We aren’t sure if the final name of the Windows Live Essentials is really Windows Live Essentials 2011 or if Microsoft really plans to start the public beta of the Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 tomorrow, but we are pretty sure that the Windows Live Writer Wave4 review from LiveSide.net is real.

18 months ago the Windows Live Writer community got the last update (nobody still knows what the wave4 update was for …). Some days ago the Windows Live Writer team announced that they won’t run the Writerzone anymore and all further communications will run over their twitter Account @WLwriter. I’ve tried several times to get information from the Windows Live Writer team by sending them some replies, … still waiting.

Let’s us start talking about the Windows Live Writer Wave4, what is new? Ok the Windows Live Writer has now the fancy ribbon interface and there is no menu on the right side anymore, but these things are only changes, so what is really new?

To be honest, I’m almost tempted to say nothing. Zip. Nadda. Yes, it’s got the ribbon look, which does make it more consistent across the board with the rest of the Wave 4 suite and various other Microsoft products; yes, it has a couple of little additions, like the new Wave 4 style emoticons and maybe a couple of other little things, but really, when all is said and done, is that really all we get for a wait of over 18 months? A ribbon and some updates? Where are all the new features that are just going to pull all the new punters in? Where are all the enhancements to the developer API so that more types of plug-ins can be written? And where are the bloody drafts and recent posts?!

source: Windows Live Wave 4: Live Writer, A [Critical] Review – LiveSide.net

I’m following the Windows Live Writer since the early beginning (I think it was even the first beta1) and people always asked for two things, a spell-check like in Word and a “Find and replace” function. Maybe the integration of the Word spell-check in the Windows Live Writer isn’t easy, but adding a “Find and replace”, must be pretty easy, isn’t it? Example? Just ask Google .

For me it seems that the WLW team didn’t use any of the suggestions users have published on forums,blogs or on Microsoft connect, but maybe this version is just a new beginning like Hollywood did with Batman and we will get updates with new functions and improvements in regular cycles.

What do you think about the new Windows Live Writer Wave4? What were your expectations and what are your wishes for the next update?

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