HowTo: Update GAIM to Pidgin (Two Easy Steps)

[Old Pink]

Step One: Download Pidgin (from GetDeb, Debain installation file for Debain/Ubuntu)*
Step Two: Download Transition Package (Install after installing Pidgin to replace GAIM on Ubuntu)

No terminal, no file editing. Just two nice and easy installations!

Source: http://www.mbhoy.com/14-06-2007/pidgin-201

** Updated as of Pidgin 2.1.1 release. This guide now takes you to the latest version **
** Updated as of Pidgin 2.1.0 release. Click here to check What's New. **

[durand]

cool, thanks

[ghindo]

Great and simple tutorial - thanks a bunch!

[Nordoelum]

How to upgrade to the latest version? 2.0.2.

[DizzyTech]

This is a good idea, but you might want to get it from an external repo for the use of updates.

You can see either my post here, or jamyski's post here for some Pidgin repos.

[srunni]

The easiest way to do this is to compile from the source code the Pidgin dev's provide at their site. Contrary to popular opinion, it's actually not that hard at all to compile something from source, as long as Ubuntu's package manager has a list of packages that the program is dependent on (in Pidgin's case, we just use Gaim's dependencies, since they are the same program). That way, you can get the newest version of Pidgin, instead of being stuck with an old version, which is what most of the repositories have.
1. You run

sudo apt-get build-dep gaim

to satisfy all dependencies for compiling Pidgin.
2. You download the source code from http://www.pidgin.im/
3. Open a terminal, cd to the directory that contains the Pidgin tarball and do

tar xvfj pidgin-*

4. cd to the extracted Pidgin folder and run

./configure

5. Run

make

6. Run

sudo make install

7. Now you can launch Pidgin from the command line with

pidgin

or by doing Alt+F2 and typing in "pidgin"
8. For those of you that want an icon in the GNOME panel/KMenu, copy the pidgin.desktop file from the extracted pidgin archive to /usr/share/applications



You can do this for any software that you want to update, but isn't available in the repositories yet. Unfortunately, compiling code like this without being able to use the build-dep command to satisfy all dependencies can make it nearly impossible to successfully complete, so if there isn't at least an older version of a program available in the repositories to build-dep with, you're going to have a hell of a time getting the configure script to work.

[Greeface]

Hmm, I get dependency problems. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Nevermind, I got it going. Thanks for the howto.

[detonish]

The easiest way to do this is to compile from the source code the Pidgin dev's provide at their site. Contrary to popular opinion, it's actually not that hard at all to compile something from source, as long as Ubuntu's package manager has a list of packages that the program is dependent on (in Pidgin's case, we just use Gaim's dependencies, since they are the same program). That way, you can get the newest version of Pidgin, instead of being stuck with an old version, which is what most of the repositories have.
1. You run

sudo apt-get build-dep gaim

to satisfy all dependencies for compiling Pidgin.
2. You download the source code from http://www.pidgin.im/
3. Open a terminal, cd to the directory that contains the Pidgin tarball and do

tar xvfj pidgin-*

4. cd to the extracted Pidgin folder and run

./configure

5. Run

make

6. Run

sudo make install

7. Now you can launch Pidgin from the command line with

pidgin

or by doing Alt+F2 and typing in "pidgin"
8. For those of you that want an icon in the GNOME panel/KMenu, copy the pidgin.desktop file from the extracted pidgin archive to /usr/share/applications



You can do this for any software that you want to update, but isn't available in the repositories yet. Unfortunately, compiling code like this without being able to use the build-dep command to satisfy all dependencies can make it nearly impossible to successfully complete, so if there isn't at least an older version of a program available in the repositories to build-dep with, you're going to have a hell of a time getting the configure script to work.

Thanks .. worked greatly!

[Old Pink]

The easiest way to do this is to compile from the source code the Pidgin dev's provide at their site. Contrary to popular opinion, it's actually not that hard at all to compile something from source, as long as Ubuntu's package manager has a list of packages that the program is dependent on (in Pidgin's case, we just use Gaim's dependencies, since they are the same program). That way, you can get the newest version of Pidgin, instead of being stuck with an old version, which is what most of the repositories have.
1. You run

sudo apt-get build-dep gaim

to satisfy all dependencies for compiling Pidgin.
2. You download the source code from http://www.pidgin.im/
3. Open a terminal, cd to the directory that contains the Pidgin tarball and do

tar xvfj pidgin-*

4. cd to the extracted Pidgin folder and run

./configure

5. Run

make

6. Run

sudo make install

7. Now you can launch Pidgin from the command line with

pidgin

or by doing Alt+F2 and typing in "pidgin"
8. For those of you that want an icon in the GNOME panel/KMenu, copy the pidgin.desktop file from the extracted pidgin archive to /usr/share/applications



You can do this for any software that you want to update, but isn't available in the repositories yet. Unfortunately, compiling code like this without being able to use the build-dep command to satisfy all dependencies can make it nearly impossible to successfully complete, so if there isn't at least an older version of a program available in the repositories to build-dep with, you're going to have a hell of a time getting the configure script to work.

I know how to compile, it's the same as compiling for any application, essentially.

I was offering an entirely GUI based substitute for those who prefer to avoid terminal.

As you can see, my tutorial was two steps, yours was seven.

Don't hijack threads.

[Depressed Man]

Now now we´re suppose to be learning and helping each other. Itś what makes Ubuntu great. For example, I´m relatively unfamilar with compiling, so I just learned how to compile and now I have the benefit of using your two step method to save myself some time.