Shoutbox

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When do I get to play?
Posted by Paul.


We’ve been busy reading all the comments in the blog so far, and one of the most common comments we’ve seen so far is “Can I get a copy of the beta?” We’re working hard to do just that right now. We want you to have Windows Live Messenger as much as we do!

We’ve still got some things to do before we release it to the world. In the meantime, I’d like to explain how the process is going to work:

    * Right now, we (the team making Windows Live Messenger) are pretty much the only ones running WLM. We’re still busy finding bugs, fixing them, and making everything work better for you.
    * When we’re ready, we’ll release an early beta version to a limited set of users (they used to be called our “butterflies” – I guess we need a new name!) These folks will take the time to play with an early version, report bugs, and tell us what they think about it before it’s already in the hands of millions of users.
    * Since it’s no fun testing new features when you don’t have any friends to test them with, our initial butterflies (We still need a new name!) will get to invite a few friends to play with the new version with them.
    * Over time, people will get more invitations, until one day, there’s no need – everyone can download it and play with it.

Now, everyone’s going to ask me “Where can I get an invite, or get on the list for an invite?” I’m the purveyor of bad news – you can’t yet. But, we promise to let you know as soon as we’re ready! In the meantime, you might want to find a butterfly (I’ll still miss the name!) and befriend them, because you’ll want to be on their short list when they get to choose who to invite to play with them!

WARNING: Finally, some of you may be so excited to use Windows Live Messenger that you’re tempted to try out a “hacked” version. Please don’t use it or link to it here – an unsupported alteration of our code can cause unpredictable behavior – including but not limited to exposing yourself to malware, spyware, viruses, or other software harmful to your computer.

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