Major update to Instantbird 0.2
As no critical issues have been reported in the recently released Instantbird 0.2, we have turned on major updates for users of Instantbird 0.1.2 and 0.1.3. If you are still using one of these old versions, you will receive a major update offer to get the newer Instantbird 0.2. It will look like this:
Unfortunately, due to a bug of the updater that shipped in the Windows version of Instantbird 0.1.3.1, the update won't be automatic for these users, who should download the full installer themselves. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Tip for MacBook users
Instantbird 0.2 uses the multitouch feature of Macbook touchpads in conversation windows:
- Pinch in or out 2 fingers to change the zoom level.
- Swipe up (3 fingers) to scroll to the top of the conversation, down to scroll to the last message. This saves time when looking for an old messages in the conversation (for example, using the Find feature) and then going back to the display of the most recent messages.
- Twist left or right to select the tab at the left or right of the currently selected tab.
- Swipe left or right (3 fingers) to change the selected tab to the previously selected tab. This gesture is probably the most useful one: it's very convenient when reading quickly a message in a newly opened tab and then going back to the conversation tab where an active conversation is occurring, or when actively participating in 2 discussions and repeatedly switching between 2 tabs.
Instantbird 0.2 released!
After months of development and a few pre-release versions, we are happy to announce that Instantbird 0.2 is now ready to be put in the hands of the general public.
Instantbird 0.2 is now available in 5 languages thanks to the great work of our translators.
If you have tried Instantbird 0.1 back in 2007 when it was first released, Instantbird 0.2 may feel like a completely different software to you. The most dramatically changed area is the conversation window (for example, new tabs and message styles), but there are notable changes in almost every window. For a list of changes, see the release notes.
Let's stop talking, so that you can discover Instantbird 0.2 now!
In the next few days, we will talk about our plans for the future, and especially Instantbird 0.3. Stay tuned!
Context menus
Context menus (opened with a "right click") are a common and expected part of the user interface. It can be very frustrating when they are missing, so in Instantbird 0.2 we tried to add one wherever users are likely to expect one.
In the buddy list, the context menu of contacts can be used to start a conversation (although pressing enter or double clicking is usually faster), show the conversation history, rename a contact, move the contact to a different group or remove it from the list:
The context menu is usable anywhere in the buddy list to toggle the display of offline buddies:
A context menu was added in the account manager too. There, it proposes all the possible actions for an account. Since Instantbird 0.2, it's possible to reorder the accounts in the list (this is also possible with drag & drop using the mouse or with the keyboard using shift + the up or down arrow).
A context menu is available on conversation tabs, with actions related to that tab (opening it in a new window, closing it, ...) and to the conversation, like showing the history of previous conversations with the same contact.
Last but not least, there's a context menu in conversation content. This is the most "contextual" context menu we have added. The proposed actions will vary depending on whether there is a selection or if the context click was done over a link.
When selecting some text from a conversation, a common action is to copy it to the clipboard and then paste it in a browser to use it as the query in search engine. We have included search engine items directly in the context menus to reduce the number of clicks needed for this common case.
Cleaner UI
In Instantbird 0.2 a lot of visual bloat has been removed from all windows. Some margins have been reduced, borders that weren't useful for clarity have been removed, and alignments have been improved. All of this contributes to a better use of the available space on the screen, and to a better perceived impression of simplicity in the user interface.
To illustrate this, let's compare the conversation window before and after:
The buddy list has also been improved:
The status can now be changed directly from the top of the buddy list instead of having to interact with a poor popup dialog. (Note that for the users who hate clicking, the status can also be changed quickly using commands from conversation windows: /away /dnd /back /offline.)
The account manager has also been simplified a lot, and is now usable in a much smaller window:
