Messenger Plus! was an extension for Windows Live Messenger. The original article credited its creation in 2002 to Patchou, the name used by Cyril Paciullo, and described an installed extension that integrated with the messaging client.
Custom statuses and multiple accounts
A custom status could say more than simply online or busy. The article used watching television or finishing a report as examples of messages that told contacts what the user was doing.
It also described running multiple accounts on one computer. That could help two people waiting for different conversations, but the author warned that similar-looking windows made it important to keep track of which account was active.
Tabbed conversations and a lock shortcut
Tabbed chats brought several conversations into one window instead of filling the desktop with separate windows. Each tab represented an active exchange.
The extension's lock feature hid the messenger and used a shortcut or taskbar action to restore it. That was an interface feature, not a substitute for locking the computer or protecting access to the underlying account.
Quick messages
The article described character sequences that expanded into prepared messages. These could save typing or replace selected words, depending on the configuration.
As with other automation in a conversation, a useful shortcut depended on understanding what it would send and which conversation had focus.
Formatting a display name
One of the most visible features was colour and text formatting in a display name. Bold, italic and coloured text could be shown to other people using a compatible extension.
Contacts without it might instead see formatting characters mixed into the name. The difference illustrated how a feature added to one client could affect what another client displayed.
Conversation history
The source described saving conversations as HTML files. It also advised keeping those files in a private folder so that other people using the computer could not casually read them.
This is historical feature coverage. It is not a recommendation to obtain an old extension or a claim that the original service remains available. The companion Messenger Plus! article describes further options from the same period.