Pidgin has unveiled the third experimental release of the client for instant messaging, Pidgin 3.0 (2.92). This release is described as being at the quality level of a preliminary alpha version and is not intended for everyday use. The assemblies are available in Flatpak format, with the code archived until further release.
Development of Pidgin 3 has been ongoing since 2011, with three additional years dedicated to discussions at the conceptual level. The transition to Pidgin 3 includes the adoption of the Gobject type system, GTK4, Adwaita libraries, Meson assembly system, GPLugin for processing plugins, SQLite for chat history storage, and GSETTINGS for settings management. The API has been completely redesigned, incorporating GTK Builder XML for interface elements and the talkatu widget library for chat history displays.
The new interface combines contacts and chat in a single window, discontinuing the supply of the FINCH console client (although it may return in the future). While only the IRCV3 protocol is currently maintained, new implementations for XMPP, SIP, and Bonjour protocols are in development, although support is partial. Pidgin 3 is incompatible with previous Pidgin 2 versions and their plugins but can be installed alongside Pidgin 2 assemblies.
The latest version of Pidgin introduced notable improvements, including the addition of Appearance, Privacy, and Development sections to the configurator. Users can now customize message formatting elements, disable data transmission for text marking, and activate a developer mode for debugging plugins and developing capabilities such as supporting Bonjour and XMPP protocols.
