14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, the Pidgin development team released a new version of its multi-protocol instant messaging client. As with any other edition of the application, the team invested a lot of time and effort in delivering the best of quality. With the latest edition, only 2.70, a bug managed to go by unnoticed despite extensive tests, reaching all users who updated. The issue consisted of the lack of visual alert whenever a message was received (we also noticed that the buddyicon was not displayed in the taskbar window).
Audio worked fine, but, when the chat window was minimized to taskbar (which most users do, since the “invention” of tabs) and a message was received, the window would no longer blink. Thus, one would not be aware of a new message that came their way, unless they actually opened the window to see it. The good news is that a solution to the problem has been found under the form of a patched DLL.
All users currently employing version of Pidgin 2.70 should follow these steps in order to regain the window flash alert at incoming messages:
1. Quit Pidgin (if running)
1. Download Tasbkar Flash Fix (pidgin.dll)
2. Open Pidgin installation folder
3. Copy Taskbar Flash Fix (pidgin.dll) in Pidgin installation folder and overwrite the existing file.
4. Start Pidgin
Despite user complaints about this bug and being highly sensitive to the fact that their download section still gives access to the same buggy 2.70 Pidgin instead of the patched version, developers remain firm and announce that the better version of the program is in the works, and planned for release in the next two or three weeks. To their defense, they remind that all “development, testing and support is conducted by volunteers,” which is to say that bugs and issues are more prone to occurring when successful projects are pursued in spare time.
The latest Pidgin releases have built a successful string that has been interrupted by the “taskbar flash” bug, all this giving way to more vehement complaints from the users. However, developers will continue to dedicate their spare time to maintaining the quality product they have accustomed so many thousands of users with.
Currently, Pidgin comes with out-of-the-box support for a set of over 15 instant messaging networks (AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, QQ, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, MXit, MySpaceIM, and Zephyr) and is present on Windows and Linux platforms. For Windows, there is also a portable edition, which you can carry on a portable storage device and use on any PC you plug it in.