Regarding the Contact List debate in 1.0

[Dash]

I, like a lot of others on this board, despise the Contact List as a separate window.

I keep my CL minimized at all times and keep track of my contacts with Growl. If I really want to check my CL after being away from my computer I open it up, glance at it, and make it go away. It's a pain.

This thread prompted some interesting discussion on the subject.

Since 1.0 seems to be approaching, I was wondering what exactly has been done regarding the Contact List question. Have there been forays into alternate methods of managing contacts?

[Catfish_Man]

I keep my CL minimized at all times and keep track of my contacts with Growl. If I really want to check my CL after being away from my computer I open it up, glance at it, and make it go away. It's a pain.

This use case will be MUCH nicer in 1.0, with dock-style contact list hiding.

[Dash]

I keep my CL minimized at all times and keep track of my contacts with Growl. If I really want to check my CL after being away from my computer I open it up, glance at it, and make it go away. It's a pain.

This use case will be MUCH nicer in 1.0, with dock-style contact list hiding.

Excellent news.

I echo a lot of what The_Tick said in the thread I linked to. I really hate having a CL at all. I'm not an "away message stalker" and don't need to have this...WINDOW in my effing face all the time.

Has there been any attention to a "one window" interface? To me, that really represents the idea of a "minimalist" approach to messaging, and was one of the things I got excited about while reading about possible interfaces for 1.0.

[bgannin]

There's not some massive interface rewrite going on in 1.0. There's lots of new features & polish, but it's not like there's 3 new modes of interaction(tm) Those who have expressed interest in a single window mode have done so repeatedly, but there's no desire AFAIK to maintain it as a default and no one dedicated enough to (re)code one [which would likely need to be a plugin].

[Dash]

There's not some massive interface rewrite going on in 1.0. There's lots of new features & polish, but it's not like there's 3 new modes of interaction(tm) Those who have expressed interest in a single window mode have done so repeatedly, but there's no desire AFAIK to maintain it as a default and no one dedicated enough to (re)code one [which would likely need to be a plugin].

So we can assume that the standard message window/CL as separate entities configuration will be upheld in 1.0?

That seems interesting to me; I was under the impression that an interface overhaul was integral to 1.0.

[Crypt]

There's not some massive interface rewrite going on in 1.0. There's lots of new features & polish, but it's not like there's 3 new modes of interaction(tm) Those who have expressed interest in a single window mode have done so repeatedly, but there's no desire AFAIK to maintain it as a default and no one dedicated enough to (re)code one [which would likely need to be a plugin].

So we can assume that the standard message window/CL as separate entities configuration will be upheld in 1.0?

That seems interesting to me; I was under the impression that an interface overhaul was integral to 1.0.

ditto, but once i got the SVN i realized that wasnt happening except for an Xtras manger, som modifications to the contact list, prefereance panel, and log viewer, but nothing really major, unless you consider those major.

[The_Tick]

That seems interesting to me; I was under the impression that an interface overhaul was integral to 1.0.

Who gave you that idea?

[Dash]

That seems interesting to me; I was under the impression that an interface overhaul was integral to 1.0.

Who gave you that idea?

Nobody specifically. I just gleaned it from discussion.

It's no big deal. I was just intrigued by the notion that there may have been efforts to kill the CL in its current form, since I am among those who don't particularly like the standard CL/message window paradigm.

Now, that dock-style hiding feature Catfish_Man referred to is a great step, and I'm glad the devs are devising ways to make the CL as unobtrusive as possible.

[bgannin]

Ideas will always be discussed, implementing them is another thing entirely. Some like having a contact list, some don't. Devising a means of satisfying all and delivering that isn't something that just gets decided by the end of a thread and dropped in whatever is to be shipped.

The best way to figure out what goes into 1.0 or any other version is to look at the roadmap on Trac.

[Simba Cub]

The upcoming 1.x branch is much hyped and I fear that many users have come to anticipate nothing less than radical feature changes and interface updates. Having downloaded the SVN and having followed discussion here on the forums and in Trac I have settled down to a more realistic expectation: that the branch will be the culmination of the established current design and capabilities.

Adium 1.x will be a version number well earned but will not be the all singing, all dancing app that some people may expect of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm far happier that 1.x will be of the current ilk; I'm merely stating a fear that many users have impossibly high expectations of the software.

After all, these people are used to brilliance from the Adium team



Rich::

[The_Tick]

The upcoming 1.x branch is much hyped and I fear that many users have come to anticipate nothing less than radical feature changes and interface updates. Having downloaded the SVN and having followed discussion here on the forums and in Trac I have settled down to a more realistic expectation: that the branch will be the culmination of the established current design and capabilities.

Adium 1.x will be a version number well earned but will not be the all singing, all dancing app that some people may expect of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm far happier that 1.x will be of the current ilk; I'm merely stating a fear that many users have impossibly high expectations of the software.

After all, these people are used to brilliance from the Adium team



Rich::

A lot of the dev team is generally happy with most of the UI. Fixing things and making things work better is one of the more real goals of 1.0. Note the working aim ft and direct connect, along with a slew of other changes that affect performance and just plain usability.


The interface itself is pretty solid, some changes in menus and some pref locations need to be changed, but otherwise it's pretty solid and stable.


Some of the ui needs changing, but not a whole lot like you are implying.

[bgannin]

Actually Tick, Simba Cub's analysis was accurate, it was others who have brought the sweeping change vibe

[The_Tick]

Actually Tick, Simba Cub's analysis was accurate, it was others who have brought the sweeping change vibe

Ya, I thought I was echoing him..

[Dash]

Actually Tick, Simba Cub's analysis was accurate, it was others who have brought the sweeping change vibe

I think I probably bought into that a little. I'm a n00b/ex-casual lurker so I haven't had a chance to catch the vibe of what's going on 100%.

I have been following the trac/roadmap for a while but I haven't seen anything UI related in there; I agree that getting things to work properly (transfers, direct connect, etc) are by far the most important aspects of the 1.0 release.

I think a lot of what I was thinking stems from the 1.0 milestone being described as working toward a "minimal" IMing approach; this seems to imply some UI work. I simply assumed it was on a grander scale. Again, functionalty >>>>> my impression of an ideal UI (which Adium pretty much has anyway), so either way everybody wins with a solid 1.0 release.

[Catfish_Man]

There are some UI ideas that I'd like to try, but at this point we don't have the resources to do both them and the roadmap'd plans. Some of them may show up in the future though.

[twopeak]

Since 1.0 seems to be approaching, I was wondering what exactly has been done regarding the Contact List question. Have there been forays into alternate methods of managing contacts?

Don't forget this is for you.
I think there's about the same amount of people who need the CL and use it as their main window. (most important, not most used).

So totally removing it, or removing the possibility to have it visible at all times will create huge user dissatisfaction and make new users scared.

But there have been some very interesting mockupsposted that show thinking is being done to find a solution to combine best of both worlds.

[yelly]

please don't take anything I am about to say wrong.
IMO, Adium needs to "catch up" with the IM world (i.e., getting FT and stuff working flawlessly, A/V etc.), and only then should it start going about revolutionising (it should probably be over to chatkit by then, so we can really do whatever we want ), because, from where I see it, Adium is one of the apps with the most "revolution potential". you know, i really see Adium in the future as a small, friendly app that has a beast hiding inside it (ha, I win, it makes sense!!!! the sentence doesn't really mean much...).
yelly

[Macskeeball]

There are only to reasons I have for occassionally using iChat: file transfers and audio chats. Having file transfers and direct connect that actually work will fix the biggest downside for me with Adium (my favorite client bar none) and eliminate the reason that most makes me use iChat. File transfers also seem to be the single biggest reason my friends use iChat instead of Adium.

[Tipo 61]

File transfer works for me with joscar in Adium 1.0

It rocks.

[Macskeeball]

File transfer works for me with joscar in Adium 1.0

It rocks.

Yes, I know. I bet it does. I can't use 1.0 until the beta though, but as soon as it comes out I'm backing up my Adium 2.0 folder and switching.