Parmesan is a new client for the popular MSN Messenger network, developed by Christian Ludlam. Released as freeware, the software brings new features to instant messaging on RISC OS. Chief among these are display pictures and nudges. The software also doubles as a versatile viewer for arbitrary XML files.

RISC OS has seen the release of several MSN Messenger clients over the years; two free clients (Natter and Messenger) and R-Comp's commercial product, Grapevine. A few years ago all of these clients fell foul of an upgrade to the MSN protocol which stopped RISC OS users from being able to connect to the chat network. To many users' dismay, RISC OS was left without a free MSN Messenger client, as only Grapevine was upgraded to support the new protocol.

Happily, this distressing situation has, at last, been rectified with the release of Parmesan. In this article I'll take a look at Parmesan describe my experience of it. Finally, as a Grapevine owner, I will compare Parmesan with the commercial Grapevine application.

 

Yeah, that whole "updating a website" thing. We're quite shit at it, aren't we?
 
We do have some good stuff coming up, though. In the meantime, if you've not seen it, I recommend watching Hyperland - a 1990 Douglas Adams documentary. To say much more would spoil it, but it's fascinating stuff, especially considering when it was made.
 
Pity about the snipe at Filthy, Rich & Catflap at the start, mind you. (Indeed, the snipes at telly are pretty misjudged as a whole.) It's utterly wonderful, and I recommend you buy the DVD if you haven't seen it. At £6.99, what is there to lose? Well, apart from £6.99, of course.
 

In this article we look at some of the programs and projects - some obvious, others less so - that influenced the history of the RISC OS platform and its users. These are our suggestions, not a top ten and certainly not in any particular order. What other applications would you add to the list?
 

Each week we hold up a mirror to the people of RISC OS and reflect the current topics of debate.
 
In this, the third exciting installment:

• Demo versions of software
• BBC iPlayer protests won't aid RISC OS
• Another user says goodbye

 

The BBC's online education service, BBC Jam, is to be suspended after commercial online companies made complaints to the European Commission.
 
BBC Jam costs each licence fee contributor 14p per month, with the BBC pledging to invest £150m over five years.
 
Acting BBC Trust Chairman Chitra Bharucha said in a statement: "Despite a rigorous approval process involving the BBC Governors, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the European Commission resulting in extensive conditions on the service, BBC Jam has continued to attract complaints from the commercial sector about the parameters of its activities."
 
I find it ridiculous that the BBC is prevented from fulfulling its public service remit EDUCATING OUR NATION'S CHILDREN because it's deemed anti-competitive, yet it's perfectly OK for them to hand the TV-over-IP market to Microsoft.
 

I'll give you a choice. You can either read a review of all current RISC OS news portals - or you can listen to a load of radio news jingles. I'm assuming if you're hanging around on this site, you'll be interested in at least one of those.
 
So, for all of you interested in the first option, read on. What's changed since the situation was last looked at? You may insert the standard lament for the Acorn Cybervillage here, if you think it will help. (Note that I've deliberately only reviewed English sites, and ignored sites such as ArcSite - I don't believe I could give them full justice by reviewing them through an online translator.)
 

A couple of months have passed since the Wii was released in Europe. Even with some smashing launch games, such as Wii Sports, Twilight Princess and Rayman Raving Rabbids, the innovative 'channels' interface fell a little short of expectations beyond the Miis and Wii Shop. Nintendo's promise was of new channels designed to appeal to traditionally non-game playing family members, and to give everybody a compelling reason to regularly turn on the machine. Those channels have arrived - the most recent (and strange) appeared out of the blue earlier this week. Here's my review.
 

The latest issue of Vanity Fair carries an interesting article about sharing TV programmes and movies using BitTorrent. Refreshingly fair and honest, it features an interview with The Pirate Bay, a popular Swedish torrent site (who, revelling in their reputation for flaunting their legal threats, recently launched OscarTorrents.com, containing links to torrents for all the 2007 Oscar nominated films.)
 
Meanwhile, more music execs are following Steve Jobs' lead in moving away from DRM. Daring Fireball examines the strategy behind Jobs' memo and its criticism.
 
(Yep, it's another annoyingly brief update, but dammit there's new episodes of 24 to watch!)
 
Link: Pirates of the Multiplex