Pidgin - Instant Chat Messaging Client

Pidgin - Instant Chat Messaging Client.

Pidgin, formerly Gaim, is a front end program for instant messaging libpurple, supporting a large number of other protocols such as ICQ, Google Talk, XMPP, etc., which can be used in parallel in the same contact list. The program uses tabs to handle conversations, like Firefox does with web pages. There are also a large number of plugins that can facilitate and add additional features.

Pidgin is written using GTK + and can be used on GNU / Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, Windows, SkyOS and Qtopia. Pidgin is free software released under the GNU General Public License and is preinstalled in many Linux distributions such as Debian 8 Jessie and Debian 9 Stretch.

Because Pidgin has open source, it has quickly been adapted to many platforms.

Pidgin can communicate through a large number of different chat and instant messaging systems. Instead of using a separate program for each network protocol, it is enough with a software.

Plugins "Off-Record Messages" and Pidgin Encryption, offer end-to-end message encryption.

Starting with Pidgin version 2.12.0, protocols that are no longer maintained like:

MSN, MySpace, Mxit and Yahoo are removed. These will appear as unknown in your account lists until you delete them.

• AIM
• DirectNet (via plugin)
• Gadu-Gadu
• ICQ
• IRC
• Google Talk (text only, audio is under development)
• XMPP (former jabber)
• Lotus Sametime
• Novell GroupWise
• OpenNap
• QQ, via the plugin from libqq
• SILC
• SIP (text only now)
• Zephyr

How to install via a terminal window:

sudo apt-get install pidgin

Press Enter.

► Plugins

► Developers website