Did you know that Pidgin (formerly named Gaim), a Free and Open-source multi-platform (Instant Messaging) IM client, can be used to send and receive SMS text messages for free?

Most of the Linux users use pidgin as a universal instant messenger client. Popular distributions such as Ubuntu will install pidgin by default. CenterIM ( aka cim) is a multi protocol text mode instant messaging client similar to pidgin. Let us see how it can be installed on Ubuntu.

Previously, the way to connect to Twitter using Pidgin (IM client for yahoo, google talk, msn, etc), was to use a jabber account like google chat, then add Twitter. But Twitter shut down the Jabber service. So it doesn’t work anymore. But now, Pidgin-microblog can do the trick.

Pidgin, formerly known as Gaim, is a popular Instant Messaging (IM) client for Linux. It works with 16 different IM services, including AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and Google, and can handle simultaneous connections to as many of them as you like.

If you're looking for a messaging solution on your Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron desktop, take a look at Pidgin Internet Messenger formerly known as GAIM. Pidgin is available on Windows, Linux, BSD, and other Unixes.

Today, everyone uses a different instant messenger. Your boss may use Lotus Sametime, your colleague AIM, your friend Google Talk, and your kid Yahoo!

Pidgin is an instant messaging program for Windows, Linux, BSD, and other Unixes. You can talk to your friends using AIM, ICQ, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, QQ, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, MySpaceIM, and Zephyr.

Pidgin is a chat program which lets you log in to accounts on multiple chat networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on MSN, talking to a friend on Google Talk, and sitting in a Yahoo chat room all at the same time.

Pidgin is almost perfect, it doesn't support Video and audio conversations. Actually it's planned by pidgin authors. We can imagine how difficult this task to accomplish with all messaging protocols but still as dark point of this software. It's also criticized for saving password in readable text files which could put the user privacy at risk but the authors are convinced that "they won't give a false illusion of security" by doing encrypted files ( because they can be broken too).