Second Pre-Release of Pidgin 3.0 Messenger
The second experimental pre-release of the instant messaging client Pidgin 3.0 (version 2.91) has been announced. Pidgin allows users to work simultaneously across multiple networks with different protocols and switch between chats using tabs. This release is marked as an early alpha version and is not intended for everyday use. Builds are currently available in Flatpak format (for now, only a source code archive is provided).
Development Background
The Pidgin 3 branch has been in development since 2011, following three years of conceptual discussions. Pidgin 3 introduces a transition to the GObject type system, GTK4 and Adwaita libraries, the Meson build system, GPlugin for plugin management, SQLite for chat history storage, and GSettings for configuration management. The API has been completely redesigned. Interface elements are now defined using GTK Builder XML, and a custom widget library called Talkatu has been created for chat history display.
Interface and Protocol Support
The interface now combines the contact list and chat windows into a single window. The console client Finch is no longer included (though it may return in the future). Currently, only the IRCv3 protocol is fully supported, with new implementations of XMPP and Bonjour protocols under development and partial support available. Pidgin 3 is not compatible with Pidgin 2 or previously created plugins, but it can be installed alongside existing Pidgin 2 builds.
What’s New in This Update
- Participant List Sorting: Sorting now takes user privileges into account. For example, in IRC, channel operators are shown at the top, followed by users with voice privileges, and then regular participants.
- Participant Search: Added support for searching within the participant list.
- Message Notifications: Basic notifications for new messages have been added.
- IRC Message Formatting: Added support for extensions that enable message formatting in IRC.