The second experimental release of the Pidgin 3.0 (2.91) instant messaging client is presented, allowing simultaneous operation in multiple networks with different protocols and switching between chats using tabs. The release is marked as having the quality level of a preliminary alpha version, not intended for everyday use. The builds are prepared in Flatpak format (currently only the source code archive is available).
The Pidgin 3 branch has been in development since 2011, following three years of discussion at the conceptual and idea level. Pidgin 3 transitions to the GObject type system, uses GTK4 and Adwaita libraries, adopts the Meson build system, employs GPlugin for plugin handling, utilizes SQLite for chat history storage, and incorporates GSettings for managing settings. The API has been completely redesigned. For defining interface elements, GTK Builder XML is utilized, and a custom widget library, Talkatu, has been created for displaying chat history.
The interface combines the contact list and chat in a single window. The supply of the console client Finch has been discontinued (it may be returned in the future). Currently, only IRCv3 is supported, while new implementations of the XMPP and Bonjour protocols are being developed but are only partially supported. The Pidgin 3 branch is not compatible with Pidgin 2 and previously created plugins but can be installed alongside existing Pidgin 2 builds.
Among the changes in this update:
- When sorting the participant list, the permissions are now taken into account. For instance, in IRC, channel operators are displayed at the top, followed by users with voice rights and then regular participants.
- Support for searching within the participant list has been added.
- Basic notifications for new messages have been added.
- Support for message formatting extensions in IRC has been added.
Source: opennet.ru
