Live Writing

by on August 14, 2006

Geoff Jones wonders why I haven’t written about the two big Microsoft announcements. Well, cause, I thought they were already covered to death.

But, I’m using Live Writer. I would have had a chance to use it all weekend long, I just learned from my email, but I was off the grid all weekend long (no wifi at my new house yet and my Verizon card isn’t working either — I think we didn’t pay the bill, gotta call about that tomorrow).

Anyway, if you’re one of the three people who didn’t see the announcement, Windows Live Writer is an editor for blogging. I like it very much and am using it now full time. I’ll have a review on the editors on my show next month sometime. Works just fine with Wordpress.com. More pro and cons from tons of different bloggers over on TechMeme.

  • ®notepad
    Windows Live Writer is a ploy of the NSA to track the key strokes of dissenting Americans.

    Wise up - do you really need a desktop app to help compose an damned blog entry?

    Foolish bloggers playing right into the hands of the Satanists - check it out for yourself - Windows Live Writer calls home from your machine!

    # # #
  • Notepad: out-of-browser editors are MUCH nicer than in-browser ones. Calling home, does it? I'll check up on that one! Does it tell Mr. Gates that I'm using Google Calendar now? Heheh.
  • I have used it whilst writing my world renowned blog and find it nothing short of amazing. It covers all the normal impediments to freestyle blog writing, and does so with ease.

    If the full version works better than the beta version, which seems to work very well, MS has a winner. And what a market
  • Notepad: I am one of the testers that worked on Writer. Sorry that you are noticing what you think looks like a call home at start up every time. That is actually just a known defect in this beta release where a check is being made each time at startup, but should only occur at a max 1 time per day. That check that is occuring, is not doing anything other than looking for updates for configured blog providers in case one of them changed a setting behind our backs that would effect the successful configuration of one of the major supported blog types. You won't see that check occuring at start up every time in one of the future betas.
  • I just tested it, and while I cannot use it regularly as a Firefox user, it posted to my WP blog perfectly. I liked the true WYSIWYG. If I need to compose off line, I would use it.

    Only complaint is the install process, which is pure old Microsoft. First the surprise backdoor loading of Onfolio. I don't want Onfolio. Then watching the install process, I felt it was taking over other services, and even installed the tool bar in Outlook, which I did not ask for. MS should either be clear up front, or provide more alternatives in future releases.
  • I tried it out. Works pretty well. Definately going to install it for my wife. She likes word, but dislikes editing inside WP for her posts.

    Maybe now I can get her to post more. :)

    A few complaints with the tool. I can't load a document outside of Writer... I can't save a doc outside of writer. But maybe that's a good chance to write a plugin.
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