Main/News >> News Archives > The week of June 03 (2007) (you are here)

 Meebo needs odd users for experimental beta-testing

dwergs says ( 09 Jun 2007 ):

The people behind Meebo are looking for about 100-150 testers for an experimental beta-version of the popular web-based IM client. "Most of the time, we’ll ask our private beta users to report any issues they see while we’re preparing for the next release. However, on some days we’ve been known to try some whacky (and sometimes only half-implemented) experiments just to see how an idea feels for 24 hours. We’ll be updating the private meebo with our daily developments and we’re looking forward to catching bugs early in our development cycle with your help." They prefer users on slower connections, using different languages, Mac users, using popouts, or who are in other atypical testing situations. Look here for more information on how to apply. [Link fixed, thanks the_sickness_14!]

 Six free alternatives to WLM, AIM & Yahoo compared

Inky says ( 09 Jun 2007 ):

ExtremeTech, a website dedicated to all things technical, has recently compared several free alternatives to Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. The clients they compared were (in order of appearence) Adium (for Mac), eBuddy, Meebo, Meetro, Pidgin (formerly known as gAIM), and Trillian. Each having their own tricks and features, they focussed on several areas such as the number of supported services, tabbed message windows, buddy lists, message history, chat text formatting, group chat, and interface customization. Of the three web services (eBuddy, Meebo and Meetro), eBuddy ranks lowest with a 5 on a scale of 10. This is mainly because the number of ads (and type of ads). Highest ranking is Meebo, with an 8. Meetro however did not receive a rating because it is still in beta. For the desktop the reviewer highly recommends Trillian (which is refered to as "the client to beat") for Windows PCs, and Adium if you are using a Mac. Both clients came out with a high score of 7 (or 9 for the Trillian Pro version) and 8 respectively. Pidgin is noted as being relatively advanced, but targetted towards the more advanced users. >> 6 Free Multi-Service IM Clients by ExtremeTech

 Windows Messenger gets itsy-bitsy update

dwergs says ( 08 Jun 2007 ):

Microsoft at the start of this week released an updated for Windows Messenger, its downsized and more corporate-oriented IM client that comes with Windows XP. All we can deduct from the official download page is that version 5.1.0706 "improves security by using the latest secure components." >> Download Windows Messenger 5.1.0706 in 26 different languages via this page.

 New Messenger worm crawls out of imsector.com

dwergs says ( 08 Jun 2007 ):

I haven't seen this one analysed by any of the major virus labs yet, but according to Messers Kangie and Patrick Flynn there's a new worm doing rounds on Messenger. Trying to lure unknowing users into clicking a malicious link, it sends out the following message: http://www2.[donotvisit]imsector.com/m.php?m=[your email address] those ur pics? As always, do not click the link when you receive this (or a similar) message and inform its sender of his/her infection. I see variants of the same, age old Messenger worm emerge almost weekly and it certainly won't do the user experience of the growing number of victims any good. What is the Messenger team taking so long to tackle these worms in an effective way, and not by just blocking a few random filenames and extensions? If you have any suggestions for them on how to deal with Messenger worms, share them with us in this post's thread on our forum.

 Honey, you broke the add-ons

dwergs says ( 07 Jun 2007 ):

Alongside all the excitement, the public beta-release of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 caused sorrow and misery for users of some of the most popular Messenger add-ons. The beta's new file location in particular undermined their functionality drastically or even entirely. Patchou quickly responded with a fresh build of Messenger Plus! Live, but until today the latest versions of Stuffplug and Messenger Discovery remain defunct. There are however some officious workarounds to revive these add-ons, but note that you're on your own when you want to get your hands dirty (backup whatever you mess with first!). Messer Nitemare reported to us about the following trick by the hand of Stuffplug's creator himself, TB: 1) Launch regedit 2) Create a new registry key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger 3) In this key, create a string value called "InstallationDirectory" that points to the Windows Live Messenger installation directory (C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger by default) 4) Install Stuffplug NOTE: "Replace default emoticons" and "Action text" features are not yet compatable with Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Beta. For MessengerDiscovery there's the following fix as posted by Shayne: 1) Make sure you have Windows Live Messenger 8.1 and Messenger Discovery 1.3 installed. 2) Install Windows Live Messenger 8.5 over 8.1. 3) Click Start > My Computer > Your Local Hard drive (C: by default) 4) Click Tools > Folder options, click the View tab and select Show hidden files and folders 5) Go to the old Windows Live Messenger installation directory (C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger by default) 6) Locate the files: VERSION.dll & WINHTTP.dll and select Copy 7) Paste them to the new Windows Live Messenger installation directory (C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger by default) 8) Restart Windows Live Messenger. NOTE: Don't expect all features to work. To be on the safe side or for full compatibility we suggest you wait until the developers update their add-ons (no ETAs available yet), or if you can't live without them stick to 8.1 for the time being.

 Dude, where's my Plus! contest icon?

dwergs says ( 06 Jun 2007 ):

Due to a bug in last weekend's Messenger Plus! Live update, the 6th anniversay contest icon yesterday disappeared from its users' Messenger clients. Patchou has corrected the problem in version 4.23. To compensate for the inaccessibility to the game grid, the contest will be prolonged a bit more. In addition, a few other minor bugs were fixed as well. >> Download Messenger Plus! Live 4.23.276. [Reported by: GiveItDeath]

 Curious about drugs? Talk to Frank!

dwergs says ( 05 Jun 2007 ):

Talk to FRANK says: Here is my home. 1 Cannabis 2 Cocaine 3 Ecstasy 4 Magic Mushrooms 5 Crystal Meth 6 Speed Go ahead and make a choice. dwergs says: how much for top-quality E? Talk to FRANK says: Cost of Ecstasy Prices can vary from region to region. The prices given here are an average of street prices reported from 20 different parts of England. Between £3 and £8 depending on the type of pill you buy and where you live. dwergs says: how much for a couple of shrooms? Talk to FRANK says: Cost of Magic Mushrooms Free if you know where to find them or up to £5 for a handful. Prices also vary from region to region. This isn't what you think it is. This isn't a conversation with my local drug dealer. It's only a snippet of the chat I just had with Frank, a Messenger bot designed to give young people information on drugs from content supplied by FRANK, the UK-based drug information and advice service. For those feeling uncomfortable speaking over the phone or sending an e-mail, they've launched a bot in order to increase access to their already 24/7 available information on drugs. Luckily for me after the above conversation, interaction with the bot is totally confidential. >> Add talktofrankbot@hotmail.co.uk to your contact list. >> Visit the FRANK Homepage. >> Visit the TalktoFRANK page. [Reported by: John]

 David Guetta in the Messenger Mix

dwergs says ( 04 Jun 2007 ):

Mix Messenger is probably the worst track David Guetta ever produced and I very much doubt it has already "rocked dance floors from Ibiza to Miami" as the French site says. Then again, the default Messenger sounds are not exactly the funkiest samples a dj can wish for (and I know, I once tried to "remix" them myself). But still, we're all Messenger aficionados here so we have to nod our heads to this tune based mainly on the type(.wma)-sound, which he made on a flight from the U.S. to France. In a video on his Space (or his "Blog Messenger", as they call it in France), the world-famous dj explains that he doesn't really use Messenger for chatting but for exchanging tracks with his producers instead. Guetta's next and third album "Pop Life" will hit the shelves on June 18th. The tracklist doesn't include Mix Messenger. >> Download David Guetta - Mix Messenger (.wma inside the .zip). >> Download the David Guetta Theme Pack (.zip with 2 display pictures, 3 backgrounds and 1 emoticon). >> Visit the Mix Messenger by David Guetta homepage. [Reported by: KR15]

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