I run Windows 7 using VMWare on my Mac, and recently I installed Windows Live Messenger so I could talk to Catie. The installation was sort of funny, with the installer asking me if I wanted to switch to Bing search (default "yes"), and showing me (some random Live Messenger user) messages like "Installing Microsoft Error Reporting for Applications" and "Installing installer". But I'm semi-familiar with the evil things that installers try to pull on you on Windows (just previously, the Camfrog installer had helpfully offered to install Norton something-something for no good reason), so I was expecting all of that. What I wasn't expecting was the chat program, when I eventually got to it, to be filled with ads.
There was an animated ad on the bottom of the window. When I started a video chat I got to see a 10-second video at the start telling me that "This video chat is sponsored by Commonwealth Bank". During the chat, there was a text ad at the bottom of the screen telling me about the benefits of studying online in 2010. Oh, and the video was all in black and white, giving the conversation an entertaining art-film aspect, but I'm prepared to blame VMWare for that one.
I don't want to come across as a complete Mac jerk (too late!) but the ads are ridiculous. Live Messenger is the closest to a Microsoft-endorsed chat program for Windows that there is (it evolved from MSN Messenger, after all, which if I'm not mistaken was actually bundled with Windows). iChat comes bundled with the operating system on a Mac, and it contains no ads. I paid for Windows, and if Microsoft (as a convicted monopolist) is concerned about bundling I would be happy to pay some small amount for Live Messenger too, but perhaps I'm in the minority here. If so, that's a problem.
Now let's talk about interface. Here is what I see when I start up Live Messenger (resized for your convenience):
Here is what I see when I start up iChat:
This isn't an entirely fair comparison (iChat is noisier when you first run it, and it does look like Live Messenger can be slimmed down), but I'm sure the ad quotient won't change. I also can't help but admire Microsoft's... audacity in providing a Bing search box, despite my search provider preferences.
Now iChat is far from perfect. It just seems like one of those situations where the alternative doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be better.
If anybody knows of a good video chat program for Windows, please email me. At the moment I think Skype is the best, but it's not ideal because it doesn't really let you limit upload bandwidth.
AAARG CLICKING THE CLOSE BUTTON ON LIVE MESSENGER MINIMISES THE APPLICATION WHY DO SO MANY WINDOWS APPS DEFAULT TO THIS DESPITE HAVING A PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL MINIMISE BUTTON IF I WANTED TO STAY ONLINE I WOULD NOT TRY TO CLOSE THE PROGRAM THAT KEEPS ME ONLINE.
Windows, huh?