Docs/Desktop/IM

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Instant Messaging on Linux

There are numerous Instant Messengers (aka IM):

Contents

[edit] Services

[edit] AOL ICQ

Probably the first modern Instant Messenger. Besides the instant messenging, ICQ features netmeeting, peer to peer file transfert, a mail client, and many other services (reminder, etc.) Unfortunately, many of this features are not supported by the Linux clients. Contact list is managed server-side only for recent versions.

Since Mirablis, the original ICQ developper, has been bought by AOL Time Warner, ICQ is becoming compatible with AIM.

About 6 million users (Comscore Media Metrix, September 2003)


[edit] AOL AIM

Besides the instant messaging, AIM features audioconferencing, peer to peer file transfert, and other services (newsfeed, etc.).

Since Mirabilis has been bought by AOL Time Warner, AIM is becoming compatible with ICQ.

About 22 million users (Nielsen, June 2002)


[edit] Microsoft MSN

Besides the instant messaging, AIM features audioconferencing, peer to peer file transfert, and other services (hotmail mail notification, etc.).

About 16 million users (Nielsen, June 2002).

[edit] Yahoo! Messenger

There is an official client. Besides the instant messaging, Yahoo messenger features audioconferencing, peer to peer file transfert, and many other services (newsfeed, weather, Yahoo mail, calendar,etc.).

About 12 million users (Nielsen, June 2002).


[edit] Jabber

Jabber is an XML based open standard protocol. Its specifications include messenging, chat, groupchat and newsfeed.

Thus, there are several public Jabber severs, so just open an account on one of them, a partial list is available on jabber.org (eg: jabber.bettercom.de, jabber.dk, jabber.kelkoo.net, jabber.org.uk, myjabber.net) You need to subscribe to only one of them, to be able to use the ressources from any of them.

Your buddy list is managed by jabber, server side.

See also the Jabber foundation user guide.

About 10 million users (JSF, Oct 2003).


[edit] Instant Messaging Clients

[edit] Alvaro messenger

Alvaro Messenger aims to be a feature-filled MSN messenger clone. Supports e-mail notification and file transfers.

http://amsn.sourceforge.net/


[edit] Everybuddy

http://www.everybuddy.com/


[edit] Gabber

Gabber is a gnome client for Jabber: http://gabber.sf.net/


[edit] Pidgin

Pidgin is a clone of America Online's own Instant Messenger client. But it also supports the other instant messaging services: http://pidgin.im

[edit] Kopete

Kopete is the KDE Instant Mesenger: http://kopete.kde.org/


[edit] Licq

http://www.licq.org/


[edit] Centericq

Centericq is a text mode menu- and window-driven IM: http://konst.org.ua/centericq/


[edit] Psi

http://psi.affinix.com/


[edit] Yahoo client

Yahoo! releases a linux version of their client. However it has a limited number of features compared with the Windows version: http://messenger.yahoo.com/messenger/download/unix.html


[edit] Support Chart

Client Mode ICQ AIM MSN Yahoo Jabber Win LAN IRC
amsn *
Everybuddy KDE * * * * *
Gabber GNOME *
Gaim GNOME * * * * * *
Kopete KDE * * * * * *
licq KDE * * * * * *
PSI *
Centericq Text * * * * * *
Jabber server Gateway * * * * * *


[edit] Interoperability

The lack of interoperability between the different instant messaging services is a real problem. At the moment indeed, you are required to open an account on each of the instant messaging services you want to use.


[edit] Multi network client

As you can see in the previous section, most clients support several protocols (like trillian under windows). This is a very easy way of chatting with people from different networks.


[edit] The jabber solution

Among the resources available on Jabber servers, you will find gateways that allow you to chat with people using ICQ, AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, and even through IRC, email, SMS, ...

If you register to the yahoo gateway, for instance, then you can add contacts from yahoo. Your Yahoo friends won't even see you're not really using Yahoo (except some limitations: Probably voice support is not implented in the gateways, yet).

You need only a Jabber client (the client does not need to support yahoo), and your buddy list is managed by the Jabber server (even for your Yahoo contacts).


[edit] See Also

  • dmoz directory of instant messaging services and clients.
  • Ice walker directory of instant messengers.
  • The guardian compares the big players.


[edit] PC to Phone

[edit] Useful Links

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