Windows Live Messenger contacts showing as online even though they are offline

[Pepijn Schmitz]

Maiku wrote:
> 2008/9/19 Richard Laager <rlaager at wiktel.com>:
>   
>> On Fri, 2008-09-19 at 11:37 +0200, Pepijn Schmitz wrote:
>>     
>>> I already have "show offline buddies" turned off, but Pidgin
>>> nevertheless shows some offline MSN contacts in my contact list, and
>>> shows them as online and available, with the green icon and
>>> everything. I have verified with Windows Live Messenger that they
>>> really are offline, and they don't appear to be receiving my messages.
>>> The common factor seems to be that all these contacts have a mobile
>>> phone icon next to their buddy icon in Pidgin.
>>>       
>> I'm seeing the same thing: users are NOT online, but are showing as
>> online/mobile in Pidgin and don't receive messages I send them.
>>     
> As of 2.5.0, MSN has two ways it does mobile messaging. The first is
> when the contact sets up their mobile phone with MSN, possibly through
> an MSN client on their phone, and they will be able to log on and off
> with it. The other method is done when you set a contact's mobile
> number. Then you can send text messages to their mobile phone, but
> they appear always online.
>
> I'm starting to think there ought to be a distinction between the two
> modes as not everyone wants to use the latter mode. Also, there's no
> way to tell between a contact which is mobile through the first method
> or the second method (except possibly by the way it sorts by status).
> I'm not sure if the other protocols handle just one or both types of
> methods. With the first, it implies they're there. With the second,
> their phone could even be off.
>   
Exactly. At the very least I should be able to see the difference, but 
really I think Pidgin should follow the principle of least surprise and 
do what Windows Live Messenger itself does, which is apparently not to 
show these contacts as online at all. This is what somebody who uses 
that mode expects to happen in his contacts' clients.

Kind regards,
Pepijn Schmitz