Use case for per-protocol icons

[Andrew Roeder]

On the purpose of secure connections, I don't think Pidgin should be giving 
users the idea they are under a secure connection if it is not end-to-end. 
Giving users the option to say something is secure when clearly it is not 
seems rather bad.

>On 8/4/07, Luke Schierer <lschiere at pidgin.im> wrote:
>I am arguing in my last 2 emails that you are wrong in saying you need
>to know the difference.  If my emails are beside the point, then so is
>your claim that you have lost functionality.
>
>And if no functionality has been lost, then the change doesn't matter.
>
>luke

It is more of a case of (for myself) having lost at-a-glance information, 
which is important in some aspect at some point it time while you are using 
a multiple protocol messenger.

As I said previously on this subject, currently you must mouseover to find 
the protocol of a buddy in the buddy list, even if I have their "aliases" 
expanded or not together, when you want to rightclick on a buddy to use a 
feature, you may find that many options are not present, or that you can 
invite some buddies to a chat while others you can not(because they are on a 
different protocol.)  Having the icons clearly displayed constantly in the 
buddy list on a per-buddy-account basis alleviates that, allowing you to 
immediately know who is on what protocol, so you immediately know which 
buddies you may invite to chat on a protocol, and what features you may use 
for that buddy(s).

The patch adding the option of displaying protocols in the buddy list would 
be a good move, but I find it much more of an eye sore to extend my buddy 
list window to accommodate them, instead of overlay those icons ontop of the 
online icons like the old fashion.

I would suppose most of the users wanting the icons already were content 
with the previous placement, so adding a checkbox in options with the old 
style would be acceptable to most.

Really this issue isn't going to stop arising in the devel mailing list 
until the issues are regarded better than with "Resistance is futile, we are 
Borg."  Arguing that we "Don't need it." or "Your arguments are ridiculous, 
because myself and the other developers believe it so." isn't going to make 
anyone feel better about the change, I really fail to see how showing 
"additional information that isn't currently displayed at-a-glance" is a bad 
thing.

Saying these icons "confused" someone is simply nonlogical, if a user knows 
well enough how to set up an account for different protocols, they will at 
least know what icons represent which protocol.

Saying that they are "ugly" or "messy" is a personal opinion, of which yours 
is no better than mine, so the visual aspect of the argument is moot.

Mostly I fail to see what people's problems with these icons were, they did 
not interfere with any usability of the program, they simply showed you 
information that -You personally- may have not cared to know, which still, 
did not hinder you from using the program.

_________________________________________________________________
See what you’re getting into…before you go there 
http://newlivehotmail.com/?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_viral_preview_0507