Windows Live Services

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a very very long time. Why? The title says it all. Windows Live Services RULE! Period. This is the best bunch of software MS could have ever come up with.

So, what is the Windows Live Services? Something awesome you can say considering the fact that it has impressed me. *ahem* . On a serious note, I found out about the Windows Live services when I was opening an account in Hotmail.

When you try to open a Hotmail account, Live (alias MSN) gives you 2 options : 1) Simply open a Hotmail account, 2) Open a Hotmail account and also download a software package containing certain softwares developed by Microsoft. In this case, the software distribution is completely free!!!

I chose option 2 for some reason and I’m happy I did. Live let me open my account (it also gave me an option as to choose my address as @live.com or as @Hotmail.com; I chose the former) and then I downloaded a setup file called WLInstaller which was, if I remember right, pretty huge. I then run the setup (which took a lot of time thanks to my slow internet connection) and voila, a bunch of softwares were installed.

These softwares were : 1) Windows Live Mail, 2) Windows Live Messenger, 3) Windows Live Writer, 4) Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Windows Live Mail : This is the newest e-mail client from Microsoft. It is said to be the successor of Outlook but rumors say its not. For one thing, this software has an absolutely BRILLIANT interface. It makes Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0.0.12 suck ass! :D. For your disbelief, here’s a screen shot of both e-mail clients when my dad (Live Mail) and I (Thunderbird) worked on them.

 

 

 

In the above 2 screen shots, notice the difference between the absence of all the clutter of toolbars in Live Mail and their presence in Thunderbird. Also, the buttons themselves are much more futuristic and stylish in Live Mail. My friend asked me why anyone would bother about the interface when all they want to do is check mail. In that case folks, both are brilliant softwares. And if you can compare them, its only through the interface and in this case, Live Mail beats Thunderbird by a huge margin.

 

2) Windows Live Messenger : The messenger isn’t all that great I’m sorry to say. As in.. there is nothing special about it. Although the interface again is quite futuristic, it isn’t any better than the Y! Messenger. Here’s a screen shot just for the heck of it.

None of my friends have a hotmail or live account so I don’t have any contacts. That hinders viewing what the actual contact list would look like.

 

3) Windows Live Writer : This is a software meant for those owning more than one Weblog (me, for instance). Windows Live Writer provides every option that your Weblog domain provider would when you want to post in your Weblog. No more hassles of signing in to sites and then visiting your Weblog Dashboard and clicking write and waiting for the editor to load (which takes an eternity in such a slow connection as mine). Windows Live Writer automatically takes up your Weblog editing style provided by your Weblog domain provider by using the technique of publishing a post and checking the style and then removing the post. So, assuming you have a Weblog in WordPress.com, Blogger.com, Windows Live Spaces etc etc, Windows Live Writer immediately loads the interface of any Weblog you want to publish to. It even gives the option to update the interface in case you make any change to it (changing your blog template is an example).

The interface is pretty neat with the facility to add videos, pictures and all other rich material your own Weblog provider would provide you with. Here is a screen shot (I’m posting this from Windows Live Writer so the screen shot is of what this post looks like)

 

But I must add that there are some minor glitches in the software. For instance, for this Weblog, Live Writer downloaded the editing style after I changed the interface. Here is a screen shot of what the top of my post looks like in my Live Writer.

 

It loaded the interface of my other Weblog (Programia Computeria) mighty proper. I dunno why this glitch occurs in this template of WordPress. But its a really good software I must say.

Edit : I’m doing this just to put forward my point. Live Writer has this amazing facility of allowing users to edit a post and publishes it online again.. AFTER deleting the previous post. So, its as good as the editor options provided by your Weblog provider. Also, I have updated my theme in my Writer. Here is a screen shot (and this time, the glitch has vanished. Yay!)

 

4) Windows Live Photo Gallery : This software is to help you manage all the photos in your computer. The interface is nowhere near as good as Picasa (by Google) and its not as great either. So, I don’t generally use it and I advise any of you out there reading this to not check the box for installing this software when the WLInstaller installs this package onto your computer. Go instead for Picasa. Its much better. Here again is a screen shot to compare both the interfaces.

 

 

Obviously, Picasa rules. The organising and options to edit and to publish the photos are also more numerous in Picasa than in Windows Live Photo Gallery. So essentially, I advise you to give this software a miss over Picasa.

 

On the whole, the package is absolutely brilliant and its worth the download the wait for it to get installed.

To quote a wise man (possibly me) : “Those were my 2 cents”