question concerning Hiptop icon for Adium

[fwoomp fwoomp]

On Jan 6, 2008 10:18 PM, Evan Schoenberg <evan.s at dreskin.net> wrote:
>
> On Jan 6, 2008, at 10:06 PM, Ethan Blanton wrote:
>
> > fwoomp fwoomp spake unto us the following wisdom:
> >> I would like to close with a few questions that may hopefully clear
> >> something up.  In broad terms, how does Pidgin implement the Hiptop
> >> status?  Doesn't it also use the same libpurple library that Adium
> >> uses?  Is there something that Pidgin is doing that Adium is NOT
> >> doing, but COULD be doing?  If so, please let me know and I'll get
> >> back to the Adium developers and tell them.
> >
> > If Pidgin indicates hiptop status, Adium should be getting the same
> > information from libpurple, and could display this status as well.  If
> > Pidgin does not show this status, it is either because the remote
> > buddy is not indicating that they are mobile (and there is nothing we
> > can do about that in either Pidgin *or* Adium), or because we do not
> > understand the indication we are receiving (which can be fixed if
> > someone determines, for the protocol in question, how we can tell).
>
> The information is sent by the protocol and was previously treated as
> indicative of a 'mobile' status. It has not been treated as such since
> 5/3/07; commit log below:
> ----
> Revision: 28e5eeab1e47056aebef138b01d02ca1133b8740
> Ancestor: a34dc16d6da382b248482bd3d3486224a8d04d37
> Author: seanegan at pidgin.im
> Date: 2007-05-03T04:41:33
> Branch: im.pidgin.pidgin
>
> Added files:
>          pidgin/pixmaps/emblems/16/hiptop.png
> Modified files:
>          libpurple/protocols/oscar/oscar.c
>          pidgin/pixmaps/emblems/16/Makefile.am
> Modified attrs:
>          pidgin/pixmaps/emblems/16/hiptop.png
>
> ChangeLog:
>
> We're told by users that Hiptop is not the same thing as mobile, and
> should not be treated as such.
> ----
>

Thanks for the quick response!  Well, since Pidgin on Windows still
differentiates Hiptop/Sidekick status from everything else, there must
be something going on there to make it happen.  Hmmm.  If Pidgin can
do it, I would think Adium can do it too, even if it had to be put out
of the way as n a option set by the user.

As for the commit log, I guess Hiptop/Sidekick could be considered
different from mobile (cell phones in particular) and I'll grant that
(although I do NOT personally mind putting both in the same category).

However, I would have a hard time believing anyone would say that
Hiptop should be treated as the same thing as a computer.  Is it
possible that the users' contention was more about differentiating
Hiptops/Sidekicks from cellphones, than about treating
Hiptops/Sidekicks as computers?  I actually find the latter treatment
fairly confusing at times.

To many people, there is a big difference between Hiptops/Sidekicks
and computers, simply because Hiptop/Sidekick users are typically "out
and about" and that is what has a particular effect on the IM
conversation.  Granted, you could almost say the same thing about a
wireless laptop at a Starbucks, but for some reason, even that still
feels like a solid IM connection to someone on a computer.  I can
actually tell the difference in the response rates in the
conversation.

So is there any way to get this clarified again in light of the points
I have brought up?  I think a persuasive argument could be made for at
least making it a user-selectable option--either that or is it even
possible to get a plugin to provide this status differentiation?  It
seems to me that doing so would 1) be fairly easy to do as far as
getting the Hiptop icon back in and making it a user-selectable option
and 2) make people happy on both sides of the debate.  I suspect that
a plugin might be more well-received.

If it comes down to it, I might be willing to try to find some time to
do the coding myself.   (Honestly, I don't really have a whole lot of
free time for coding, but it would certainly be worth it to me and
other people that I can think of, off the top of my head.)  I would
first need some advice from you about that to help me aim in the right
direction and save a little time--what would be the most feasible
approach to solving this problem?  User Preferences?  Plugins?  Or
what?  On the other hand, if there is a developer out there who would
be happy to tackle this, then that would be great.  Just let me know
what is possible.  In case you're wondering, I'm more of a LAMP
programmer these days, but I've done some application programming in
the past.

Thanks again!

--fwoomp