Title: MSN Messenger Beta Chat
Description: Join Raja Abburi, MSN Messenger General Manager, and experts from the MSN Messenger team for a fun filled hour discussing MSN Messenger 7.0.
Date: 1/20/2005 (January 20th 2005)
Time: 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Click here for additional time zones
As announced on:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/cha...mspx#MessengerBeta
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/chats/default.mspx#MessengerBeta
Click here to enter the chat
The transcript (January 20th 2005):
the transcript of the previous chat (October 19th 2004) can be found here.
Moderator (Moderator)
Please note that this chat will focus on MSN Messenger Beta. Any posts off topic will result in a ban. Any misuse of emoticons, code sample functions or spamming will also result in a ban.
Andy Q (Moderator)
Please hold all questions until the chat starts at 1pm
Andy Q (Moderator)
Welcome to today’s chat. Our topic is MSN Messenger Beta Chat Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.
Andy Q (Moderator)
Before we begin, I would like to begin by posting the chat rules and instructions for customers:
Andy Q (Moderator)
1. This chat will last for one hour. During this hour, our Experts will respond to as many questions as they can. Please understand that there are some questions we cannot respond to due to lack of information or because the information is not yet public.
Andy Q (Moderator)
2. We encourage you to submit questions for our Experts. To do so, type your questions in the send box, select the Submit a Question radio button and click SEND. Questions sent directly to the Guest Chat room will not be answered by the Experts, but we encourage other community members to assist.
Andy Q (Moderator)
3. We ask that you stay on topic for the duration of the chat. This helps the Guests and Experts follow the conversation more easily. We invite you to ask off topic questions after this chat is over, but not during.
Andy Q (Moderator)
4. Please only submit your question once. Submitting your question more than once is against the Chat Code of Conduct.
Andy Q (Moderator)
5. Please abide by the Chat Code of Conduct. Please or you will be removed from this chat.
Andy Q (Moderator)
We are pleased to welcome our Experts for today’s chat. I will have them introduce themselves now.
Raja (Expert)
I am the General Manager for the MSN Communications Client team, which includes MSN Messenger.
christian_msn (Expert)
Running Development for Messenger, excited to hear from all you guys!
Adam (Expert):
Adam Chu. MSN Beta Management team. I work on the planning of MSN Beta programs for US and other countries.
Raja (Expert)
Thanks for joining us
Roger (Expert)
I work on testing the Messenger UI and customer experience.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Hi! I am a Lead Program Manager on MSN Messenger. I've been with Microsoft for 3 years. In that time, I've worked on the threedegrees project as well as MSN Messenger.
Marty (Expert)
Hi Folks - I'm a tester in MSN and occasionaly fetch Raja lunch or wash his car
Jon (Expert)
Hello everyone, My Name is Jon and I help run MSN's Betas. Thanks for attending this chat
Andy Q (Moderator)
and I'm Andy, your moderator for today
Jeff Wilkes [MS] (Expert)
I'm a Program Manager in MSN Support responsible for MSN Messenger.
Raja (Expert)
Q: do u like cheese
A: What kind?
Roger (Expert)
Q: When will the MSN Messenger 5.0 for Mac beta be released?
A: Sorry, but this Q&A is for the Windows versio of MSN Messenger. We cannot answer for the Mac version
Raja (Expert)
Q: where their be new games in Msn messenger 7 when it is released?
A: It is hard to comment on future versions, but we are working on making more games available in parallel to the product releases
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will there be some way to have more contacts to your list?
A: Working on it.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Msn Messenger 7 crasht many times here, is this fixed in the final version?
A: We are definitely monitoring crashes and actively fixing them for the final release!
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Will the final version be less cpu consuming and can graphical enhancements be disabled
A: We've made some significant improvements to performance for the final version. And we've added some flexibility to the graphics in the main window.
Raja (Expert)
Q: like you have nudge spam blocking (one nudge every 5 secs or so), can you do the same with blocking/unblocking spam
A: good point. thaks for the feedback. will consider this.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Msn Messenger 7 crasht many times here, is this fixed in the final version?
A: Many crashing bugs have been reported by the automated Watson reporting tool. We look over all of them, and fix as many as possible. Hopefully, all the ones you experienced are fixed
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: How many contacts can you have on msn 7.0 and when will it be released?
A: 150 at the moment and we are working on increasing it.
Raja (Expert)
Q: why is there still a limit in msn 7?
A: ?Are you referring to number of contacts? We are working on increasing it in the service, client doens't need to change for it.
Marty (Expert)
Q: MARTY Has remote assistance been incorporated into 7.0 messenger
A: yes, it's part of the activities, but requires Windows Messneger 4.7 or greater. It's broken in the beta but has been fixed for the upcoming final release
Raja (Expert)
Q: cheddar
A: yes
Roger (Expert)
Q: Bug reports in MSN 7 (BETA) : There are lag when scrolling contact list , is there any bug fixe nearly ?
A: With our new main window, we had several different bugs concerning the contact list, and most of them will be fixed for final
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: MARTY Has remote assistance been incorporated into 7.0 messenger
A: Remote assistance is exposed in the beta under the Activities menu in the conversation window. However, there were some bugs with using Remote Assistance that we have fixed in for the final release. You also need to have Windows Messenger 4.7 installed for Remote Assistance to appear in MSN Messenger
Jeff Wilkes [MS] (Expert)
Q: Will Microsoft Support ever support MSN Messenger?
A: MSN Messenger is fully supported. See
http://support.msn.com/contactus.aspx to contact MSN Support.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will MSN messenger in gerneral be more stable?
A: Are you referring to the beta version or the released version? Could you be specific please? We'd like to make sure it is stable
Roger (Expert)
Q: Can you add an option to filter abusive use of emoticons? Sometimes people "flood" with messages full of emoticons often killing MSN Messenger. It wouldnt be too hard to add a fitler for lets say 25+ emoticons would it?
A: For situations like this, you can simply turn off emoticons in the Option dialog. Another option would be to block buddies who abuse it with you
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Are "Delux" MSN Dispaly Pics Still on the cards?
A: Sorry, we can't comment on unannounced features. What would you want in a "deluxe" display picture?
Raja (Expert)
Q: will msn messenger ever become easily skinable?
A: good suggestion. thanks... is this along the lines of the 6.2 feature for changing the chrome? and background?
Roger (Expert)
Q: A serious question... I have a MCE 2005 PC; and a laptop, and the Messenger service MSN as well as WM, keep killing each other off each computer. It is possible that there will be MUTLIPLE LOG IN ? It would be SO useful. i go from one computer to another..
A: That's a good suggestion. Right now it's a little too difficult to have you logged on in multiple places, but we'll look into that capability
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Why is it that msn messenger 7 beta fails to remember your options when it comes to contact display images? Why wont it remember my choice not to display them rather than forget them each time a window opens?!
A: This is a known issue that we are working on fixing
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: What made you decide to make MSN7's GUI so bloated ?
A: Can you tell us what you don't like about the new GUI?
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will MSN Messenger 7 have any IRC like commands eg /me, if not would you consider it for future versions?
A: Are you referring to links to MSN chat from within Messenger? We used to have it prominently in previous versions.
Roger (Expert)
Q: will skinning ever be available
A: We'd like to do this, too
We're still looking into how we could make this work with our new UI
Raja (Expert)
General note... The team is glad to note that all of you are using MSN Messenger. They are thinking of several new ideas, however, sorry, we can't comment on upcoming features or release dates.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Will there be any new emoticons?
A: In most markets, new emoticons are available for download from partners directly in the MSN Client. I don't believe there are any new emoticons planned to be built-in for v7.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: How many contacts can u have on the msn 7.0 and when is it released?
A: We're working on increasing the size of the contact list, but we don't have details on when it will be available.
Raja (Expert)
Q: How much of an update is Messenger 7 , feature and interface-wise, when compared with 6.2?
A: significant
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: What are your thoughts on MSN Messenger 7? Do you think It was harder to code then MSN Messenger 6.2?
A: This is a much bigger release than 6.2 with quite complex features and as such, as much more ambitious project from a development point of view. But we are feeling very good right now as to where the project is at and the feature set. Developers are cranking at this time and fixing bug after bug to make the final release as compelling and enjoyable to use as possible!
Raja (Expert)
Q: live score updates via MSN? (toasting) e.g. cricket, rugby games?
A: We have an "Alerts" program where partners can send messages like this to subscribers.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Will there ever be custom winks in messenger 7 or does this still represent a security risk?
A: You can expect more winks for v7 final.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: When using msgplus, there are errors about invalid characters being found in chat logs. Is this going to be fixed? Or do you class it as the responsibility of Patchou?
A: We can't support MsgrPlus. As we add features that MsgrPlus doesn't expect, it generaly needs to be updated.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will the ads in MSN messenger 7.0 be removed (The once right on the bottom of the convo sometimes and the contact list)? - XeroCool
A: Messenger is ad funded.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Will we see any reintroduction of Messenger API functions that were removed from previous versions of msn, and are still not present in the beta version of msn messenger 7.0?
A: Most likely not. These were deprecated for various reasons and removed.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Raja: skinning - we mean more along the lines of Windows Media Player type GUI changes, Winamp skins. A completely new GUI; buttons in different positions. Not just being able to change the colour of our conversations and the contact list background
A: Got it. Thanks for the suggestion. Will pass this along.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Will the UI in MSN Messenger 7.0 be more customizable by the user, such as optional/customizable tabs/ads/searchbar? Right now the UI is cluttered and even bloated with all of these things and really takes away from the MSN Messenger expeirence
A: We continually review what kind of customization we should include, and we base a lot of these decisions on feedback such as yours. We'll certainly look into it, thanks
Andy Q (Moderator)
We have lots of questions to answer, please be patient as our experts are typing as fast as they can!
Raja (Expert)
Q: Who is the target audience for Messenger 7?
A: Messenger has such large worldwide audience, that it is hard for us to be very specific, with our enhancements.
Andy Q (Moderator)
Since this is such a busy chat, I beg of you to all be mature and follow the chat code of conduct. This helps the people really here to talk to the MSN Messenger team get the best from this chat.
Raja (Expert)
Q: What is your favorite MSN Messenger & Beta feature?
A: I like several, including: Gleams for spaces updates, winks, handwriting, and fully functional audio chat (with relay)
Roger (Expert)
Q: Will MSN Messenger ever gonna be a Paid software ?
A: This question comes up often
No, at this time we have a long-term plan that Messenger will continue to be free for download, free for general use
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Will there be more statuses in next msn messengers?
A: Thanks for the question. What additional types of status would you like to have available?
Raja (Expert)
Q: if both a feather and a lump hammer are dropped when holding them at the same height on the moon, which would land first?
A: which moon
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will audio conversation be more stable in the current version? I keep on losing sound and going "super bass".
A: sorry to hear this... are you on broadband, what kind of microphone do you use?
Roger (Expert)
Q: messenger conversation windows can be changed colour by the user, this also changes the colour of the toasts when a user is online, however it doesnt change new mail toasts, or the main messenger window; is it planned for them to be either changed to match
A: This has been suggested recently by people in our group...and sounds cool. We'd like to do this, so we'll be looking into it
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: Why does handwriting work on my laptop but not on my desktop, both with same version beta?
A: Messenger relies on handwritting components installed on the system. These are the Journal Viewer and Windows XP SP1
Raja (Expert)
Q: I know you guys cant comment on features, but is the possibility of controls for WMP from Messenger being considered at least?
A: yes. thanks
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: Qui est Francais ?
A: Je suis francaise
Jon (Expert)
Q: Have the team decided when Messenger 7 wil be released? And what's in store for Wave 11?
A: Thanks for asking this question. We unfortunately do not discuss future release dates or future features.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Do you need any more developers?
A: yes
Andy (Moderator)
For those new to the chat - Our topic is MSN Messenger Beta Chat. We’re almost halfway in, thank you for your participation
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: wdowell: Q Good evening / day... What were there results of the advertisement section in the beta survey for MSN7 - Did people indicate they didnt click on them ie Is it still Microsoft's intention to continue placing an advertisement into the MSN Client ?
A: Do you mean the text link at the bottom of the conversation window? If so, yes, that link is staying. We got a lot of feedback from users on how we could use this space effectively, and we are taking that into consideration for final.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will we be able to have multi-way audio conferences?
A: good suggestion. thx.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Why can't we disable tabs in MSN Messenger 7?
A: This has been reported a lot, and we're looking into adding this capability back into the client
Raja (Expert)
Q: I love MSN spaces thanks alot
A: Glad to hear it. thx
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Why are we so limited on colours for our text? Maybe add a more customizable colour pane (Fully customizable)?
A: Great suggestion. We'll take that into consideration.
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: What is msn coded in? c++?
A: Most of the code is written in C++, some server side components are written in C#
Raja (Expert)
Q: Why don't you just remove all the stupid features no one will use (winks, packs, nudges) and save my bandwidth when I have to download a 5MB file due to a bloated messenger client?
A: thx for feedback. we strive for keeping most things configurable so we can meet as many user's needs as we can.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Q: Hi, Why are there rumours/screens from Msn Messenger 8, when Msn Messenger 7 is'nt officialy released?
A: We're always thinking about what to do next, but right now we're heads-down working hard to release Messenger 7.
Raja (Expert)
Q: will there be a quick winks? like the quick emoticons?
A: good suggestion, thanks
Roger (Expert)
Q: I think there should be a feature in MSN Messenger 7.0 where users can simply not be invited to convos ...Put the option somewhere in MSN Messenger 7.0 cause Group Convos are annoying sometimes
A: Interesting suggestion. Thanks
Marty (Expert)
Q: On the last messenger webchat, you were asked what your favorite messenger product was. this time around, would you be able to answer what your favorite non-microsoft product is? mozilla firefox maybe?
A: I dont really have a favorite browser, they all surf the web and show me the content I'm interested in. As to my favorite non-Microsoft technology today has to be the new iPod Photo I got last month.
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: you say you need more developers, how would we be able to apply
A: Go to
http://job.microsoft.com
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Hi experts, what new features will we be seeing thats different from any we see in msn 7 beta
A: We can't comment on unannounced features, but there will be lots of improvements and some new stuff.
Roger (Expert)
Q: is msn 7 a .net service?
A: MSN Messenger is an IM client that utilizes the .NET Messaging Service. This includes v7.0, as well as Windows Messenger and Mac Messenger
Raja (Expert)
General comment: Sorry, can't keep up the pace here... Thanks in advance for all the suggestions and feedback, we'll go through them again when the session ends.
Raja (Expert)
Also, if there are features in Messenger that are annoying to you, please feel free to let us know as well. thanks.
Adam (Expert):
Q: I'd like to be an official messenger beta teser. how can i become one?
A: Please go to beta.microsoft.com and sign up. Thanks for your interest.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: hi, thanks for hosting this chat, i was wondering, if msn/ms are considering adding a feature to maybe "ring" through someone's speakers when they are online
A: There is a feature called nudge in this beta that provide a bit of this functionality. A further enhanced version of this might be considered for future versions. Thanks for the suggestion!
Roger (Expert)
Q: What is your favorite MSN Mesenger 7 feature? Winks? Nudges?
A: Animated lvback.gif for the main UI is a personal fave of mine
But drag-n-drop of user tiles and backgrounds is pretty cool, too
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: We will be able to use more colors in our messages? Currently we can only use one.
A: If you use the handwriting tool, you can use different colors
Adam (Expert)
Q: Nope,
http://job.microsoft.com doesnt work
A: Try microsoft.com/careers
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Well there be any feature that will act as a alarm clock to wake people who keep there pc's on
A: You can get this feature today with Plus! It has adds alarm clock functionality to Windows Media Player!
Raja (Expert)
Q: Er...will MSN Messenger 7.0 be safe with winks and nudges (Winks had a exploit once before which got fixed ) - XeroCool
A: we work hard on keeping messenger safe and secure.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: How many hours per week do you spend on MSN Messenger?
A: All of us in the Messenger product team are fairly heavy users as you can imagine! Not only do we love our product but it is also a core communication tool for us as a team so we do spend considerable amounts of time using the product.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Will you incorporate MMS with MSN Mobile?
A: What use of MMS would you like to see with MSN Mobile?
Roger (Expert)
Q: I love the way you can drag and drop ink/emoticons.. keep up this kind of good work
A: We will...we have a couple of ideas to expand upon this in the future
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: i have tried quite a bit trying to become a beta tester.. but i've never seemed to have got a reply... is this because you're busy or not accepting me?
A: email msnbinfo@microsoft.com and I will help set up your beta account
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Are there plans for a MSN lite stripped of features and a normal MSN?
A: Not at this time but thanks for the suggestion!
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will it be possible to tell the user what their contact's client is able to do? & is it possible to disable file transfers & add Multi Sign ins on one client?
A: good suggestion. thanks.
Raja (Expert)
Q: the nudges feature sometimes annoy me as my friend do it to me multiple times, can you add an option to be able to block or stop the receiver from seeing them?
A: thx for letting us know.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Is it possible to make the webcam screen any bigger than is already possible? - Crompee
A: god suggestion. thx.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will the chain messages ever stop?
A: Could you elaborate, please? thx
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: Nadia; you seem to be hiding; more compatablity with display pictures and other image formats?
A: No I am here, busy replying to questions. I can't give you that type of information
Roger (Expert)
Q: disabling winks would be a good feature for me as they can get anoying
A: You can stop them from playing automatically in the Options menu under the Messages tab
Raja (Expert)
Q: When using the handwriting tool could a tab be included to make the drawing space bigger for those who dont know how to make it bigger themselfs?
A: good suggestion. thx.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: will there be an option to disable auto-emoticons in the textbox? this very much annoys me seeing I cant easily copy&paste messages with emoticons in them
A: There is an option for this in Tools - Options - Messages
Adam (Expert):
Q: I emailed msnbinfo@microsoft.com to become a beta tester. How long will you take to reply?
A: What's your email address? We'll look into that.
Roger (Expert)
Q: will handwriting be supported on pocket pcs?
A: Unfortunately, we don't know...the PocketPC team owns their own Messenger client.
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: Some bug you want to fix with the Nudges: When you nudge someone, you got to wait a while before sending another one. Well, There is an easier way. If you close the convo and re-open it and keep doing it, you can do it over and over again. Hope you fix it!
A: We are aware of this issue and the product team is working on it
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will the MSN Messenger 5 for Mac with Webcasm support?
A: popular request. sorry for the inconvenience. we're looking into it.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Gonna be "disabling" winks really be disabling, so not even the message that someone tryd to send you a wink
A: The behavior will stay as it is, meaning you will get the notification but the wink or nudge won't play.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Could you email your colleagues working on the mac version, asking them to have a chat like this???
A: will pass the request on.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Is any part of the MSN Messenger team based in the UK?
A: We have part of our team there and in many other countries, yes!
Jeff Wilkes [MS] (Expert)
Q: My tabs aint working in ver 7 beta, instead of the green man and a bell I see 2 green men and therefore I cant see MSN Alerts
A: Most tab problems like this can be solved by signing in and out.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Why have you made msn 7 even easier for us to skin than msn 6 was? do you not mind us skinning it or are you happy to let us skin it to give the users a bigger variety? - STR8 JACKET
A: It wasn't exactly that we intentionally "made it easier" to do this, but we continually strive to make Messenger more customizable and user friendly with each successive version.
Andy (Moderator)
We have less than 20 minutes left in today's chat, thanks for joining
Roger (Expert)
Q: can you add some sort of logging for the handwriting used in the conversation?
A: That's something many people have asked about. With the current implimentation of how Message History works (XML) it's a little difficult, but we're looking into it. Thanks for the feedback
Adam (Expert):
Q: Do you have a messenger place in england... if so... could i do work experience there?
A: You can email them from
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/contactus/content/default/form.aspx and ask for information.
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: Can any one become a beta tester?
A: Yes anyone can become a beta tester by applying at beta.microsoft.com
Raja (Expert)
Q: I'm wondering if firewall issues have been addressed with v7 yet. Messenger 6.2 works fine behind our firewall at work but v7 doesn't.
A: sorry to hear this... we're trying to make connectivity better with 7 than with 6.2 could you provide more details about the firewall? thanks
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: When setting yourself to away will we be able to personalize the auto message like we was previously able to do in the final realise of msn 7?
A: MSN Messenger has never had personalized auto messages when you are away.
Roger (Expert)
Q: It will be possible to add ink redistribuales in msn 7.0 because a lot .... <= in addition: it is explained how to enable it in the messenger helppages, but can these made more accessable (eg: via msn messenger itself), many people dont know they exist
A: Adding the ink redist with the Messenger download would greatly increase the download size...but we are looking into other feedback situations to help people better understand why they can't use ink, and help them get it working. Thanks
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: talking of browsers... Can Messenger be fixed so the true default browser can be used to go to websites and to open the hotmail link in (thinking of user of Avant, FireFox, etc...).
A: For technical reasons, we have to use IE unfortunately whenever authentication of the user is required, as IE gives us a secure way to pass the authentication credential up to the website the link is going to (hotmail for example)
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: When using the handwriting tool could a tab be included to make the drawing space bigger for those who dont know how to make it bigger themselfs?
A: Thanks for the suggestion.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: When will anyone answer the questions i ask or am i asking myself?
A: Yes
Roger (Expert)
Q: Animated lvback.gif for the main UI is a personal fave of mine
But drag-n-drop of user tiles and backgrounds is pretty cool, too - is this in MSN 7 for windows?
A: Yes, right now...go get the latest beta!
Jeff Wilkes [MS] (Expert)
Q: Why do the gleams for the Spaces updates always show up on spaces tht haven't been updated recently? -Atown
A: Two things about gleams, gleam state doesn't roam between machines so if you log into a new machine you'll see gleams again. Also, if the owner of the space touches thier space in even minor ways it will fire the gleam update.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Thanks for taking the time to have these chats. I am sure we all appreciate them.
A: It sure gets hectic keeping up with all the flood of questions! But we're happy you guys appreciate it, and it's fun for us
Raja (Expert)
Q: will there ever be animated display pictures?
A: looking into it.
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: I have way too many comments/suggestions and questions... Aside from this chat, is there anyway of contacting you with all of these?
A: Yes you can send feedback in v7.0. Help -> Send Feedback
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: is it possible to add ink redistibuales in msn messenger 7.0 final ?
A: we're making it easier to get them, but they won't be included by default.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Can you guys make a msn messenger 7 version that uses lower memory for low end machines?
A: are you noticing 7 running slower than 6.2? (we're working on improving perf)
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: Do I have to live in the US to become a beta tester?
A: Everyone is welcome, sign up at beta.microsoft.com
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: Usability suggestion: I think "Handwrite" should just say "Draw" or something simular. It's fun/useful to be able to exchange small pictures/diagrams too.
A: Thanks for the suggestion, it is good one!
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: MSN Messenger has had personalized auto messages when your away but I guess It was MSN Plus, I wasn't sure. You think you could put this in future MSN versions or maybe even the final 7 as I think this is a great feature
A: thanks for the suggestion
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: wot is the latest publically beta build?
A: 425 it the most current Beta build
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Why did you guys remove proxy support from msn 7?
A: we didn't. it's still in the options menu, but the location has moved.
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: Does working for microsoft rock?
A: Yes it does!
Jeff Wilkes [MS] (Expert)
Q: Will you be able to turn off the nudge feature?
A: You can turn off the nudge feature. Tools.Options.Messages.Allow people to send me Nudges.
Roger (Expert)
Q: When people add me as a contact, I'd like to see a personalized note. I usually don't recognize just an email address. Just a sentence, like "Hey, it's Mary, we met last night." That text would stay with the contact incase I forget why I added them.
A: Well, we actually considered this situation just two weeks ago! People sometimes don't send Friends and Family mail when adding their buddy...so we have come up with an idea to help make this easier (tho' not as involved as your suggestion...which we also considered). Stay tuned...
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Is there going to be a feature to backup your display pictures and custom emoticons, because when you bought them, and your hard drive crashes for example you can't get them free
A: great suggestion. thanks!
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: Will you be able to turn off the nudge feature?
A: There is an option Tools->Option->Messages-> Allow popele to send me Nudges
Raja (Expert)
Q: Will msn messenger stay free for version 7?
A: while we introduce some pay-for features (like some games in 6.2), current plans are to keep messenger as is.
Nadia - MSN Beta X (Expert)
Q: if u do become a beta tester what do u have to do??
A: You will have to install the software, run some testing scenarios.... Test on your own and report your bugs on our website
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: will the 425 release be the final beta release , or there are more improvements????
A: No there will be improvements
Roger (Expert)
Q: Will the MSN Messenger 5 for Mac with Webcasm support?
A: We don't know...the Mac team is separate from our team, but they are aware that everyone wants this feature
Raja (Expert)
Q: HAve you guys meet Bill gates in person?
A: yes
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Is there plans for a messenger lite; with all the basic functions for slow internet connections; reducing download times for the software etc
A: The MSN Web Messenger might be what you are looking for. It works as a web page in Internet Explorer. Go to webmessenger.msn.com!
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: The XBOX Live integration with Messenger is very cool, but not true integration, for example it doesn't assocate my XBOX Live friends with my MSN contacts. Is this planned?
A: we've heard this feedback a lot, and we're looking into what we can do in this space. no plans at this time.
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: Will there be any ways to combat SPIM in future versions?
A: You can change your privacy settings to block IMs from any one not on your allow list.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Many people dont know about MSN Spaces. You think you could advertise this in some way so more people are aware of this great service?
A: Thanks for letting us know... We
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: Why doesnt handwriting work on my laptop but not my desktop?
A: We added a topic to the help on this. Open Messenger help and search for "handwrite". It will help you get what you need.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Feature request: Make MSN Messenger upgrades part of Windows Update.
A: Thanks. Windows Update does this for Windows Messenger, but we rely on automatically informing the customer that there is a newer version available.
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: How come some times my msn closes by it's self and all my disply pictures are lost will the issue be fixed?
A: Yep, that's a known issue (annoys me too). Thanks for reporting it.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Are the MSN Messenger development team keeping the vast majority of DIALUP users in mind whilst developing! - Shane
A: yes, very much so.... we're trying to balance the needs of users on dialup and broadband... anything specific that is annoying you, Shane?
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: why are the same questions being answered over and over again stead of other new ones?
A: There are 100s of questions to answer. We are trying our best
Andy (Moderator)
We have 5 minutes left in today's chat, thanks for your participation!!
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: http://job.microsoft.com is invalid
A: http://www.microsoft.com/jobs
Roger (Expert)
Q: Every time the developerteam of MSN Messenger is saying "We are looking into it", then why don't they work on it? Are you people working for free or something?
A: Sometimes they do, and you see the feature in a future version. Other times it's too difficult to get it in, or there's not enough time...but we do our best to get as many features into the product that our customers would love as we can
Roger (Expert)
Q: Will ALL animated emoticons work in final version? in beta, more than half of animated gifs doesn't work as expected!
A: We plan to have this fixed in Final
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: You visit mess.be ever?
A: Yeah I have.
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: I haven't had any of my questions answerd and been waiting for ages...
A: sorry about that
Raja (Expert)
General comment: Great to see all this enthusiasm. Sorry can't get to all the questions that I'd like to get to. Thanks for using Messenger and please continue to feel free to give us your feedback, both positive and negative.
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Sometimes I want people to be able to talk to me over messenger, but I don't want them to have my email address. Can you make a feature to generate some kind of ID that people can use to add me as a contact without requiring me share my email address?
A: Interesting suggestion. We will be considering it for future versions. There is not limit to the number of .Net Passports you can have so feel free to use a different one for email and messenger.
Adam (Expert):
Q: http://www.microsoft.com/jobs is also invalid
A: Sorry, try /careers
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: is there somthing like this chat for the french ???
A: Il y a quelques français parmis les Experts!
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: My norton 2005 firewall doesn't always seem to be able to scan the messages and stuff (as it comes up with a warning at the beginning), can you help?
A: We can't control the behavior of Norton's product. You may want to contact them and let them know about the issue you are experiencing.
Raja (Expert)
Q: Is it possible to have a certain noise for when a certain person signs in and out?
A: god suggestion. thanks.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Does Bill Gates do anything with MSN messenger (ex: use it or code some part) or is he lazy and sit there and stare at his freaken money in his house? - XeroCool
A: As the Chief Software Architect, Mr. Gates has a great deal of feedback for MSN Messenger. And he doesn't keep his money at his house (not all of it, anyway...)
Raja (Expert)
Q: Do you guys test and download msn messenger on 56 k to see how it runs or test it on slower comps instead of high end computers?
A: part of our test suite.
Roger (Expert)
Q: Why doesn't MSN Messenger remember your signin status?
A: Awesome feature request! I want this, too. Let's see what we can do...
CJ Saretto (Expert)
Q: I am a user with XP firewall and router. sometimes I'm transfering/downloading at a fast rate and sometimes its just a drag. What is the cause of this? and how do I come about fixing this problem? How much of a difference will 7 make compared to 6?
A: The connection is dependent on the network settings of both the sender and recipient. When we can't make a direct connection for some reason, we fall back on the service to get the file through (but slowly)
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Why is file transfer 9/10 times so slow ?
A: It is slower when we cannot establish a direct p2p connection between the two machines. So if you are behind a proxy or your network connection settings are incorrect, this might happen. Go to the help for a complete explanation of what to look for in your network connection and help trouble shooting it.
NicoleT (Expert)
Q: Is this going to end?
A: I need to run. Later everyone!
Raja (Expert)
Q: Why does it god suggestion instead of good suggestion?
A: sorry, trying to type fast... and making spelling mistakes
christian_msn (Expert)
Q: Why doesn't MSN Messenger remember your signin status?
A: We are considering this feature for future versions
Adam (Expert):
Q: What is the URL to sign up for beta tester?
A: beta.microsoft.com
Andy (Moderator)
Well that's it guys, we are over time!
Andy (Moderator)
Thanks to all of you who participated in today's chat! especially those who showed some maturity!
Andy (Moderator)
I'd like to thank our experts, today's chat was busy and our experts did a great job to get to as many questions as they could
Andy (Moderator)
Bye! all!!
Official transcript
And the actual guest chat (UTF8 text -partially edited to an uniform format-):
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Reminder: MSN Beta - Official MSN Messenger chat (January 20, 2005)
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