I am very wary of Microsoft products, especially free ones, but I've been seeing literally glowing reports about Windows Live Writer, their blog-publishing application. It's the most-used client on WordPress, it dominates the comment threads on Lifehacker.
I had been feeling a little antiquated, typing my blog posts into little textarea boxes, and I do have a Windows computer, so I decided to give it a try. That was my first mistake.
I downloaded the Windows Live Installer, an integrated dashboard that itself installs on your computer and then lets you click to choose which Microsoft Live ware you want to deploy: Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, the whole crew.
I signed Microsoft's enfeoffment agreement, granting the surely benevolent corporation complete authority over my blogging, and agreeing to "waive any applicable 'cooling off' period" lest I had clicked "Accept" in a manic fervor.
For about five minutes it told me "Please wait while the installer gets started"; then the installer got started and installed the Windows Live Installer. I chose Window Live Writer, heedless of my family's safety for now.
I couldn't get it past this point:
After about an hour I forcibly killed the process, uninstalled the Installer, re-downloaded and tried again, and again, but no joy.
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