Hide Chat on Join

Pidgin is a very popular instant messaging tool that is used by several million users, and includes robust plugin support that allows users to customize how the program operates. Hide Chat on Join is a plugin that allows users to customize how Pidgin operates when users join a specific channel.

While Pidgin does provide plugin support, not all plugins are easy to install or set up inside the application, or easy to find within Pidgin once they are installed. That is not the case with Hide Chat on Join, users will be able to install it like a regular plugin.

Once users install Hide Chat on Join, they will be able to find the plugin in the standard list found within the Tools menu. However, the plugin itself cannot be configured via the plugin window, there are no additional options to how it operates, it can only be enabled or disabled.

If users go looking for the option generated by Hide Chat on Join they will struggle as there is no button added to any part of the program. How Hide Chat on Join operates instead is adding an extra option when users right click a channel that is stored in their buddy list, which also means users do have to add a channel to the buddy list before Hide Chat on Join can be used.

A button added to the Preference window would be useful, as well as an option to configure Hide Chat on Join to work when users are adding a channel to the buddy list. Unfortunately, none of those are present and users might have to read up about the plugin and how it works before they can take advantage of it.

There is no doubt that for those who use multiple channels on a regular basis that Hide Chat on Join is a useful plugin, stopping multiple chat windows from cluttering up a desktop. Unfortunately, Hide Chat on Join could be easier to configure as well as being a bit more user friendly, still, it doesn't undermine the value of the program.