Pidgin 2.6 Released, Brings Voice & Video

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Pidgin 2.6 Released, Brings Voice & Video

The Pidgin instant messaging program has been losing some ground recently to GNOME's Empathy program as more Linux distributions switch to using this newer instant messaging application. Pidgin 2.5 was released just under one year ago, but arriving today is Pidgin 2.6, which may help in winning over more users...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NzQ2Ng

[Hoodlum]

Wtf. I never thought i'd see the day after the death of the gaim-vv project....

I wonder if this happened in light of empathy being chosen for all the major distros as the default im client?

[89c51]

i think empathy is based on libpurple (not 100% sure thought)

[krionius]

Great news! I hope to test it and that others will test it in spite of the new wave of empathy. :)

[SyXbiT]

it's unfortunate, but I've lost a lot of respect for the pidgin devs.
I remember them complaining about not wanting to do audio/video support, and how it wasn't a priority etc..

WELL, it looks like they're pulling a microsoft (i.e. improving something ONLY because the competition is beating you - like internet explorer)

It seems Pidgin has only improved because soon they won't be used anymore.
With Ubuntu switching to empathy (as default), that's a huge difference in market share

[Apopas]

Actually every distro is switching to empathy, because empathy has been chosen as the Gnome's default IM.

[kotsergy]

So what if Ubuntu is moving to empathy? What devs include in distros by default is not always what users want/need. Ubuntu has a 6 months release cycle, so if not enough "new" features are introduced, a new IM client is a good way distract users from that.
Furthermore let's not forget about Debian (Mr. "stable") and Fedora (Mr. "new features") for example, who still have Pidgin by default.

I do not really see a problem with the introduction of audio/video. They introduce these features to make Pidgin more universal. And yes, if it was not for competition we would not know such word as "PROGRESS" which (usually) bring us something good.
But of course, according to SyXbit "improving something ONLY because the competition is beating you" is bad :-D

-Are playing chess (tennis, go, whatever) only to beat you friend? - Oh, I hate you! Go away, you are acting like MS
LOL

[Remco]

Nice! XMPP video is the only thing I need at the moment, since all those I regularly talk with are on Google Talk. Of course, Google Talk might use a different video protocol than XMPP... I read something about that.
i think empathy is based on libpurple (not 100% sure thought)
Empathy is based on Telepathy. It does have support for libpurple protocols (I think).

[some-guy]

Empathy is based on Telepathy. It does have support for libpurple protocols (I think).
If you install telepathy-haze, then yes

[mirv]

Goody, I didn't want to try empathy that much (keeping my system as gnome-free and kde-free as possible).

[wswartzendruber]

Sweet fancy Moses! I thought this would NEVER happen.

[kcheung]

it's unfortunate, but I've lost a lot of respect for the pidgin devs.
I remember them complaining about not wanting to do audio/video support, and how it wasn't a priority etc..

WELL, it looks like they're pulling a microsoft (i.e. improving something ONLY because the competition is beating you - like internet explorer)

It seems Pidgin has only improved because soon they won't be used anymore.



(Pidgin developer here)

That's not really true. The current VV work started as 2008's GSoC project, but since it's basically one guy's effort it just took a long time. Pidgin is almost entirely volunteer based, so people tend to work on things that they want to work on.

[nanonyme]

(Pidgin developer here)

That's not really true. The current VV work started as 2008's GSoC project, but since it's basically one guy's effort it just took a long time. Pidgin is almost entirely volunteer based, so people tend to work on things that they want to work on.Things tend to depend on the point of view and Linux users for some weird reason seem to see the world as if they were paying customers. ;) Strange, huh?

[Muad'Dib]

I have tested empathy a few weeks ago but I couldn't see any advantages over pdigin. In fact it even couldn't handle file transfer and Video was XMPP only.

[kcheung]

Nice! XMPP video is the only thing I need at the moment, since all those I regularly talk with are on Google Talk. Of course, Google Talk might use a different video protocol than XMPP... I read something about that.

Google talk interoperability is still sort of hit-or-miss depends on what version of the dependent libraries you have. Using Ubuntu Jaunty and some packages from karmic I was able to view someones webcam who was using the windows web client, but the other side couldn't see mine. Audio seems to work too.

[kcheung]

Things tend to depend on the point of view and Linux users for some weird reason seem to see the world as if they were paying customers. ;) Strange, huh?

Actually many are way more demanding than paying customers ;-)

[highlandsun]

Empathy's lack of support for meta-contacts is pretty annoying. It's also very far down in the future on their roadmap, which is even more annoying... So far pidgin does what I want. Too bad I still have to keep Ekiga and Skype around though. I'd prefer to drop skype...

[wswartzendruber]

Would it now be possible to make a libpurple plugin for Skype?

[Remco]

It will be a cold day in hell when Skype's protocol gets reverse engineered. I wouldn't mind if such encrypted secret protocols were made illegal.

A better idea would be to have an alternative become popular. But that will need some major marketing effort.

[nanonyme]

I wouldn't mind if such encrypted secret protocols were made illegal.Actually imo it's a good thing that VOIP communication gets encrypted when traveling over the Internet. It's just slightly frustrating that Skype goes through the "security through obscurity" approach and doesn't tell anyone else what they actually do... Ergo no third-party clients.

[dotancohen]

Things tend to depend on the point of view and Linux users for some weird reason seem to see the world as if they were paying customers. ;) Strange, huh?

I'll pay. I use Linux (Kubuntu currently) because I like quality software, not because I am cheap. I would gladly pay if it meant that the devs would give a shit about the features or bug fixes I file.

[SyXbiT]

my opinion is that if they had just made this sort of an effort sooner, empathy may not have gained the userbase it did
pity, I liked pidgin....

[Apopas]

my opinion is that if they had just made this sort of an effort sooner, empathy may not have gained the userbase it did
pity, I liked pidgin....
I agree, but like this we have now one more nice IM :D

[frische]

I'll pay. I use Linux (Kubuntu currently) because I like quality software, not because I am cheap. I would gladly pay if it meant that the devs would give a shit about the features or bug fixes I file.

http://www.ubuntu.com/support/services/desktopcomparison

or hire a freelancer

[Yfrwlf]

Has anyone actually gotten this to work? So far I've tried using two diffrent Jabber servers and two different computers with two different accounts and the exact same software, and I can't get it to work. The voice/video options stays grayed out for me. BTW XMPP is all I care about, the proprietary protocols that lock you into a single server and keep breaking compatibility with third-party programs is really annoying. XMPP/Jabber/GTalk gives you much more freedom.

[Panix]

Pidgin and Empathy are the top IM programs? So, I should use one instead of Kopete? Kopete has recently been giving me headaches (well, it's NOT working for me) so I wanted to try an alternative.

[bugmenot]

Does video/audio work well, I mean without artefacts on a normal computer?

[Apopas]

Pidgin and Empathy are the top IM programs? So, I should use one instead of Kopete? Kopete has recently been giving me headaches (well, it's NOT working for me) so I wanted to try an alternative.
Well, it depends also what desktop environment you use. If you don't mind though to install a lot of libraries if you don't use gnome, then you can always give a try. I, at least, find Pidgin very useable.

[Panix]

Well, it depends also what desktop environment you use. If you don't mind though to install a lot of libraries if you don't use gnome, then you can always give a try. I, at least, find Pidgin very useable.
I just tried it and NOTHING! It just displays, 'Available - Connecting' forever and I can't add anyone. Looks like yet another POS IM program in Linux!

[Apopas]

I just tried it and NOTHING! It just displays, 'Available - Connecting' forever and I can't add anyone. Looks like yet another POS IM program in Linux!
Well, that's odd, but if you say that even kopete doesn't work for you maybe you make a common mistake in your configuration.

[Panix]

Well, that's odd, but if you say that even kopete doesn't work for you maybe you make a common mistake in your configuration.
I already posted the message I receive when I try to use Kopete. It states that 'it doesn't support offline sending....' blah blah so check the protocol. Yahoo Messenger supports it, though. Even when Kopete worked, the emulation wasn't all that good. But, now I am unable to use any IM in Linux, apparently.