I am disabled,with cognitive and anxiety issues. One thing I have
discovered is that new isn't always a good thing, especially for something
that is important. Instant Messenger is perhaps my most important piece of
software as it allows me to socialize safely where I normally can't
otherwise.
But I am unable to work comfortably with Pidgin.
I recently transitioned my computer from Windows to Linux, but am
transitioning myself by installing my same version of Windows in a Virtual
Machine. As I cannot use Pidgin because the interface is too different
(just know that I am disabled, and there is significant difficulty
attempting to adjust, so much so that I cannot), I am relegated to keeping
my VM open and on the desktop at all times so that I can socialize. But I
don't want to operate soley in Windows.
The only solution is for me to acquire a copy of GAIM 1.5, or even 1.3.1
which I currently use, for Linux, preferably a .deb package. If anyone has
access to the source code and can build a package or provide a copy to me so
I can try to build one, or perhaps has a .deb package of GAIM 1.3.1. or 1.5;
please let me know.
So what you are saying is that the UI differences between pidgin and its
predecessor gaim are so severe, as to be intolerable, moreso than the
difference between windows, and some flavor of debian? Ouch.
We really can't recommend that you use an old version though - there
are some known security vulnerabilities and several of the protocols
will not work.
The security issues Daniel spoke of are quite real, as are the protocol
issues. And running your gaim client in your VM is no more secure or any
more an answer. For example, Yahoo IM changes their protocol about as
often as the political regime in a third world country, and if you've been
on the list for a while, we *still* get a number of people asking some
question varying on "WHY MY YAHOO NO WORK".
It seems that AIM and ICQ (which use TOC and OSCAR) are more stable, and
if those are your preferred protocols, then you have many options, even
using AOL's own java client, or Meebo.
If I may soapbox only minorly, Michael, please let me state that despite
whatever cognitive disability issues you may have (which I am not at all
faulting), your question, as well as the information provided with it, and
your logic for asking it, were more well phrased, and better worded and
thought out, than most questions I've seen in the short time I've been on
this mailing list.
I don't envy what you're going through. Windows, in their ultimate
wisdom, continues to drastically alter their UI, only as the people used
to older versions and worse at adaptation continue to age. Windows and
Gaim suffer a similar problem: people altered UI that a nontechnical
audience was comfortable with, and I'm not sure if the need to do so was
there. I would love it if every piece of software had a simple "emulate
version" dropdown menu on their main screen, that just made it look like
the old stuff.
Windows95 to 2000 was not a large problem for my father. Going to Vista,
and trying to figure out Microsoft Office with its new "ribbon bar" (which
is a real pain when they're used to menus), took me several hours of UI
changing so things were "where they used to be", stripping out HP
"feature" software, and months of scouring ebay for older versions of
things that had previously just worked.
Best of Luck.
-Dan Mahoney
--
"Ca. Tas. Tro. Phy."
-John Smedley, March 28th 1998, 3AM
--------Dan Mahoney--------
Techie, Sysadmin, WebGeek
Gushi on efnet/undernet IRC
ICQ: 13735144 AIM: LarpGM
Site: http://www.gushi.org
---------------------------
_______________________________________________
Support@pidgin.im mailing list
Want to unsubscribe? Use this link:
http://pidgin.im/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/support
