[Pidgin] #4986: automatic chat input field resizing should be optional, regression from 2.3

Sat Apr 5 22:12:07 EDT 2008

#4986: automatic chat input field resizing should be optional, regression from 2.3
---------------------------+------------------------------------------------
  Reporter:  swbrown       |       Owner:                   
      Type:  enhancement   |      Status:  reopened         
  Priority:  minor         |   Milestone:                   
 Component:  pidgin (gtk)  |     Version:  2.4.0            
Resolution:                |    Keywords:  chat input resize
   Pending:  0             |  
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Comment (by ddm):

 Replying to [comment:222 Sim-on]:
 > i only want to highlight some issues, which does not seem to be clear
 for everyone:
 > ----
 > '''1. There is a Plugin (#5296) and another pidgin-Version called
 "[http://sourceforge.net/projects/funpidgin/ funpidgin]" where auto-
 resizing is disabled. And you are free to use them or reinstall
 [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=235&package_id=230234&release_id=559922
 2.3.1].

 These issues are perfectly clear to me, and have been since before my
 first post.  Let me say that none of these are real solutions (at least,
 not currently).  Allow me to explain:

  - The plugin solution could work if it were part of the standard
 distribution of Pidgin and the user were able to enable it via preferences
 (i.e. it behaves like an option, and I don't need to do anything special
 to get it).  Otherwise, it will be left up to the user to do manual
 maintenance of their IM client.  Considering the clear outcry from the
 user community, leaving this up to them to maintain means the user will
 need to spend considerable effort to ensure they have the latest version,
 for security fixes, bug fixes, and interoperability with the latest pidgin
 release.  In the modern world, IM is one of the key features of an OS, and
 asking the user to do this much to maintain a key feature seems clearly
 wrong.  It places an undue burden to avoid bugs and security issues in a
 key desktop application.  This feature is a basic, fundamental part of
 Pidgin, and as such it should be included with the distribution.

  - Realistically, the fork project will probably die fairly quickly.  This
 happens a lot with forks (mutt-ng comes to mind, as do others).  We can't
 count on it being available, current, or even usable; and in the grand
 scheme of things, it is stupid to waste all that effort on maintaining a
 fork just because of one small but horribly offensive feature.

  - Downgrading to 2.3.x and remaining on it is a foolish suggestion.  As
 always happens, someone will discover bugs, and most likely security
 problems, which will remain unplugged in older versions.  Users who feel
 tied to old releases due to this misfeature will not be able to avail
 themselves of new features, and will soon enough find themselves running
 broken, insecure code.

 But, my dear developers, it should be a clue to you how much people really
 do hate this feature, that not only did someone make the effort to write a
 plug-in to restore the old behavior, but ''someone is actually willing to
 maintain an entire fork of your project,'' over this distasteful choice
 that you've forced on us.  What more do you need to convince you that your
 unwavering devotion to this new functionality is a disservice to your user
 community?
 [[BR]]
 [[BR]]

 > 2. We recognizes all criticism and we will try to realise them. So one
 of the main arguments against this issue in 2.4.0 was, that e.g. code-
 developers weren't able to send/format correct long messages, because the
 maximum height of 4 lines was to small.

 That, as you yourself point out, was only '''''one of''''' the main
 complaints.  Another of the main complaints, even from very early on, was
 that this feature should be made optional.  It should be obvious that a
 person making such a comment prefers the old behavior, and does not want
 the new behavior.

 Comment #4: "Having the program work some magic seems cool, but users
 should be given the option to activate the feature."

 Comment #7: "The automatic resizing is unacceptable."

 It seems to me that the devs are only hearing what they want to hear; they
 are blocking out all of the comments indicating that no matter how they
 decide to adjust the new functionality, for a substantial percentage of
 us, it will still be unacceptable unless we're given an option to use the
 old functionality, *in the default distribution of pidgin*, be it by plug-
 in or otherwise.

 There is an old adage which goes something like, "For every complaint you
 receive, you should assume that at least 10 more people have the same
 complaint."  If we assume that's true, then the number of people upset by
 this change is at least around 1000, based on this forum alone.

 Many people who are irritated by this feature will '''''not''''' complain
 about it, for many possible reasons.  They may simply not like to
 complain.  They may see that lots of people are already complaining, and
 feel their voice is being heard.  They may see the reaction from the
 developers, which appears to dismiss their desire to have the
 functionality reverted, and not bother to post because they've given up
 hope that it will be fixed.  They may feel that, even though they are
 irritated, their time and energy is better spent on something else.  They
 (especially users relatively new to Linux and/or pidgin) may not know how
 to complain in a way that will reach you.  They may be irritated, but not
 enough to provide incentive to complain.  But, one thing that is true is
 that even though they don't complain, they would still be happier if the
 behavior were reverted.  It may even be that they *are* complaining, but
 just in the wrong forums for you to hear about it.

   https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=436010
   https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=440437
   http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=739573&highlight=pidgin+resize
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pidgin/+bug/209553
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=469109
   http://geektimelinux.com/page/7/?q=node%2Fview%2F12 (mentions funpidgin
 and this problem)
   http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/pidgin-convo-box-all-
 messed-up-627921/

 The wikipedia article even mentions this in the 3rd paragraph of the
 features section:

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgin_(software)

 If one cared to dig, it would not be too difficult to find more places
 people were complaining about this than just the list above.  The net is
 rife with complaints about this misfeature.
 [[BR]]
 [[BR]]

 > '''The maximum changed in 2.4.1. to half of the window-size.''' We
 changed this according to YOUR desires.

 Not '''''MY''''' desires.  My desire, my '''''ONLY''''' desire, is to have
 the old behavior restored.

 ddm

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/4986#comment:231>
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