[Pidgin] #5038: Make the authorize buddy dialog usable

Pidgin trac at pidgin.im
Mon Mar 3 07:22:07 EST 2008


#5038: Make the authorize buddy dialog usable
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 Reporter:  unholly                                |       Type:  defect
   Status:  new                                    |   Priority:  minor 
Component:  pidgin (gtk)                           |    Version:  2.3.1 
 Keywords:  authorization dialog pop-up usability  |    Pending:  0     
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 I'm sending this as bug report, not as enhancement request, because it's
 about a problem with already existing functionality, that has has serious
 negative impact on pidgin usability. It was submitted some time ago, when
 SourceForge was used, but seems to have been lost when moving to this
 site.

 With the "Authorize Buddy?" dialog, used right now it usually impossible
 to see who is requesting authorization. In situations where same names are
 used in multiple IM accounts there is also no way to figure what protocol
 is he/she using and which of your accounts received the request. To make
 things worse, with the new embedded authorization dialogs there is no way
 to just close the window, postponing the decision until there is
 sufficient information to decide.

 Even now i have several pending requests, that can't just be denied,
 because they are either undoubtedly spam or _may_ be from someone i want
 to authorize or don't want to offend. They can't be answered, because
 there is no way to figure how answer. They also can't be removed, because
 even by manually digging ~/.purple i can't find where are they saved. In
 situations like this, the "Authorize Buddy?" dialog could be as good as a
 nonexistent, if it wasn't so annoying.

 To make it usable with minimal changes at least several features must be
 added:

 - Information about the IM service used by the buddy, requesting
 authorization. Can be implemented by using the corresponding protocol icon
 instead of the the currently used question mark icon. This also allows in
 almost any case to figure which account received the request.

 - Button to request buddy information. Without this one the "Authorize
 Buddy?" dialog serves mostly as random annoyance instead of being usable
 function.

 As alternative (and even more usable solution) button to open chat with
 the buddy can be added. It is possible to request user info from the chat
 window and it is also possible to identify account/protocol this way.

 - Close button (small x for example), allowing to silently ignore the
 request. This functionality, that was lost when dialog windows were
 replacled with embedded dialogs, serves both as a polite way to refuse
 authorization without insulting someone and as best answer for bot
 generated spam, where demonstrating activity is not wise decision.

 Adding "chat" and close dialog buttons won't make the pop-up "bloated",
 but is one of the ways to make it usable in 100% of the possible
 situations.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/5038>
Pidgin <http://pidgin.im>
Pidgin


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