Time for a break...

[Ethan Blanton]

Richard Laager spake unto us the following wisdom:
> As far as support goes, I think the biggest problem is that many
> clueless Windows users don't honor the "go to #pidgin-win32" thing, or
> they come back to #pidgin. I think one of two approaches is going to be
> best here:
> 
> 1. Just tell people to go to pidgin-win32 and ignore them after that. If
> they crap-flood the channel, +q them.
> 
> 2. Stop assuming everyone running Windows has a Windows-related problem,
> because while that's often the case, it's not always.

I have a counter-proposal.  Eliminate #pidgin-win32, and move win32
support back to #pidgin.

That channel was created when there were far more Windows-specific
Gtk+, Glib, and Pidgin-local bugs than there are now.  Windows users
will not be any less annoying, or any more helpful, if we eliminate
#pidgin-win32, but they don't go there anyway -- and, personally, that
annoys me far more than 90% of their Windows-specific problems.  Since
we have to deal with Windows users, anyway, regardless of the
intentions of the split, we might as well un-split.

> I get frustrated by users as well, but I don't think we should kill off
> Pidgwin because of some clueless users. We could just as well kill
> Pidgin because of clueless users on Linux. I think Mark hit the nail on
> the head with the plugin vs. buddy list comment.

I disagree.  Pidgin is, was, and will be primarily a Unix/X11 client.
This is the motivation for supporting only Unix-like systems in X11.
I do not advocate killing Pidwin due to clueless users, but due to
impedence mismatch.  The clueless users are just impetus.  ;-)

Note that I do -- and have -- support the idea of a native win32
client.  I'm not saying abandon win32 entirely, I'm saying make it
someone else's problem.  I think *all* parties involved will win.
We'll win by getting the win32 monkey off our back, win32 users will
win because they'll have a native client that is just as poor as the
environment it runs in, and thus Free of Surprises, and the win32
developers will win because ... well ... I guess they win by fiat,
because I really don't see why anyone would ever want to write a
Windows program.

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764
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