suspicious, but it's not the first time Patchou posts a thread like this.

It is true that MsgPlus! is full of things, and maybe adding more would turn it into a Microsoft-like product.

In my opinion, if MsgPlus! stops major developing at 3.60, it's fine. As long as it's mantained for future MSN Messenger releases, and you leave a small door opened for plug-in developers who might want to enhance things or continue their current plug-ins.

Personally, I'd like to see new things, but I realize it'd be a bloated software; and people don't like that.

I'm also curious about what other projects you have in mind.

I know that the forums wouldn't close. Not so soon, anyway.

Keep up the great work, Patchou! And do as you wish, it's your life, anyway.

quote:

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Originally posted by dylan!
if msgplus stops....does that mean the forums will stop?....if not then its up to you and if you cant think of any more features then how will you continue?...if you stop all you need to do is check the forums for little features that are wanted to be added with the next campatability update.....
* dylan! remmeber the meeting with microsoft

* dylan! thinks they paid patchou to stop making plus!

---

the forums would still be here for a long time i guess, because people will always need help, wether Plus! has new features or not

I kind of agree that Plus! has too many features, and obviously it's getting harder to create new stuff. As long as you keep it compatible with new versions of MSN, i wouldnt mind but people would be very dissappointed when they notice that their favorite MSN's add on stopped including new features .

* Chrono wonders which kind of project will be next

I think Messenger Plus! is a great add-on to MSN Messenger and for me, and most of my friends, it was the only reason why we started using MSN Messenger.
I like all the features Messenger Plus! has right now and honestly don't know what we could add to it at the moment.
I, personally wouldn't have a problem if MsgPlus 3.6 was the last major update as long as you would not drop it completely. That means, if there are new really great new features to be added or improved at some time that that will be done.

One thing that I'm afraid of is that this great MsgPlus! community that built up around the Messenger Plus! program will collapse at some point, because fewer new members will join and the older ones will leave once they finally found a life.

My hope is that Messenger Plus! will continue to evolve just as MSN Messenger does, when they introduce new features, we will certainly find new features that can be added, or ways to improve MsgPlus!.

I would love to see Messenger Plus! and it's community to develop further because I can't see a limit right now, as I said when MSN adds more features to their program there will be new possibilities for Messenger Plus! to enhance them and to add even cooler ones.

I would sure hope to see Messenger Plus! 4.5 along with MSN Messenger 8 sometime in the future.
Really, MSN Messenger isn't the same without Plus!.

But in the end it is your own decision, if you think you can't continue Messenger Plus! anymore and want to tackle new projects, do so.

Btw, my guess is that MSN asked you to join their MSN Messenger dev team

quote:

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Originally posted by andrey
One thing that I'm afraid of is that this great MsgPlus! community that built up around the Messenger Plus! program will collapse at some point, because fewer new members will join and the older ones will leave once they finally found a life.

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it actually happened once, before the 2.0 release, that pitcho dissappeared for a year or so and the community indeed was dying . But if he keeps the software up-to-date, full compatible, then that wouldnt happen any time soon

It would be fine for me, but ONLY as far as it would be promised to be compatible with all future MSN Messenger builds (at least MSN Messenger, if you decide to *forsake* Windows Messenger), and be promised to give plug-ins full access to Messenger interface...*

Personally, I still want to see some more to be added to Plus! such as rich-text-format chat logs and built-in Personal Message logging... but softwares have always got their limitations, so I think I'll be able to live with it.

Don't worry, Patchou, that you will lose user support... Microsoft, I believe, is getting new Instant Messaging users every day, and there is no doubt when 100 people download MSN Messenger, 99 download Messenger Plus! too (the rest one is mysteriously murdered by Avada Kedavra after he installs MSN Messenger). The number of downloads you have in your statistics is growing and that explains everything, innit?


* That means you can never drop Plus! when MSN Messenger is still gaining popularity

Well I find your program very rich in features, yet it consumes almost no system resources at all, so you'd have to add an awful lot of stuff befor it'd be bloated, lol. But personally, I can't think of anything that's missing.
Oh, actually I forgot... one thing I would like to see, if there could be the option of having the Plus! emoticon window open when the default emoticon button on the Messenger convo window is pushed, instead of the default emoticon window. That'd be cool.