the pidgin study pt.1 - what instant messaging network or protocol you use now?

[madjr]

Pidgin is a topic everywhere these days. It's lightweight and supports many protocols, but has a highly confusing interface that only their devs can get used to:
http://contentconsumer.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/is-ubuntu-useable-enough-for-my-girlfriend/

so, is it really what the majority needs?

vote on what instant messaging network (not client) u r using.

Multiple choice available

we'll get to part 2 after the conclusions of the submitted data.

[jrusso2]

You forgot to put XMPP or Jabber as it was called which is what I use.

Also use google talk and yahoo.

[probabilityzero]

Google Talk most of the time, occasionally xfire (via gfire).

[swoll1980]

All of them

[RiceMonster]

MSN only because that's what everyone I know uses.

[SomeGuyDude]

Pidgin is confusing?? News to me. Kopete, now...

[daimaru]

Google Talk most of the time, occasionally xfire (via gfire).

I use google talk too, but I haven't gotten google talk voice over ip to work on ubuntu yet. The last time i checked it said that now and in the forseeable future google will not support linux OS. So sadly I have to use googletalk in windows for the time.

If you have a way to make googletalk voice stuff work in ubuntu please tell me.
PS: last time i tied it with wine it did not work, so if you did get it to run please elaborate. thx

[Sukarn]

The people I know use different protocols, so I use pidgin with all of those protocols to be in touch will all my contacts. These protocols are -
MSN
Yahoo
gTalk (its really just jabber)
xfire (through a plugin)

[piousp]

I cant get used to pidgin. I really need kopete :)

Anyway, msn and google talk.

[mrgnash]

Google Talk.

[Sukarn]

I cant get used to pidgin. I really need kopete :)

Anyway, msn and google talk.

Then just install and use kopete!
Its there in the repositories (I think)

[Paqman]

Pidgin has a highly confusing interface that only their devs can get used to

Er, really? Admittedly it's probably not as goofproof as MSN, but it's hardly "highly confusing" either.

[madjr]

Er, really? Admittedly it's probably not as goofproof as MSN, but it's hardly "highly confusing" either.

u probably didn't read this:
http://contentconsumer.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/is-ubuntu-useable-enough-for-my-girlfriend/

for me it was very hard at first and even after a year of trying to use it occasionally, it's very easy to get disoriented.

the icons are nice, etc. but it's still highly confusing if you don't use it daily.

an easier interface is that of these multi-protocols im's:
http://www.ebuddy.com/
http://www.meebo.com/

pidgin would clearly triple or quadruple their user base with a few modifications to their interface.

but in case they never do improve it, then funpidgin might do so and steal, not only a good chunk of the pidgin userbase, but also gain a big amount of new users who have stayed away from normal pidgin because of it's UI

[vishzilla]

Google and Yahoo. I don't find Pidgin interface confusing.

[Paqman]

u probably didn't read this:
http://contentconsumer.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/is-ubuntu-useable-enough-for-my-girlfriend/


No, I did. Even if she didn't get it right first time, i'm pretty sure she'd have got connected to her account after a bit of trail and error. You only have to do that once, and after that the interface is completely straightforward.

Not an ideal situation, but not a massive problem IMO.

Meebo is awful though. My girlfriend tried using it recently and found it got in the way of using the browser. She ditched it sharpish.

[Sukarn]

Actually, I don't find the pidgin UI to be confusing, and a lot of my friends started using it on windows after they saw it on my Linux system.

[SuperSon!c]

"highly confusing interface" LOL

[ynnhoj]

Pidgin is a topic everywhere these days. It's lightweight and supports many protocols, but has a highly confusing interface that only their devs can get used to:
http://contentconsumer.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/is-ubuntu-useable-enough-for-my-girlfriend/
let's not get too carried away -- the interface, i think, is perfectly simple. "highly confusing" seems rather excessive. and yes, i've read the article you linked :)

in any case: i use msn and aim protocols, but only occasionally as there are very few people that i still chat/im with. emails are good enough for me!

[Stex]

Don't forget, pidgin has the underlying library: libpurple. Making the GUI *should* be pretty simple, I've just never seen anything that has tried/succeeded. Except, I think, adium (mac program) uses libpurple.

I think pidgin is very simple to use (except for creating accounts). But I refuse to like it when the developers take away things like resizing the chat input.

[kenweill]

i voted for MSN and Yahoo Chat.
Though, i don't you pidgin.
Im using Kopete since it features Video Support. Using Webcam.

[madjr]

I think pidgin is very simple to use (except for creating accounts). But I refuse to like it when the developers take away things like resizing the chat input.

exactly :guitar:

[acelin]

I use google talk too, but I haven't gotten google talk voice over ip to work on ubuntu yet. The last time i checked it said that now and in the forseeable future google will not support linux OS. So sadly I have to use googletalk in windows for the time.

If you have a way to make googletalk voice stuff work in ubuntu please tell me.
PS: last time i tied it with wine it did not work, so if you did get it to run please elaborate. thx

Funny because that is what they use internally. I met the creator of Google Earth about 3 months ago, and he told me they were huge supporters of Linux- a la Google's Summers of Open Source?

[acelin]

"highly confusing interface" LOL

LOL! It is really easy to use... good grief some people are computer dumb.

[Anerum]

But I refuse to like it when the developers take away things like resizing the chat input.

Oh it's not only me then :)

[Superkoop]

AIM
MSN
MyspaceIM
Yahoo
IRC

I need to be on all because I have friends that use all sorts of IM protocals.
And seriously, Pidgin is easy to use. Much easier than using five diff clients at once. >.<

[Dark Dragoon]

Most of my friends are on MSN so that is what I mostly use,
though I also use xfire as a couple of my friends use it.

[Bruno Barrera]

MSN
IRC
Google Talk
Jabber

And yes, pidgin is easy to use, except when creating new accounts...

[madjr]

MSN
IRC
Google Talk
Jabber

And yes, pidgin is easy to use, except when creating new accounts...

once again, exactly.

every one i know calls me (the geek) for help when they are trying to use it, everytime, not just once.

[sloggerkhan]

Yeah, pidgin is controversial enough to have a fork thing taking shape.
http://funpidgin.sourceforge.net/

[imronak]

gtalk, yahoo.

[freduardo]

Google talk and msn

Although I don't really use it a lot, I keep forgetting to "put it on".

[atomkarinca]

I use google talk too, but I haven't gotten google talk voice over ip to work on ubuntu yet. The last time i checked it said that now and in the forseeable future google will not support linux OS. So sadly I have to use googletalk in windows for the time.

If you have a way to make googletalk voice stuff work in ubuntu please tell me.
PS: last time i tied it with wine it did not work, so if you did get it to run please elaborate. thx

You can use jabbin for gtalk. Here are the two .deb files needed to install: libssl0.9.7 (http://packages.debian.org/etch/i386/libssl0.9.7/download) and Jabbin (http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?group_id=166861&use_mirror=heanet&filename=jabbin_2.0beta2-1_i386.deb&40166695)

I myself mostly use MSN (because most people use it), ICQ and Jabber (also Gtalk).

[shadowtroopers]

-yahoo chat and IM
-chat client: gyachi and pidgin

[aaaantoine]

MSN, AIM

I'm fine with pidgin as is. There are only a couple of features that I would like that it doesn't have: blinking new message icon in the notification area, and the ability to copy a user's custom emoticons (MSN) and use them yourself. If funpidgin implements these features and pidgin does not, maybe I'll check it out.

I like the current behavior of the input box. That said, I can sympathize with those who believe that the pidgin maintainers might be exercising too much control over the project.

[scouser73]

I have found Pidgin to be crap, as well as Kopete, I now use aMSN which is suitable for my needs.

[atomkarinca]

I have found Pidgin to be crap, as well as Kopete, I now use aMSN which is suitable for my needs.

You should also give emesene (http://www.emesene.org/) a go.

[rudihawk]

I use MSN,Google Talk, IRC, XMPP(for my other vote),Yahoo....

[xmastree]

I use Yahoo. I have some friends who use MSN, but I don't know how to sign up for an account...
Since there seem to be a lot of MSN users here, anyone care to enlighten me?

If I go to msn.com and click messenger, I'm invited to download the chat client. Presumably this is a Windows app, so no use to me.

How can I sign up without downloading their chat client?

[atomkarinca]

I use Yahoo. I have some friends who use MSN, but I don't know how to sign up for an account...
Since there seem to be a lot of MSN users here, anyone care to enlighten me?

If I go to msn.com and click messenger, I'm invited to download the chat client. Presumably this is a Windows app, so no use to me.

How can I sign up without downloading their chat client?

This (https://accountservices.passport.net/reg.srf?id=956&id=956&ru=http://messenger.msn.com/download/PPReturn.aspx&sl=1&lc=1033) should be the place to sign up.

[SuperSon!c]

I use Yahoo. I have some friends who use MSN, but I don't know how to sign up for an account...
Since there seem to be a lot of MSN users here, anyone care to enlighten me?

If I go to msn.com and click messenger, I'm invited to download the chat client. Presumably this is a Windows app, so no use to me.

How can I sign up without downloading their chat client?

you need to create a hotmail account or an msn account - the latter i've linked to: https://accountservices.passport.net/reg.srf?ns=msn.com&sl=1&lc=1033

[xmastree]

Thanks. now to see if there's anyone else out there...

[boomtisk]

I use Yahoo because that's what most people I chat with use. If I want to webcam a bit, I'll use Kopete, I don't think this will ever get implemented into Pidgin. By the way, I don't think I've ever seen a program with an interface worse than gyachi's.

P.S.: if I were the guy who did the "Linux experiment" with his girlfriend's girlfriend I'd punch him in the face and then dump him.