Need some info before I install Ubuntu on my mothers laptop

[PartisanEntity]

My mother uses her laptop to email, surf the web and talk to her relatives using Yahoo and MSN Messenger (voice calls/chat mainly).

The important question is, are there any applications in Ubuntu that would allow her to take part in Yahoo and MSN voice calls?

If there aren't any such applications, would Yahoo and MSN work in Wine, does anyone have experience with that?

Thanks.

[PrimoTurbo]

As far as I know it's not supported by Pidgin, which is the biggest and most used Open Source application for instant messaging over MSN/Yahoo/etc

http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/986

But there might be other apps.

[guitarmaniac]

Not my area of expertise, but what about using skype for voice calls and gaim/pidgin for normal chat.
again, I haven't used skype before so I cant vouch for it.

[PartisanEntity]

Skype doesn't work well for all her relatives, Yahoo and MSN worked best so far.

Also, it would be quite complicated to switch all her relatives over to a new application. It would be best if I could find a method that causes the least amount of hassle for all.

[loell]

:-k perhaps this one

HOWTO: Voice call Yahoo Messenger using Ekiga and gtalk2voip service (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=414121&highlight=yahoo+messenger)

but the least amount of hassle so far

is to use gizmo 3.0 for linux , still it uses gtalk2voip service like the one above but, she'll just have to enter

username@yahoo.com or username@msn.com .

[PartisanEntity]

:-k perhaps this one

HOWTO: Voice call Yahoo Messenger using Ekiga and gtalk2voip service (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=414121&highlight=yahoo+messenger)

but the least amount of hassle so far

is to use gizmo 3.0 for linux , still it uses gtalk2voip service like the one above but, she'll just have to enter

username@yahoo.com or username@msn.com .

Great thanks, I will have a look into it, if this works then hopefully the transition will be smooth.

[koshatnik]

You could use something like Ventrillo. I think there is a linux version of that.

[PartisanEntity]

I don't mind trying anything out as long as it is compatible with Yahoo and MSN so I do not have the added hassle of getting her relatives to switch to some other client. So if Ventrillo works with Yahoo and MSN it would be great, if not then unfortunately it won't be of use to me.