I looked at the Windows Live Ideas page today, and noted A) the new looks (which are mostly insignificant) and B) the new projects. They released a couple of desktop applications, namely Windows Live Writer, and Windows Live Mail Desktop (both carrying the Beta tag). Live Writer is a blogging tool, and it allows you to write posts from your desktop with WYSIWYG editing. Microsoft says it works with Live Spaces, Blogger and a bunch of others, but I have yet to verify that.
Windows Live Mail Desktop is a modified version of Microsoft Outlook Express, looking vaguley similar to the Windows live Mail site. It works pretty well, but has the same annoyances as OE, including that status box that sometimes gives you errors and no solutions to them. I won't consider using this product full time, but it's pretty nice, to say the least.
However, both of these apps are taking away from the Live (or Web 2.0) idea: They deliver the information to your desktop, not the browser. Web 2.0 is supposed to place emphasis on the info itself, not the platform it's running on. Designing a platform for information delivery is counter-intuitive to this project.
Edit: Added Windows in topic title

This post has been edited by michaelper22: Sep 4 2006, 02:06 PM

Haven't used writer so I can't really comment on that. I can however say that Windows Live Mail Desktop Beta seems to be to be pretty good, granted being based off of Outlook doesn't do it any favours, but the interface is great and it just works, I prefer it to the web interface, which I've never really liked. I don't really think that these are adding emphasis to the platform, they are merely adding new ways to access the information, take a look at all of the desktop apps for accessing del.icio.us or digg, do they make those respective platforms any less 'web 2.0'

I think most of the beta live stuff are out long ago, just that they didnt add it to their live homepage... I like those live programs, they work great, and truly support the much anticipated Web 2.0... I cant wait for more better service that this live beta will provide!

At first, a few months back Windows Live Ideas only contained a few prodicts and now they are full of these sort of products and the famous ones such as the live messenger and live mail and others. I have to say that Microsoft is catching up in terms of these products with their competitors.

I never really liked Microsoft, just been forced to use it, by my own lazyness, and several more, non-important factors... This whole Live idea sounds nice to me, but I have to wonder, while serving content to your desktop, hwo much information from your computer, will be served to their desktop? I am actually now free to switch platforms, and I will move to Linux, as it gives me all the control I want... And I want total control of my computer, not just what M$ thinks it should give me...

And as with all M$ products, I expect it to be full of bugs, and more importantly, security holes... Besides, I don't see what's so wrong in using your browser... World is getting extremely lazy, and wants everything in the blink of an eye, never asking what's the price of it...

I hope I haven't strayed from the topic...