Google SoC Introduction

[Mark Doliner]

2009/3/28 Timothy Waterhouse <Tim at timwaterhouse.com>:
> Hi Everyone,
> Just wanted to introduce myself because I plan on applying for a SoC
> position with writing a better Windows front end.  My name's Tim Waterhouse
> and I've been using pidgin/gaim since back when it was highly recommended
> people use the nightly builds (I think back around version .4).  At one
> point I wrote a few plugins to do miscellaneous tasks for me but I never
> maintained them when the protocol functions changed.  Below I've put a run
> down of my background, but I'm first going to put a rough idea of the
> Windows front-end.
> Windows Front-End Goals:
> 1) Use native Windows UI elements
> 2) Make interfacing with the libpurple library as easy as possible
> 3) Make it so building both libpurple and the front-end at the same time is
> easy
> I'm leaning toward using unmanaged C++ to write the front end using MFC
> classes because that will get rid of a lot of the dll issues.  For ease
> of maintenance, however, managed code would be easier as long as wrappers
> are written for the unmanaged libpurple.  I've done this before so I know it
> is possible, it really depends on the comfort level you, as pidgin
> developers, have for managed vs. unmanaged Windows code.  I do plan to
> maintain this project long after the summer ends so I suppose it really
> wouldn't be much of an issue.
>
> My background is fairly simple.  I've got a dual degree from undergrad in
> Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  I interned for General
> Electric for two summers designing and writing programs and I worked for
> Microsoft as an intern this past summer.  I'm highly fluent in C, C++ and
> C#.  In undergrad I took a course where I made several Windows UI programs
> using just assembly so I have a very good grasp of the scope of this
> problem, particularly using GDI to do the drawing.  My goal would be to
> match the look of the Linux native client but using Windows UI elements.
> I look forward to hearing back from those involved in this project, please
> let me know if I'm looking at this project from the wrong angle.  Also, feel
> free to contact me on aim at caffineehacker.
> Hope to be working with you guys this summer,
> Tim Waterhouse
> P.S. My final proposal will be more flushed out, I just want to throw some
> ideas around before I write it up.

Hi Timothy.  It sounds like you're looking at this at the right angle.
 One thing I thought I'd mention... I'm not sure what you have in mind
with respect to using GDI to do the drawing to match the look of the
Linux native client.  I think we're less concerned about the windows
UI looking exactly like Pidgin, and more concerned with the Windows UI
fitting in with other native Windows applications and respecting
Microsoft's design guidelines.  I can't speak for everyone, but I
think we generally feel like applications should mesh with the
operating system on which they run, and that means meeting users
expectations for the way things look and behave.

But at the same time, Pidgin has undergone years of evolutionary
design and UI experimentation and careful thought and planning, and
there are a lot of basic decisions that should probably remain the
same:

* Similar looking buddy list.  The "big list" version for sure,
possibly the "small list" version as an option (see Tools->Show->Buddy
Details if you have no idea what I'm talking about).  Buddy icons to
the right of the buddy name.
* Status selector at the bottom of the buddy list.
* Show aliases/friendly names everywhere.
* Allow for multiple accounts on all our supported protocols, with
some sort of account management window.
* A similar set of preferences.

-Mark