Ubuntu

Replace Pidgin with Empathy

Registered by Kẏra

This blueprint has been superseded. See the newer blueprint "Messaging/Video Conferencing/VOIP, selection" for updated plans.

Empathy ( http://live.gnome.org/Empathy ) has much more potential than Pidgin since Empathy uses Telepathy ( http://telepathy.freedesktop.org ). Although i don't think Empathy is quite ready for this in Intrepid, it certainly will be for the next release.

(If you'd like to give it a try, don't use the old version in the Hardy repos, look here: http://cass.no-ip.com/~cassidy/blog/index.php/post/2008/04/14/Voice-and-video-calls-with-Empathy )

The fact that Empathy uses Telepathy to manage all the different protocols it supports is what makes it so great. Why is it that Pidgin supports file transfers on AIM but not Jabber? Why can't i use VoIP to talk to my Google Talk friends?

The bottom line is that Empathy has been making much more progress and improving much faster than Pidgin thanks to Telepathy and including it in Ubuntu will only help the process along!

Blueprint information

Status:
Complete
Approver:
None
Priority:
Undefined
Drafter:
None
Direction:
Needs approval
Assignee:
None
Definition:
Superseded
Series goal:
None
Implementation:
Unknown
Milestone target:
milestone icon karmic-alpha-3
Completed by
Kẏra

Related branches

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Whiteboard

Empathy supports SIP protocol, so, I also can replace Ekiga !!! Currently Ubuntu has 2 instant messaging/VOIP clients - Pidgin and Ekiga, but Empathy is more user-friendly and even has more features, like VOIP with Google Talk (XMPP/Jabber) than Pidgin and Ekiga !!!

Usability evaluation: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EmpathyVsPidginUsability

Fedora 12 plans to replace pidgin with empathy too: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/Empathy

(?)

Work Items

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