15 Pidgin: instant messaging #
Pidgin is an instant messaging (IM) client that allows you to connect to multiple accounts simultaneously. Chat live with your contacts, regardless of which IM system they use.
Pidgin supports the following instant messaging protocols: AIM, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, Groupwise, ICQ, IRC, SIMPLE, XMPP, and Zephyr. Microsoft Office Communicator is also supported if you install the additional package pidgin-plugin-sipe.
In the following, learn how to set up Pidgin and how to communicate with your contacts.
15.1 Starting #
To start Pidgin, open the Activities Overview by pressing Meta and search for pid
.
15.2 Configuring accounts #
To use Pidgin, you must already have an account for the messaging service you want to use. For example, to use Pidgin to chat via AIM, you must first have an AIM account.
If you start Pidgin for the first time, a message appears, prompting you to configure an account. Proceed with
to add a new account.If you have already configured an account and want to add a new one or modify existing ones, open this dialog via
› . Either a new account, or or existing ones.The Add/Modify Account dialog opens. Use the
tab to select a protocol and enter or modify your login credentials.The availability of other tabs and the data you are required to enter depends on the protocol you have chosen. In most cases, server details such as address and port number need to be entered on the
tab.On the
tab you can enter a custom proxy configuration for the chosen protocol. By default the system settings ( ) are preselected. This default should be sufficient for most users.Continue with
or . Make sure all accounts you want to use are set to in the resulting window. If you want to temporarily disable an account, deselect it in the column.
15.3 Managing contacts #
Use the “Buddies”). You can add and remove contacts and organize them in groups, so they are easy to find.
to manage your contacts (so-calledTo add a contact, click
› .Select the
for which you want to add a contact.Enter the contact's user name under
. Ask your contact for this name prior to adding the contact—this data is required and usually depends on the protocol.By default, the contact is shown under the name they have provided with their account. Use
to display the contact with a custom name. With some protocols you can also send the contact an invite message with .If you have sorted your contacts by group, choose an existing group from the drop-down text box or enter a new group name.
Proceed with
.
In case the groups or the newly added contacts are not displayed in the contact list, check the display preferences by clicking
› . Activate and to make all contacts and groups appear in the .To remove a contact from the list, right-click the name of that contact, select
and confirm your choice.15.4 Chatting with friends #
To chat with other participants, you need to be connected to the Internet. After a successful login, you are usually marked as
in the , and are visible to others. To change your status, click the drop-down box at the bottom of the and select another option.To open a chat session, double-click a contact name in the Enter to send.
. The chat screen opens. Type your message, then pressIf you open more than one chat session, the new session appears as a tab in the existing chat window. To see all messages of a session and to be able to write a reply, click the tab of that session. To see multiple session side by side, use the mouse to drag a tab out of the window. A second window will open.
To close a chat session, close the tab or window for it.
In case you contact list is very long, contacts may be hard to find. Use Ctrl–F to open a search box at the bottom of the contact list. Type one or more letters to find a contact. Use ↓ to move to the next result, or ↑ to move to the previous result.
15.5 More information #
This chapter only explains the basic configuration and usage option of Pidgin. For more information, click
› to open the FAQs in a browser.For updates about new features and for the latest information, refer to the home page of the project at https://pidgin.im/.