Getting started with libpurple

Question

I'm writing a Cocoa Touch program that will (hopefully) use Libpurple as it's background. The only problem is that I have no clue where to get started. I've been looking through some source code of applications that do use it, but so far haven't gotten anywhere.
Does anyone know anything that will help me familiarize myself with libpurple?

Chiromancy

Answer 1

First of all, you may encounter some trouble, since libpurple is licensed under GPLv2. It may be incompatible with what you are trying to do. (I am not totally sure you can have a GPLv2 app on the App Store.)

Second, you can read purple-client-example.c in the libpurple source, for a super-short example.

Also, Adium might be more useful to study than Pidgin since it is a Mac OS X app, closer to what you might do on the iPhone.

Phylis

Yep. Adium is written in Objective-C too, if I recall correctly. – Beating

There's a WordPress app in the App Store, and the source code for that is also under GPLv2. More importantly, the iPhone SDK NDA no longer applies to APIs in released iPhone OS versions, so it's fine to name those APIs in public source code and else where. – Recency

Blaenk: Yes, Adium is written using Cocoa. – Recency

Thanks, I didn't even think about Adium and I wasn't sure if libpurple would be accepted under the App Store NDA, but I figured if it wasn't, I just wouldn't submit it. – Chiromancy

The FSF has been pretty clear about their feelings on the matter of using GPLv2'd code in the AppStore: fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance – Stride

Answer 2

The best way to understand libpurple is to work with Pidgin, the OSS client that uses it. Study the Pidgin implementation, then start to design your own client.

Lasonyalasorella

Answer 3

If you plan to sell this, you cannot use libpurple because it is under the GNU license. Please check out my alternative AIM API for Objective-C, with a bit of tweaking, it will probably work moderately well on iPhone: LibOrange

Flutist