Pidgin (formerly called Gaim) is a multiprotocol instant messaging (IM) client for Linux, BSD, Mac OS* X, and Windows. It is compatible with AOL* Instant Messenger (AIM), Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, GroupWise® Messenger, ICQ, IRC, MSN Messenger, MySpaceIM, QQ, SILC, SIMPLE, Jabber/XMPP, Yahoo!*, and Zephyr* networks.
With Pidgin, you can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously. Pidgin also supports many features of the various networks, such as file transfer, away messages, and typing notification.
To start Pidgin, click
+ + + .When starting Pidgin for the first time, a configuration wizard appears that helps you create your user profile. Click
, select the protocol you want, then type your screen name, password, and alias in the appropriate fields. Click to complete the configuration of the messenger account.Add contacts by clicking
+ . An assistant appears to help with creation. However, you must be online and connected to the selected messaging service to add a contact to your list.To start a chat, click the desired contact and type your message in the lower part of the chatting window. Press Enter to send the message. The upper part of the window displays the messages you have sent and received.