Software Update: Messenger Plus! 3.21.104

Patchou recently released a new version of Messenger Plus! which has been given 3.21.104 as the version number. This program is a handy add-on for MSN Messenger and gives you the possibility, among other things, to rename contacts, format text and leave a message when you are not present. The complete changelog reports include the incomplete support of Microsoft Messenger 7. The release notes look like this:

Less than a month has passed since the last version of Messenger Plus! was released but I felt that this update had to be distributed now, for several reasons. First, because it includes several nice improvements to the Contacts on Desktop feature and I’m sure everyone will enjoy that (along with the bug fixes). Secondly, because this is is the last real update (see below) that will be released before the next, major one. With MSN Messenger 7 on its way, a lot of work has to be done to make Messenger Plus! entirely compatible and I want to be sure that you’ll not only get compatibility but cool improvements that will give you another reason to upgrade to Messenger 7 when it will be available. The good news is that Microsoft recently granted me with an MSN MVP status which means that I’ll be able to test Messenger Plus! on private beta versions, making sure that everything will be ready for the big day (or before).

This version is also a major step toward better user satisfaction. In the past couple of months, the count of Messenger Plus! users has increased dramatically and with it, the number of complains related to the optional sponsor program. Some people tend to think that the agreement is designed to fool people on purpose and, despite the fact that it is entirely untrue (there are so many “better” ways to deceive people, take a look at what you see on the internet nowadays) , I’ve decided that the time had come to redesign the setup a little bit. In that sense, version 3.21 is also a test version. I will be testing several new versions of the sponsor agreement window with the hope of finding a better compromise between user satisfaction and revenues. In case that wouldn’t be clear enough for some of the people who like to write pages about how awful I am on some forums/newsgroups , let me rephrase this: with version 3.21, I’ll be trying to find ways to earn less money and this, only so that people can focus more about the features included in Messenger Plus! than its sponsor.

Very soon, when the tests will be over, I will release another version that will contain the final new look of the setup. The time has come for some people to remember that Messenger Plus! is not a spyware-filled junk but a full featured Messenger plugin. The optional adware is just here as a complement so that I can live my own life, it has nothing to do with Messenger Plus! itself. I hope this version (and the next) will make thisfact clear for everyone (for more details about this, you can read my recent post on this subject on the forum).