Pidgin should default to "Show system tray icon: On unread messages"

[Mackenzie Morgan]

Binary package hint: pidgin

As of Intrepid, the FUSA takes care of status-changing, which was one of the system tray icon's two purposes. The other purpose is to notify users of new messages.

Currently, Pidgin defaults to "Always" show the system tray icon. This results in two "available", "away", etc. status icons showing up in the panel. This is both redundant and confusing. Pidgin already offers an option to only show the icon when notifying users of new messages. This should be the default to avoid duplicating functionality and causing confusion.

According to the GNOME HIG:
Non-core programs for which a perpetual icon may be useful must default to not perpetually showing the icon. Users may select to enable a perpetual icon for the application as a preference.

Additionally, the HIG states that if it does anything other than opening a window, it should be an applet, rather than showing up as if it was a notification icon.

See bug 291846 and bug 273220

Citation: http://library.gnome.org/devel/hig-book/stable/desktop-notification-area.html.en

[Mackenzie Morgan (maco.m)]

Currently building in my PPA. Will need Jaunty users to test.

[Mackenzie Morgan (maco.m)]

Jacob Peddicord tested and reported that the package I uploaded to my PPA worked, so here's a debdiff.

[Alex Ruddick (alexrudd0)]

There is a third function you missed: minimizing to the tray.

Perhaps new users don't care, but it's worth mentioning. I kept the icon for this purpose.

[Mackenzie Morgan (maco.m)]

I was just told about that one today. Maybe that should go into the FUSA as well since it contains all of the other functions? It's still no good to have 2 of the same icon, and keeping anything in the notification area that isn't a notification is frowned upon.

It's applications like Pidgin that make people think that thing's a tray when it's not.

[Mackenzie Morgan (maco.m)]

Oh, I should maybe clarify that this wouldn't *remove* the ability to use the icon as if it was in a tray rather than a notification area. It'd just change the default setting, as per the HIG.

[Ricardo Pérez López (ricardo)]

+1 for Alex. Before trying to change the default tray icon behavior, we must try not to lose the minimize-to-tray feature *by default*. That could be considered as a regression. Also, changing the default setting isn't obvious for all users.

"Additionally, the HIG states that if it does anything other than opening a window, it should be an applet, rather than showing up as if it was a notification icon."

Pidgin (formerly Gaim) had an applet some time ago, but was replaced by the minimize-to-tray feature, AFAIK.

[Ricardo Pérez López (ricardo)]

The status icon is the access point to all the IM application. You can't access to the buddy list using Fast User Switch Applet.

Without the Pidgin status icon, you must have the buddy list always opened, which is an obvious lack of ergonomy.

Moreover, we are talking about Pidgin, but... what about any other IM? What about aMSN, Emesene, Gajim, Skype or Ekiga? Are all these programs wrong? Are all they need to be fixed in order to not having a status icon by default?

IMHO, this is not the right direction. We can't expect to be able to replace the docking feature of all the present and future IM applications with only one applet (FUSA). IMHO, we must to stay, think and reconsider what's the FUSA status change usefulness. If the problem is only about icon duplicity, we propose to remove the FUSA status icon (see https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pidgin/+bug/273220/comments/9 for more details).

By the way: I'm using both Pidgin and aMSN at the same time. When I change my status using FUSA, aMSN is not affected. What IM applications are affected by the FUSA status change?

[Mackenzie Morgan (maco.m)]

> Without the Pidgin status icon, you must have the buddy list always
> opened, which is an obvious lack of ergonomy.

Or minimized...or shaded...

> Moreover, we are talking about Pidgin, but... what about any other IM?
> What about aMSN, Emesene, Gajim, Skype or Ekiga? Are all these programs
> wrong? Are all they need to be fixed in order to not having a status
> icon by default?

According to the HIG, yes, they're all behaving wrong.
>
> IMHO, this is not the right direction. We can't expect to be able to
> replace the docking feature of all the present and future IM
> applications with only one applet (FUSA). IMHO, we must to stay, think
> and reconsider what's the FUSA status change usefulness. If the problem
> is only about icon duplicity, we propose to remove the FUSA status icon
> (see
> https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pidgin/+bug/273220/comments/9
> for more details).

The trouble with removing it for *some* apps and not for others (as
suggested there) is that it'd create inconsistency.

> By the way: I'm using both Pidgin and aMSN at the same time. When I
> change my status using FUSA, aMSN is not affected. What IM applications
> are affected by the FUSA status change?

At the moment, Pidgin and Empathy.

Right now, I'm thinking the best situation would be:
1. FUSA doesn't control presence
2. Create a standard API for IM status
3. All IM applications implement the API
4. 1 panel applet for GNOME, 1 for KDE that changes status for all apps
that use the standard API. And then that could have a "Buddy List
Visible" checkbox in its right-click menu

Would that be a good way to resolve keeping things out of the
notification area that aren't notifications while adding cross-app
consistency?

[Ricardo Pérez López (ricardo)]

> Right now, I'm thinking the best situation would be:
> 1. FUSA doesn't control presence
> 2. Create a standard API for IM status
> 3. All IM applications implement the API
> 4. 1 panel applet for GNOME, 1 for KDE that changes status for all apps
> that use the standard API. And then that could have a "Buddy List
> Visible" checkbox in its right-click menu

> Would that be a good way to resolve keeping things out of the
> notification area that aren't notifications while adding cross-app
> consistency?

+1. IMHO, that's the best solution we can have by now. That way, we could have consistency without duplicity and without lack of features.

About the panel applet for all IM apps, it must have a right-menu option (or similar) to open the IM app main screen you selected.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

unsubscribing the sponsor team now, the icon is the only way right now to display the users list, those changes should be discussed on a list rather and probably wait on fusa to provide a way to display the userslist

[Andrew Starr-Bochicchio (andrewsomething)]

I don't use pidgin all that often, but fired it up today just to see how it feels in Jaunty.

I now have the pidgin notification area icon, the FUSA showing pidgin status, and the indicator applet shows up as well. Perhaps a patch allowing pidgin to minimize to the indicator applet in addition to not using the default notification area icon? I don't know the best approach, but something really needs to be done here....

[Mackenzie Morgan (maco.m)]

Try with a new user. As of yesterday it should be:
FUSA changes status
Indicator applet shows if there is a new message, allows hide/unhide of
buddylist
Pidgin shows no icon in notification area

[Andrew Starr-Bochicchio (andrewsomething)]

You're right, I now have the new behavior.

pidgin (1:2.5.5-1ubuntu2) jaunty; urgency=low

  * Adding debian/patches/11_buddy_list_really_show.patch to make
    it so that the buddy list tries harder to appear. This fixes
    some issues with it not appearing. (LP: #341142)
  * Adding debian/patches/10_docklet_default_off.patch to set the
    default behavior to have no notification area icon. This fixes
    (LP: #340366)