Last Friday, the CERT published a statement proposing an alternative browser.  The CERT makes French citizens aware of a security hole in Microsoft’s browser that is still unpatched.  Until Microsoft offers an update, the online community should use a different browser.

The French CERT warns about Internet Explorer versions 6, 7 and 8, while Microsoft has up to now only seen successful attacks using Internet Explorer 6.  They have officially confirmed the IE hole and is working on a patch that might even be published as extraordinary “Emergency Patch”.  Basically versions 7 and 8 are affected as well, but enhanced security measures seem to make the attack much more complicated, if not impossible.  Microsoft advises users to set the security mode to “High” and to use Internet Explorer’s “Safe Mode.”

Among others the still unpatched security hole in Internet Explorer has been used for attacks toward Google and many more companies.  The attack seems to originate from the Chinese government.

mynetx: Please tell me a bit about yourself. Is your life directly or indirectly involved with Windows Live?

Kip: I’ve been writing for LiveSide for almost 3 ½ years, since it started in Jan. 2006. Before that I was a beta tester for MSN and Microsoft products, was an original “MSN Butterfly”, and a 3 time MVP for MSN and Windows Live.

I use Windows Live products daily, mostly mail and messenger, and of course Windows Live Writer.

mynetx: Do you think the Windows Live team cares for their users’ demands? Why?

Kip: I think they are as responsive as you can be when your customer base is in the hundreds of millions of users. In some respects that many users makes it more difficult to make changes, as they affect so many people in so many different ways. I do think that Windows Live could do more to be a more agile team. Both the structure of Microsoft and the sheer numbers of users contribute to… make it very difficult to react quickly to market trends.

mynetx: Like a big vehicle is slow in turning around, unlike a small car?

Kip: yes exactly. Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President for Windows and Windows Live Engineering, is often said to “make the trains run on time”. Problem is, when everyone has cars and has already left, waiting for the next train, even if it is on schedule, might not matter.

mynetx: Though I think that Microsoft has had its big awakening sometime 2 years ago.

Suddenly Internet Explorer development was “restarted”, and the overall Corporate Identity was renewed, and I think this has also had consequences on Windows Live.

Kip: Yes. Ray Ozzie is working hard to change the culture, but Windows Live is still to slow to react sometimes. That being said, I use Windows Live products every day, and generally like them a lot.

mynetx: If Microsoft took over Facebook, would you be using it then?

Kip: I don’t see why not. I have no problem using Microsoft products.

mynetx: How do you think Yahoo!’s future would have been affected, if the Big Deal would have happened last summer?

Kip: If anything, Yahoo! had an even worse culture for quick reaction than did Microsoft. I think the combined market share would have shaken up the market a bit, but just getting the two companies to work together as one would have been a monumental task, and I think it would have caused a lot of problems.

The new CEO at Yahoo!, Carol Bartz, is working to change their culture too.

mynetx: Within the next five years, where could you picture Windows Live?

Kip: Windows Live is going to benefit from its relationship to Windows 7. But in 5 years I doubt that there will be so much emphasis on which platform you use: are you in the MSFT camp, the Apple camp, the Google camp, etc. Within 5 years the barriers to communicating with some one because you don’t have the same Messenger client should be gone.

mynetx: How?

Kip: Mobile will be much more prevalent; smartphones, data access on phones, etc. Just like now how ridiculous it would be if a Nokia phone couldn’t call an iPhone, it will be much easier to communicate between devices than it is now.

mynetx: Please provide two positive and negative comments about any outstanding Windows Live product.

Kip: Windows Live Mail is a great product, I think. I currently have 9 email accounts loaded, including non-Hotmail accounts and even a Gmail account. It loads them all quickly, presents them handsomely, and handles calendar, contacts, and newsgroups. I struggled before with trying to get Outlook to handle multiple Hotmail accounts (although the new Outlook Connector is better), but now I don’t worry about it.

As for a negative, while I understand the thinking behind Windows Live Essentials, I think tying the updates of all the Windows Live products together was a big mistake. In the last Messenger upgrade, in order to fix a small but somewhat important bug, users had to go through the whole Essentials installer “experience”. It sucked, and it’s stopping some Windows Live products from getting updates they need because of having to update everything at once.

mynetx: Do you run Windows Live Messenger 24/7? Do you have some kind of a routine with Messenger and the other parts of Windows Live?

Kip: Messenger is on when my computer is on, yes. I have the main messenger window open all the time, positioned as a right hand sidebar (where the Vista sidebar would be, which is the first thing I turn off when I set up a computer). Messenger auto loads when the computer is turned on.

mynetx: You don’t like Sidebar?

Kip: no

mynetx: Use your fantasy: how do you think Messenger will look like within the next five years? What new features could it present?

Kip: Well hopefully a much better interface for multiple conversations (tabs!). Also I would like to see the user interface around contacts improve: a better interface than a contact list that you have to scroll down to find someone, click on it, open a window to start a conversation, etc. And you should be able to start conversations with people not in your contact list, in some public areas… similar to what you can do in Twitter now, or even in the new Messenger web toolkit.

I expect that Messenger in general will get to be more phone-like, and phones will get to be more Messenger-like.

mynetx: Comparing these ideas with Messenger’s current features, which of these might be added in the next release, Wave 4?

Kip: I think we’ll see some improvements in Contacts. Somehow I doubt we’ll see tabs, although I could be wrong. Msgr users have been calling for tabs for years without success. Mostly I think you’ll see Messenger and the other Windows Live desktop apps continue to work toward sharing a common interface, and to share common parts.

mynetx: Why is the Windows Live team just ignoring the loud shout for tabs that tons of Messenger users shout since years?

Kip: I wish I knew, but I don’t.

mynetx: Are you satisfied with the Windows Live services that are provided to you?

Kip: Yes. I use multiple Live ID accounts (to separate the work I do on LiveSide from my personal stuff), and it is very easy to manage now. We use Custom Domains for our LiveSide accounts, and it’s great. I really like Windows Live Mail, and Live Writer. Of course I think there could be improvements, but overall I’m happy.

mynetx: What is your favorite feature in Messenger?

Kip: I will tell you about one feature I really miss, and that is the Live Maps activity. It was very useful to be able to share maps, to plan meetings etc. MSN China has recently re-released a version of it in China, so hopefully we’ll see it again.

mynetx: What was your first impression of Live Mesh? Could it be a new diverse method of file sharing among peers, or could it improve the current system at hand?

Kip: I use Live Mesh daily also. I think you will see Live Mesh integrated into Windows Live, and the plan is to introduce some of that in Wave 4. Could Live Mesh become a sort of torrent? I don’t know about that, I think that architecturally maybe it could, but I doubt that Microsoft would allow it to be used as a free form file share.

mynetx: Do you wish Messenger would have a feature that a third-party IM software already has? Besides tabs, that is.

Kip: I don’t use other clients much if at all, so I’m not one to comment.

mynetx: However, as Messenger user, I’m sure you’ve got a good tip that not everybody might know about yet.

Kip: Lol, to me Messenger is like the phone, I don’t think about it much, I just use it. I sure hope photo sharing is improved in Wave 4 though, I find the new way to share photos very cumbersome.

mynetx: And finally, are you working on any project related to Windows Live currently?

Kip: Well we are hoping to be able to integrate the Messenger toolkit into LiveSide. I am not a developer, but we have someone working on it for his site (also Community Server), and we will be working together to see if we can make it happen. Unfortunately Community Server is kind of complicated, and we want the experience for our readers to be a good one, so it’s going kind of slow at the moment.

mynetx: Who works at LiveSide?

Kip: LiveSide is run by myself, Chris Overd, and Harrison Hoffman. We get regular contributions from Sunshine (Cornelia Koopmans), and have a few other contributors as well.

mynetx: LiveSide is a very good news source when you want to be on top of the latest developments and Windows Live news. I want to thank you and the other contributors for the great amount of time, knowledge and research that you put into the site each day, regardless of vacations, making LiveSide what it is today—a must-read!

Is it the same fun for you people running the site as it is for us reading it?

Kip: Yes we have a lot of fun with it

mynetx: I hope the site will continue to do its best to inform us about anything interesting in the Windows Live world. Great that you took your time to discuss “Windows Live and You” with me!

Kip: Happy to do it!

mynetx: Sorry to steal your night, I find it good that you have some minutes nevertheless.

Picturepan2: No problem, haha.

mynetx: So, try describing yourself and your connection to Windows Live, in one sentence.

Picturepan2: I am Picturepan2, self-proclaimed Microsoft fanboy, from LiveSino.net where I blog about Windows Live and other Microsoft stuff.

mynetx: Fan-boy you say. There aren’t many such people in China, true?

Picturepan2: Yes, true.

mynetx: And how come you became a Windows Liver? Since when are you in the business? Tell me a bit about your story.

Picturepan2: I was a normal Windows Live user (or tester) since November 2005, when Windows Live was first announced. In summer 2006, I accidentally found a fatal bug which I could use to get any Windows Live Spaces users’ Windows Live IDs without tools or permissions. After that I contacted Kip at LiveSide and kept watching Windows Live until now.

By the way, I am also the LiveSide representative for China and this is why I started blogging at LiveSino.

mynetx: Ah, quite interesting.

Picturepan2: I didnt even know what Windows Live was when I found that bug.

mynetx: You’re using Windows Live Messenger since you got to know it?

Picturepan2: I think the answer is Yes. The first Windows Live Messenger I used looked cute and much more different than what it looks today.

mynetx: What version was that?

Picturepan2: Windows Live Messenger 8.0 Beta 1 in 2005 Dec.; http://livesino.net/archives/321.live.

mynetx: Do you think Messenger has improved from back in version 8.0 until today, 14.0?

Picturepan2: Hmmm. You can hardly say it has improved a lot, but I have to say some parts have.

mynetx: Like?

Picturepan2: Such as What’s New integration, user interface…

mynetx: Hmm. And what do you like most in Windows Live at all? Apart from Messenger, that is.

Picturepan2: What’s New! Actually there are some others.

mynetx: So, pick one.

Picturepan2: Windows Live ID infrastructure enables user login and using all Microsoft offerings.

mynetx: The unified login makes sign-in at Microsoft, wherever you are, easy. Right?

Picturepan2: Yes.

mynetx: What is the thing you’d love most to be added to Messenger?

Picturepan2: A Plugin platform. As you know, Messenger Plus!’s plugin platform is awesome.

I wish Windows Live Messenger could learn something from Messenger Plus!…

mynetx: Do you think the Windows Live Team is going to add support for a plugin platform in Wave 4?

Picturepan2: I don’t think so. There is still no strong reason for them to do that. lol

mynetx: So, what about your usage of Windows Live. Is Messenger always open and signed in? Maybe you’ve got kind of a daily routine with Windows Live.

Picturepan2: Yes, almost always. But I don’t use Windows Live Messenger when i am REALLY busy.

mynetx: When you’re using Messenger intensively, maybe you have a tip that not everybody knows about?

Picturepan2: I always use PhotoShare feature to show screenshots, though it is not clear enough.

To start using it, just press Print Scrn button then Ctrl+V when back to conversation window.

mynetx: Are you working on any project at the moment which is related to Windows Live?

Picturepan2: no, I am currently only blog about Windows Live and other Microsoft offerings at LiveSino.

mynetx: Any plans for LiveSino’s future?

Picturepan2: Of course, LiveSino will cover more stuff from Microsoft and other companies related to Windows Live.

mynetx: And I will be watching LiveSino for interesting news on Windows Live. Thanks for your time.

Picturepan2: You’re welcome.

We’re happy to announce that Windows Live Hotmail is integrating instant messaging capabilities within its web interface. With this functionality, you can get your email and IM all in one place! This feature lets you IM your Windows Live Messenger contacts from within your Hotmail inbox or People page without having to switch over to the Messenger client. […]

Send an instant message from anywhere – With this new feature, you’ll now have instant messaging capabilities when you use a public or otherwise shared computer, without having to download a client program. Already logged in to Messenger elsewhere? Not a problem – you have the option to sign-in (or sign-out) from Hotmail through the “Messenger” drop down menu even if you are signed into the client elsewhere.

You are wondering if your country is not supported? Windows Live Wire comments:

Customers in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and USA will see this feature for the first time today (as usual, rollout to different individuals is gradual, so if you don’t see it yet, please be patient). This feature rolled out to users in France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the UK last month. Not in your area yet? We will be rolling out web-based Messenger to more locations in the coming months.

Getting started with Messenger in Hotmail

1. Just browse your Messenger contacts.
2. At the top right, you see an entry “ Messenger”.
3. Click it, and choose “Sign in to Messenger (Web)”.
4. Then click any of your contact’s display pictures and choose “Send an instant message”.
   
5. A popup window opens, and you can start your conversation.

Some thoughts about the new service

It is a bit strange to see that Messenger in Hotmail is not realized with the new Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit, which seems to be predestined for such an implementation. You might also notice that the Web Messenger does not support all of Messenger’s core features. Here’s a list of what might be interesting to have:

• Send and receive Offline messages.
• Set your display picture easily.
  (I know, you can set it via your Windows Live profile, but that’s a bit complicated.)
• Change your display name and your personal message easily.
  (Same applies here.)
• See your contact’s Messenger scenes, and set your own.
  They might get integrated with the Windows Live headers?
• Send and receive files.
• Access chat logs.

What do you think of Messenger in Hotmail? Is there anything you miss or would like to have changed?

Wir freuen uns anzukündigen, dass Windows Live Hotmail Sofortnachrichten-Funktionalität in seine Weboberfläche integriert. Mit dieser Funktionalität kannst du deine E-Mails und Sofortnachrichten alle an einem Ort empfangen! Mit dieser Funktion kannst du deinen Windows Live Messenger-Kontakten Nachrichten senden direkt aus deinem Hotmail-Posteingang oder der Seite ‘Menschen’, ohne zuerst zum Messenger-Client wechseln zu müssen. […]

Sofortnachrichten von überall senden – Mit dieser neuen Funktion hast du nun SofortnachrichtenFunktionalität, wenn du einen öffentlichen oder sonstwie geteilten Computer verwendest, ohne ein Clientprogramm herunterladen zu müssen. Schon irgendwo bei Messenger angemeldet? Kein Problem – du kannst dich mithilfe des Auswahlmenüs “Messenger” in Hotmail an- und abmelden, selbst wenn du schon woanders beim Messenger-Client angemeldet bist.

Du fragst dich, warum dein Land nicht unterstützt wird? Windows Live Wire kommentiert:

Kunden in Brasilien, Kanada, China, Deutschland, denNiederlanden, Norwegen, und USA werden diese Funktion heute zum ersten Mal sehen (wie immer ist das Ankommen der Funktion bei Einzelpersonen graduell, wenn du somit noch nichts siehst, hab bitte Geduld). Diese Funktion steht Nutzern in Frankreich, Italien, Japan, Mexiko, Spanien, und Großbritannien seit letzten Monat zur Verfügung. Noch nicht in deiner Nähe? In den kommenden Monaten werden wir webbasiertes Messaging an weiteren Orten einführen.

Messenger in Hotmail: Erste Schritte

1. Durchsuche einfach deine Messenger-Kontakte.
2. Oben rechts siehst du einen Eintrag “ Messenger”.
3. Klicke ihn an, und wähle “Bei Messenger (Web) anmelden”.
4. Dann klicke auf ein Anzeigebild eines deiner Kontakte, und auf “Sofortnachricht senden”.
   
5. Ein Popup-Fenster öffnet sich, und du kannst mit deiner Unterhaltung beginnen.

Einige Gedanken über den neuen Dienst

Es ist ein wenig eigenartig zu sehen, dass Messenger in Hotmail nicht mit dem neuen Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit realisiert wurde, das für eine solche Implementierung prädestiniert zu sein scheint. Du stellst vielleicht auch fest, dass Messenger in Hotmail nicht alle Grundfunktionen von Messenger unterstützt. Hier ist eine Liste mit dem, was noch nützlich wäre:

• Offline-Sofortnachrichten senden und empfangen.
• Einfaches Ändern deines Anzeigebildes.
  (Ich weiß, du kannst es in deinem Windows Live-Profil ändern, doch das ist ein wenig kompliziert.)
• Einfaches Ändern deines Anzeigenamens und deiner Statusnachricht.
  (Hier gilt dasselbe.)
• Betrachten der Szenen deiner Messenger-Kontakte, und Einstellen deiner eigenen Szene.
  Sie könnten mit den Windows Live-Kopfbildern vereint werden?
• Dateien senden und empfangen.
• Auf Chat-Aufzeichnungen zugreifen.

Was denkst du über Messenger in Hotmail? Gibt es Dinge, die du vermisst oder lieber anders haben möchtest?