[Pidgin] #414: You dont the See Which Protocol

[Pidgin]

#414: You dont the See Which Protocol
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  Reporter:  dancle        |       Owner:  lschiere
      Type:  defect        |      Status:  closed  
  Priority:  minor         |   Milestone:          
 Component:  pidgin (gtk)  |     Version:  2.0     
Resolution:  wontfix       |    Keywords:          
   Pending:  0             |  
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Comment (by deryni):

 An application needs to be built for the kind of users it expects to get,
 development tools (like the Gimp or Photoshop) can expect a certain level
 of understanding from their users (which hasn't prevented the Gimp from
 hiding file extensions below an expander in the Save dialog by default).
 IM applications, by the very nature of the medium, attract and target some
 of the youngest, least well-versed, least inquisitive, and largely
 stupidest set of users of any set of applications I can think of.
 Therefore they need to expect different things from their users and
 present different things to their users.
 As an example, no one blames wysiwyg html editors for trying to allow
 people who don't know html to build web pages by hiding the html, what
 they are blamed for is generally making it impossible to ever see and work
 with the html. pidgin hides the protocols from the casual glance to
 'protect' the casual user and simplify things for all users, but it makes
 no effort to paper over all protocol differences, or remove reference to
 them entirely, that is it allows people who want to know and or need to
 know (for doing specific actions) to find the information when they need
 it.
 Hiding unimportant pieces of information from people who don't need it is
 good design because it means the people who don't need it don't need to
 think about it. You don't need to know how your TV, telephone, or car work
 to use them, but if you ever want to go and find out you can. pidgin is
 operating under the same principle.

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Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/414#comment:64>
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