Bug 109848

Summary:	"Personal message" vs. "Away message" is confusing
Product:	[Unmaintained] kopete	Reporter:	Daniel <kdebugs.slum554>
Component:	MSN Plugin	Assignee:	Kopete Developers <kopete-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED FIXED
Severity:	normal
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Compiled Sources
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Daniel 2005-07-29 19:36:56 UTC

Version:           0.10.90 >= 20050522 (using KDE KDE 3.4.2)
Installed from:    Compiled From Sources
OS:                Linux

In one contact's tooltip, there is an Away message field. But if I set up that message thru the MSN plugin, it is called Personal message. I think these two identical things should have identical names.

Comment 1 Olivier Goffart 2005-07-29 20:46:01 UTC

Yes,  theses two "messages" will be merged soon or later.

Comment 2 Olivier Goffart 2005-08-22 22:55:57 UTC

Now the "personal message" is become a normal away message, consistant with others protocols

Comment 3 Tim Hutt 2006-04-25 13:00:15 UTC

I wouldn't consider this closed.

I think they should all be renamed to personal message because:

a) That's what they are called in MSN - took me ages to work out what an away message even was.
b) You can have one even if you aren't away!
c) No-one uses them to say why they are away/where they are (examples from my contacts: "Urgh, lumps in the pink milk from horrible Cambridge water", "Sun is shining, my car is sexy, you are sexy, I am a happy child." "I'm a holding, stroking loving machine. Also spanking". - See - why would anyone call that an away message?

I realise this may be MSN-centric, but in Europe no-one uses anything else (except perhaps skype).

Comment 4 Conrad Hoffmann 2006-04-25 13:10:44 UTC

i can't hold back to throw in that i am from europe (germany), and i find MSN to be the minority here (all my friends use icq). nevertheless, i agree with the point that the term away message is going to be obsolete soon (although i grew up w/ it and fyi., that's what it was called in almost every other messenger than MSN). For example in jabber it doesnt make sense either.
i think i would favour status message over personal message, but i guess personal message would be ok, too.

Comment 5 Daniel 2006-04-25 13:18:52 UTC

I don't get it, now it is called "Status message" not away message, what is the problem?