[Pidgin] #8780: IM window flashing

[Pidgin]

#8780: IM window flashing
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 Reporter:  Luigiwalser  |           Owner:  lschiere    
     Type:  defect       |          Status:  closed      
Milestone:               |       Component:  pidgin (gtk)
  Version:  2.5.5        |      Resolution:  invalid     
 Keywords:               |   Launchpad_bug:              
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Changes (by deryni):

  * status:  new => closed
  * resolution:  => invalid


Comment:

 Some users very much care about the raise/present distinction. So no,
 raise
 really can (and should) mean 'raise'. The Urgent option is designed to let
 your WM do whatever is appropriate, the Present option was added largely
 for
 Windows users for whom Urgent does nothing useful (well currently it is
 replaced by 'Flash' so it does something at least) and for WMs which do
 nothing useful on Urgency.

 The raise code in the plugin was moved directly from pidgin itself when
 the
 option was moved, so unless I misremember some change it should do exactly
 what it has always done. The common WMs have changed immensely since the
 option was moved into the plugin so claims about what pidgin "used to do"
 are
 questionable.

 Prior to the patch the Urgent option was intended to let the WM decide if
 iconifying was appropriate, that many apparently either didn't do that or
 that
 people didn't understand the option was a problem (and one of the reasons
 the
 Present option was added).

 The Mandriva patch modifies the pidgin_conv_present_conversation code.
 That
 function is called by the plugin to handle the Present option, so
 disabling
 the Present option will determine whether that code (the patch) is the
 cause
 of the flashing you are seeing.

 pidgin uses monotone (MTN) and as such we use viewmtn, which is linked off
 of
 the main page of the development site.

 The Mandriva patch was designed to work around a change to Metacity (and
 other
 WMs) that some distributions appear to have made. The issue is that not
 all
 applications work the same way and not all users work the same way, but
 these
 WMs tend to want all windows to work the same way. The patch fixes one
 usage
 of pidgin and breaks the other. The Present option is supposed to be usage
 neutral, that is it is supposed to let the WM + user decide on policy.
 Most
 (common/popular) WMs just seem to think that is a bad way to handle their
 users.

 I'm going to close this ticket like the others filed before it (#2968 and
 #5521) now that we believe it to be the same issue.

 As a closing note. The Urgent option is, in an ideal world, better than
 the
 Present option as it allows the WM more freedom. The Present call attempts
 to
 raise and focus the window manually as well as sending the Activate Me
 message. However, when the Urgent option was added very few WMs supported
 it
 at all. At this stage many (even most possibly) support it though not all
 do
 so well or in a useful fashion. I had thought the Present option simply
 sent
 the Activate Me message, now that I see it does more than that I am
 greatly
 less fond of it (and wonder what the rational for the additional code is).

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/8780#comment:10>
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