[Adium-devl] Adium iPhone

[Peter Hosey]

On 2009-01-22, at 21:56, Chris Forsythe wrote:
> Pro
> - It's cheaper than SMS - Obviously, if you are already paying for  
> data, and you are not paying for additional SMS for more than 200  
> messages out to people.

Alternate version:

- It exists, unlike SMS

+10 from my iPod touch and me.

> - It'd be a neat project - Obvious.

I abstain, for now. If I get the jailbreak toolchain working, I may  
hack on it (if it's free), but I will not participate in the App Store  
as it currently exists.

And, of course, *everything* I write for Mobile Adium would need to  
pass through another developer for review before it can go into Mobile  
Adium's main repo for inclusion in the official app, since I'm sure  
Mobile Adium will not be available for jailbreak (I'm not suggesting  
that it should).

> - It'd be a possible way to generate a lot of money for the project  
> and possibly employ a few of the key Developers - Do some math. If  
> 100 copies were sold at 1.99, you get 200 dollars for the project.  
> If 100000 copies are sold, etc etc.

If we sell it.

I'm against selling Adium for the same reason I'm not an App Store  
developer—I don't want to contribute money to that system. Therefore,  
if the rest of you decide to sell Mobile Adium, then I simply won't  
work on it at all.

So, on the scale from 1 to 10, 1 from me.

> Persistent availability

Not really. If your device is asleep, or if you quit Mobile Adium, you  
stop being available on the device.

2 from me.

> - <+sholt> sending cat pictures to that one guy you kinda sorta  
> like, but don't want to get your phone number - Tasty sammiches for  
> all.

Hm, I guess so. I keep IM handles pretty close to the vest, too, but  
if I had to give someone my IM handle or my number, I'd give them my  
IM handle. 3 from me.

> Cons
> - It will be a lot of work. - A lot of people are able to work on  
> Adium part of the time, but the question is whether those same  
> people can work on another IM client code base, more or less.

6.

> - There isn't a lot of ways to make an IM client on the iPhone  
> unique. - I can't think of a way to make an iPhone application for  
> IM very unique from other IM applications on the iPhone.

2. Unique is bad. Mac-like Adium only works on the Mac. For the  
iPhone, we should make an iPhone-like Adium.

> - Translating Adium to the iPhone is unlikely. - Adium has a lot of  
> fun and unique properties that I don't see translating very well to  
> the iPhone.

5. Mainly the Xtras, especially sounds (I, for one, will not pull out  
my earphones to use IM). For that matter, unless Adium is actually  
running, sounds won't happen on the iPhone, either.