I spent some time playing last night with Microsoft’s new Windows Live Writer on the one Windows PC that I have in my office.. and immediately went back to using Wordpress’s administration interface.
Paul Kedrosky calls it typical Microsoft eye candy: Pleasant to look at, but seemingly designed by people who have only seen photographs of real bloggers. Well said..
In case you missed it, Windows Live Writer is the new Microsoft desktop blogging client that works with most blogging software. You can read more detailed reviews over at TechCrunch and Duncan’s site. You can also read one of the developer’s blogs at jcheng.wordpress.com.
In the end game, I still haven’t found a desktop client that makes it as easy for me to write – and with the same level of control and flexibility – that I get out of using a dual-monitor setup and the admin interface for either Wordpress or Movable Type. The closest thing I’ve found is ecto, which I sometimes use on one of my Macs.
This isn’t to say that Microsoft’s product won’t get better.. it will. And if I were in this space trying to compete with the likes of Qumana, Performancing, Ecto, Blogdesk, or others.. be ready.. because the 800lb gorilla just wandered into your playroom.
