Shoutbox

Can anyone tell me why Microsoft seems to be reluctant to show the version numbers of WLM? I mean before downloading it. After install one can see the version number. But not before.

I've been awaiting the new Plus! and once it came out i updated my WLM before installing Plus! But no official page from MS can tell me the latest version number. Different other sites tells me WLM 8.5.1235-1288, 8.5.1302.1018 are the latest (besides 9.0.1407.1107 BETA). Downloading from the usual site gave me Vers. 1288 for some odd reason. Shouldn't this be Vers. 8.5.1302.1018?? Or am i missing something here? Msgstuff tells me: Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1302.1018
The first official non-beta release of the new Windows Live Messenger 8.5. Cant MS do the same? Or http://www.msgpluslive.net/ for that matter.

What's the point of hiding the version information from the users prior to downloading and installing?? And why doesn't MS front the latest version (or do they?)? Some of us actually do care and want to have the latest version.

WLM seems to be the only thing stopping me from ditching MS. But these kinda things kinda manifests MS's disregard of the users. Why is it so hard to include us the users?

Therefore why not make download links to the different WLM build on the main page of Messenger Plus! Live site? So users can get the version they want (usually the latest official build of course).

You got some good points there.

MS indeed rarely shows version numbers, and you're not the only one who finds this extremely annoying. (You wouldn't believe how much bandwith I sometimes waste just to discover I already have a particular version, etc)

It has been not so long that MS finally decided to post version numbers in their Download Center (though, not everwhere).
eg (WLM 8.5.1302.1018): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?F...-b445-0487bd5e84ef

But it has to be noted... Since WLM is now installed via the Windows Live Installer, this also means (I think) that you again could well end up with a different version being installed than it was advertised on the download page. This because you now actually download an Installer which on its turn downloads the setup package. :/


Anyways, as for WLM. If you download from the official site http://get.live.com/messenger/overview (or sites which link to there) you will always have the latest public version, whatever it might be...

If some sites tell you that WLM 8.5.XXXX.XXXX is the latest version then:
a) either it is, and you would be able to download it also from the official main site (see above).
b) it is a private beta version which got leaked.
c) it is a fake version, a mockup of somebody (no telling if it would do harm or not)
d) the sites are simply wrong. And they all say the same number because in this world many sites copy stuff from the other sites. Information is quite often stolen from eachother (and often without verifying anything)...
bottom line: always download from the official site

One more strange thing is that MS also seem to be experimenting with updating WLM via Windows Update. Once i have gotten this while running Windows Update. And as far as i could tell this was only to verify that it worked. I did not get a new version. This did not give me the version number either. Strange it is. And this should be the best way to secure that people are up to date with the latest version. If Windows Update worked on WLM people didn't have to surf around different sites to find the latest version.

MS has a lot to learn it seems. Nearly all my contacts are running older versions than the most current. Since they never are prompted for an update or because the official sites doesn't give them the latest version. So thanks for your link to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?F...4ef&displaylang=en

On should think that MS also was interested in fronting their latest WLM version. But it doesn't seem to be that way. Yesterdays attempt at upgrading from http://get.live.com/messenger/overview , which seems like the official site for WLM didn't give me the latest version (as you say it will CookieRevised). This also have occured in the past. Strange again.

So while we wait for Windows Update to actually work on WLM, how about posting links to the different builds on the main page here? In that way people are up to date with the latest WLM and the latest Messenger Plus! Live as well. Win-win i think for everyone. Win for us the users and for both MS and the MPL community as a whole.

quote:

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Originally posted by peakshysteria
the official site for WLM didn't give me the latest version (as you say it will CookieRevised). This also have occured in the past. Strange again.

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There is currently a leaked BETA of 9.0 out which may be what you are finding, where MS only has 8.5 on the site

quote:

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Originally posted by peakshysteria
One more strange thing is that MS also seem to be experimenting with updating WLM via Windows Update. Once i have gotten this while running Windows Update. And as far as i could tell this was only to verify that it worked. I did not get a new version. This did not give me the version number either. Strange it is. And this should be the best way to secure that people are up to date with the latest version. If Windows Update worked on WLM people didn't have to surf around different sites to find the latest version.

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They are indeed planning on doing just that. The Windows Live Installer is one step towards this.

Although, personally, I don't like it for two reasons:

1) You don't have any control anymore what version you download.

This doesn't have to be a problem for most people, but I like to be informed about and be able to download whatever version I want. In the "good old days" we could simply go to the Download Center, download the setup and be done with it. Nowadays we must start up Windows Live Installer, let it install the (latest) version, check the installer logs, copy the link to the MSI package being downloaded, copy the MSI package to our "archive" for safe keeping....

2) Not everybody actually uses Windows Update. (I don't know why, but many people don't)

quote:

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Originally posted by peakshysteria
Since they never are prompted for an update or because the official sites doesn't give them the latest version.

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Update prompts are only shown in two cases:

1) When there is a major update and people could choose if they install it or not.
2) When there is a security bug fixed and people need to update (forced update).

And all that happens only if the official site has been updated first (otherwise it wouldn't be logic to tell people to update if there isn't any public update available yet)!!

In other cases (small build fixes), nothing is shown for a long period of time. Which is, I think, a pitty indeed. Eventually people will get an update notification though.

quote:

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Originally posted by peakshysteria
So while we wait for Windows Update to actually work on WLM, how about posting links to the different build on the main page here? In that way people are up to date with the latest WLM and the latest Messenger Plus! Live as well. Win-win i think for everyone. Win for us the users and for both MS and the MPL community as a whole.

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The problem with that now is that MS uses those Windows Live Installers.

As said, what you actually download from the official sites are small (2MB) download tools. Those tools on their turn will check for the (latest?) version and start downloading it.

This makes that you can't have direct official links anymore to the actual setup packages of WLM, like it was before.

quote:

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Originally posted by SpunkyLoveMuff

quote:

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Originally posted by peakshysteria
the official site for WLM didn't give me the latest version (as you say it will CookieRevised). This also have occured in the past. Strange again.

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There is currently a leaked BETA of 9.0 out which may be what you are finding, where MS only has 8.5 on the site

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we're not talking about that though



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Anyways, I'll post some official download center links in a minute, hang on

At least MS should get the point that we all, in the end at least, would like to know which version we are installing. That means more version information than; 8.0,8.1,8.5, 9.0 etc.....which really tells us nothing. It might seem less important for the mainstream user, but nevertheless we all are entitled to know which version we are installing. This is a typical example of how MS disregard the users and the community as a whole. WLM is really one of the small great things they have left. So lets hope they manage to keep it so AND include the user and the community. For the time being everyone just have to google around for the must current version apparently. Thanks for posting the links above CookieRevised. I will surely send them to all my friends so they can be up to date as well.

Kinda like what I've been saying to myself lately... Microsoft has been getting more stupid each time something new comes up from them. First it was Vista and their User Account Control. One of THE most annoying crap I've ever seen. Not everyone knows how to turn it off (I found out after poking around for about an hour before I actually found it). Vista, in itself, is a SLOW as crap OS out there.

The only real program I'm using now from those idiots in Redmond is WLM of course, since I have no use for those multi-IM clients at all. The day the them idiots finally listen to users for once, is the day I hope to get their freakin' money to donate. For being the richest company I can think of, they sure know how to keep it to themselves...

Is it me, or is MS hiding more and more things from the general user lately? Who knows, I really don't care about MS anymore anyway..

quote:

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Originally posted by Shippo
Kinda like what I've been saying to myself lately... Microsoft has been getting more stupid each time something new comes up from them. First it was Vista and their User Account Control. One of THE most annoying crap I've ever seen. Not everyone knows how to turn it off (I found out after poking around for about an hour before I actually found it). Vista, in itself, is a SLOW as crap OS out there.

The only real program I'm using now from those idiots in Redmond is WLM of course, since I have no use for those multi-IM clients at all. The day the them idiots finally listen to users for once, is the day I hope to get their freakin' money to donate. For being the richest company I can think of, they sure know how to keep it to themselves...

Is it me, or is MS hiding more and more things from the general user lately? Who knows, I really don't care about MS anymore anyway..

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So why are you still using Windows then? Why are you still using Windows Live Messenger, and possible many other MS programs? You can do everything you are doing using free, non-MS software also. It is not like you don't have any choice....

If you don't know anything else, people here will gladly help you by pointing out the many alternatives.

What I mean is: MS isn't all that bad at all. Yes they make mistakes, just like any other company out there. But if it was that bad, nobody would be using it.

And I think it is you, because MS surely are doing many things to keep in contact with its users, more and more... Not as fast as you might want, but they sure do their best. Maybe you're looking in the wrong places to start with....


Anyways, don't get sidetracked and turn this into a flame MS thread, that is absolutely not what this thread is about!

I only use WLM since it's really the only good thing about MS, tad odd when used in Vista though... but probably because of my laptop.

For me, who knows... I'm pretty much forced to use Windows right now. Main computer died and I know some laptops don't even work without whatever OS it came with. -_-

Regardless of my ranting, version numbers.. yeah, I want 'em public. The Installer they got going on.... I don't know, a joke perhaps? Kinda stupid if you ask me..