Pidgin: Multi-Protocol IM Client
Instant messaging (IM) has become a standard medium of communication for both young people and those in a professional working environment. With the prevalence of ads on the official IM clients of companies like Yahoo and AOL, people have started to turn to third-party clients for their IM needs.
Some of these third-parties charge for their clients, and while their programs are feature-rich, people don’t have to pay to get a quality, ad-free IM client. That’s because the open source community has been hard at work on developing IM clients for use on Windows and Linux desktops. One of the best – and oldest – IM clients is called Pidgin.
Formerly known as Gaim, Pidgin has been around for several years, and boasts a clean interface, no ads, multi-platform compatibility and multi-protocol functionality. It eliminates the need for multiple IM programs for different IM protocols, so you can talk to your Yahoo, AIM, IRC and Jabber buddies (along with many others) all through the same program at the same time.
Pidgin is currently in version 2.2, and boasts many advanced features that you’d expect to find only in programs that cost money. The logging functionality of Pidgin is one example, keeping track of not only every conversation you have, but of every time a buddy in your list logs on, logs off or changes their status. Other features include a plethora of plugins, the ability to detect when other users start typing an IM to you before you even get it and a very small memory usage.
Pidgin’s usefulness is extraordinary, and cannot be overstated. For anyone who IMs, whether in a personal or corporate environment, Pidgin is the way to go. It’s available for download at www.pidgin.im.
Micah on November 18, 2007 
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Pidgin is beautiful. I had been using it for months already on my Windows machine, and when I made the switch to Ubuntu I was pleasantly surprised to find it pre-installed.
I never used Pidgin myself but I have heard a lot about it. I usually use MSN Messenger which is as good as any other IM Client.
Google Talk is also good enough to connect with your colleagues and friend bloggers
DJ Flush, you can have all of these inside Pidgin: AIM, Gtalk, MSN and so on. That is the main motivator for me to use it.
I haven’t tried Pidgin before, but I will surely try it out.
I currently use Yahoo! Messenger and Gtalk of which Yahoo! Messenger is my favorite. I don’t understand why most of my friends switched to Google Talk now. It doesn’t even have smileys
I’ve used Pidgin before, I like it. But the fact that it doesn’t support file transfer always is something that keeps me away from it.
Shankar, it does support file transfer.
What version you used and on which OS?
I’ve used both Trillian and Pidgin. I like Trillian as it seems to have more options.
But, I think that’s the point of Pidgin…to be less of a resource hog while offering the vital features.
I use Pidgin at work on XP and Adium on my Macbook - if I could get Adium on Windows I’d be a much happier person.
I have been using Pidgin since back when it was “gAIM” on linux and windows (Adium on the mac). I for the most part it is pretty great, a few issues I have had with it are:
1. “Buddy List” synchronization. I login with both my laptop and my desktop… sometimes changes I make on one are later over written when I login via a different machine.
2. File Transfers. I use gTalk a lot at work and people complain about not being able to send me files. I haven’t looked into the issue, might be something simple.
3. Buddy Icons. Setting my buddy icon from within pidgin generally does not set it on all the services I use (gTalk, AIM, MSN). I usually have to log with with each respective native client to set the icon.
I do love the ability to add plugins. Overall I would have to say that I am pretty happy with Pidgin.
@JohnTP: If I were to guess, I would say it is because of Google Talk’s simplicity. Many of my friends are switching away from MSN, Yahoo!, and AIM because of all the bloat and ads. Some are simply switching to all in one solutions… I use Kopete, Pidgin, or Meebo depending on where I am.
I tried Pidgin for a while, but it just never stuck to me. I love to use Trillian and I also use the occasional Meebo when I’m on the go.
Daniel,
I use Gaim on my Ubuntu desktop. Tried upgrading to Pidgin, but could not. Could you help?
Akhil
http://www.terryapodaca.com/20.....at-client/