Microsoft Messenger for Mac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Contact list, chat window and pop-up alert, v7.0.2, on Mac OS X v10.5.2 "Leopard" |
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| Developer(s) | Macintosh Business Unit |
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| Stable release | 7.0.2 / February, 2009 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X |
| Type | Instant messaging |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.microsoft.com |
Microsoft Messenger for Mac (previously MSN Messenger for Mac) is the official Mac OS X instant messaging client for use with Microsoft's .NET Messenger Service and is developed by the Macintosh Business Unit, a division of Microsoft. However, the feature list is limited in comparison to that of its counterpart Windows Live Messenger. The client is still maintained and updated but still lacks a number of features that its Windows counterpart contains. In response to its lack of features, numerous third-party competitors have been developed, such as Adium, emesene, Mercury Messenger, and aMSN.
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[edit] Versions
The versions 3.x and later of Microsoft Messenger for Mac feature new Aqua graphics, whereas version 2.x and below have graphics similar to Windows Messenger 4.0. Versions 5.x use the brushed metal theme.
- Version 2.5.1 is an update to version 2.5, which is a mandatory update to version 2.1 that is available for users running Mac OS 9.2.2.
- Version 3.5 for Mac OS X revisions older than 10.2.8
- Version 4.0.1 for Mac OS X revisions 10.2.8 and newer
- Version 5.1.1 for Mac OS X revisions 10.3 and newer
- Version 6.0.3 for Mac OS X revisions 10.3.9 and newer
- Version 7.0.0 for Mac OS X 10.4.9 or newer was released on April 29, 2008.
- Version 7.0.1 for Mac OS X 10.4 or later includes minor bug fixes.
- Version 7.0.2 for Mac OS X 10.4 or later "improves overall quality and conversations with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2", but does have a bug which requires to select the text entry box before you can reply again when using the Safari 4 web browser - beta software from Apple. This can be fixed by downloading the Safari 4 stable release.
It should be noted that with the release of Microsoft Messenger for Mac 7.0, Microsoft has discontinued the client's support for older versions of their Corporate messaging systems (such as Live Communications Server 2005). The latest version to support these older systems is Version 6.0.3, which is still available for download on the Microsoft website.
Version 7.0 was originally meant to include webcam and audio capabilities but was delayed once more. There was widespread annoyance among the Mac community when this version was released, as it only included very minor enhancements and bug fixes: many regard it as version 6.0.4 as nothing substantially new was implemented to bring it on par with the Windows version.
Webcam and audio support has been delayed due to Windows Live Messenger's webcam and audio engine being reworked, which meant that the Mac version had to wait until this was complete in order for both platform releases to function correctly. This has been questioned hugely, as basic webcam and audio support could have been implemented years ago and then updated to be compatible with the new Windows Live Messenger.
Version 8.0.0 is expected to be released in (but potentially doubtful) 2009 with webcam and audio support. An unreleased and unstable version of Microsoft Messenger for Mac, labeled as version 8.0.0, was shown at Macworld Conference & Expo at the Macintosh Business Unit both which contained webcam and audio support but no other new features. [1]
The same version which was demoed at MacWorld was leaked onto the Internet on 14 March 2009. According to reports, the build is very unstable and is prone to frequent crashes, although the actual A/V facilities do work - even if they are buggy. The new build adds Apple Mail-like notifications to the dock icon of Messenger, however aside from this and the A/V facilities, nothing new has been added to the program. There are no settings which can be changed regarding the A/V facilities and as such, many regard this internal leak as alpha software, rather than beta.
[edit] Feature comparison
Microsoft Messenger for Mac is not as fully featured as Windows Live Messenger for Windows, lacking the following features:
- Offline Messages
- Handwritten messages
- Screen sharing
- Nudges
- Winks
- Photo backgrounds on current conversation windows
- Games that can be played with another contact
- Some built-in emoticons, including the rabbit emoticon
- Contact details such as Addresses
- Integration with Windows Live Spaces
- Windows Live Today
- Color schemes
- Audio and Video chat for Personal accounts (this will be featured later in the 8.x series)
Apple officially endorses use of the XMPP protocol and AOL Instant Messenger network via its own client iChat. Third-party applications, often able to connect to several instant messaging networks, offer Windows Live connectivity and sometimes more features like audio and video chat. aMSN for example, offers features such as Nudging, Voice Clips, Webcam support, and more through Plugins available on its website. This had led to widespread criticism of the Microsoft Mac Business Unit for not being able to release an instant messaging client that has more features than an open-source real time communications service.[citation needed]
On the Mac Mojo blog, Microsoft officially stated that their plan is "to deliver a beta version of A/V in 2009" and that a video of the new release would be shown at Macworld Expo.[2] A comment from a member of the Microsoft team about sharing more information was made, but almost six months later and still no news has surfaced.
[edit] See also
- Windows Live Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Windows Messenger
- Macintosh Business Unit
- iChat
- Adium
- aMSN
- Comparison of instant messaging clients
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (March 2008) |
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This article uses bare URLs. Please help improve this article by turning bare URLs into proper citations containing all of the information on the referenced work's title, date, publisher, publication, and author, so that the article remains verifiable in the future. (There are several templates available that can help to make formatting such citations simple.) This page may also be able to help find problematic links. (March 2008) |
- ^ Pippen, Matt (February 23, 2009). "Messenger for Mac 8". MacFocus Magazine. http://www.macfocusmagazine.com/2009/02/messenger-for-mac-8/. Retrieved on 2009-02-27.
- ^ Microsoft (December 18, 2008). "An Update on Messenger for Mac". Microsoft Blog posting. http://www.officeformac.com/blog/An-Update-on-Messenger-for-Mac/. Retrieved on 2008-12-21.
[edit] External links
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