Soooo, do Microsoft desigers get paid per gradient?

Bergamot

The new one? I think it looks ok. Not to say that it couldn't be better (get rid of the tabs on the left side, and the hockey ad), but most of the reason why it looks weird is that you maximized the buddy list.

c-unit

I think it looks bad. Not to mention I have no idea what any of those mystery meat navigation buttons on the top and left do.

Mr. Fahrenheit

It certainly looks better than AIM or AOLInstant Messenger, or Yahoo!IM...

Kosmo

I like the GoogleTalk interface gesign best, it's not so intimidating as the rest, when you are messaging to someone, you don't need 200+ buttons on your interface, just a box to type in and button to submit.

Mr. Fahrenheit

aye, viva gaim in all it's gui crappiness.

Bergamot

Well hey, at least they're consistent...

The reason should be obvious; it's the middle tier Vista skin*, and both apps are being developed for Vista launch..

Mr. Harris has promised that screenshots of what it looks like in glass mode soon; I suspect these will be a bit more attractive.

*More accurately, it's the skin Microsoft is applying to Vista apps when they're run on XP.

c-unit

Omg, I don't think I could stand working on that interface for more than a minute. And people call OS X plasticy.

Bergamot

Having used Office 2007 (12) Beta 1, it's actually really nice.

I'm sure the rounded corners go away when the window is maximized (as it almost always will be)

giginger

I never noticed the rounded corners.

Beta 1 is fantastic.

DigitaLink

I'll stick to OpenOffice2. Office offers me NOTHING but a big expense I don't need ... and it doesn't even run on linux, so I can't even use it at home. What's the point? It's a cross-platform world out here. If I can't take an app across at least two of the three main platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac), I don't want it.

Bergamot

Um, you do know that there are Mac versions of MSN Messenger and Office, right?

And portability should *never* be priority when building UI-focused apps.

Kosmo

I think that the new office looks just fine, it's an office tool, it doesn't have to be simplified, and if things get confusing you can allways close some toolbars and have it with nothing but the very basic tools. As far as general look and feel of OS' go, I like my FC4 with Gnome and Mac OS X way better than the Vista crap I have seen so far.

Bergamot

Whoa, Bergie has a soft spot *teehee*

Lighten up dude, nobody is bashing MS, it's all just fun and games.

I know a lot of time I come off on here as a Microsoft apologist. In real life, I'm far more likely to end up on the Apple or Linux side of an argument. I just don't like cheap shots, fanboyism, hateboyism, strawmen, etc., and generally have a policy of defending anyone who I feel is being unfairly attacked. On the internet, especially in geek circles, that tends to be Microsoft.

I haven't tried the Vista beta yet, let alone the finished product, so my impressions of it are based on static screenshots and blurry YouTube videos. So far it's looking pretty nice, but clearly in need of some serious last-minute polish. Given the speed and direction they've been going in the last few builds, I'm betting they'll get there. If they don't, I'll be the first in line to tear them a new asshole for releasing too soon.

I have tried beta 1 of Office, and while it had the same sorts of mid-beta rough spots, it was almost painful to have to return to 2003 at home. I'm not a huge fan of the new Glowing Office Orb, but I understand the reason (to match the Vista start button) and I'm sure it'll be fine in practice.

As far as MSN Messenger goes, I'm still using the extremely old copy of Windows Messenger that came with XP, because all the versions since then have been terrible. That said, I think this new beta is a step in the right direction.