Your personal chat id is on yahoo. Your office insists on MSN messenger. You have some old friends on Google talk. How will you manage all these chat clients?
You can run all those chat clients at once or you can use Pidgin (formerly known as Gaim) is a OpenSource multi-protocol instant messaging client that lets you log in to accounts on multiple chat networks simultaneously. That means you can chat with your friends on Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk and be present in a Yahoo! chat room simultaneously!
Pidgin lets you access multiple IM networks from one window it is compatible with popular chat networks like AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! and also with some less popular networks like Gadu-Gadu etc. Here is a complete list of supported networks:
- AIM
- Bonjour
- Gadu-Gadu
- Google Talk
- Groupwise
- ICQ
- IRC
- MSN
- MySpaceIM
- SILC
- SIMPLE
- Sametime
- XMPP
- Yahoo!
- Zephyr
Pidgin’s Buddy Pounce feature lets you perform a certain action (play sound, open IM window etc) when a contact signs in or signs off or is typing a message etc. It also supports feature like file transfers, and multiperson chats, emoticons etc. IP telephony and video conferencing are missing but it still is a highly recommended text-only messaging client. There are numerous plug-ins available to extend Pidgin’s functionality beyond the standard features. It is easy to use, free and contains no adverts.