instant messanger

[Lisa Kachold]

Seriously,

I have worked in shops that use Jabber, Kopete, and pidgin (each had
some amount of security issue, either inherently or via implementation
[no encryption, etc.].

Three alternative Linux instant messaging applications
By Razvan T. Coloja on February 26, 2008 (4:00:00 PM)

Instant messaging helps us connect with people online in real time.
Many Linux users IM with either Pidgin (formerly Gaim) or Kopete, two
applications that handle multiple IM protocols. Here are three
alternatives to the top names that each focus on one of the major IM
protocols, and offer some pretty cool options.

Gajim is a lightweight instant messaging application written in PyGTK
and GTK+ for use with the Jabber messaging protocol. Its strength lies
within its multiple options embedded within a simple and
resource-light user interface.

Gajim's main interface resembles that of Pidgin, with a buddy list
structured into groups. Since Google Talk runs over Jabber, you can
use Gajim to sign on to it. Just add a new account, enter your Gmail
username and password, then in the Server box enter "gmail.com." You
can edit your personal information and add an avatar from the Edit ->
Profile,Avatar menu item. Other preferences you can set include being
able to minimize the application to the system tray upon close, sort
contacts by status, display the avatars of your contacts in the
roster, or choose a different icon set and theme. You can edit theme
colors and fonts and pick from 11 different smiley sets. You can have
Gajim play a sound or pop up a notification when you receive a message
or on other events. Gajim can manage file transfers and notifies you
of newly received Gmail messages. If this isn't enough for you, you
can use the advanced configuration editor to further tweak the
application. If you are sensitive about your privacy, you may assign
OpenPGP keys to your contacts with just a right-click on the roster.

Gyach Enhanced, whose philosophy is to bring all of Yahoo! Messenger's
features to Linux, might just be the most feature-rich instant
messaging application for Linux. Too bad the project hasn't been
active since 2006. Despite this little inconvenience, Gyach Enhanced
provides better Yahoo! connectivity than Pidgin, offering webcam
access, voice functions, and environments. The overall look of the
application is a little rugged and the first impression it creates is
"complicated," but once you customize the fonts and get used to it,
Gyach Enhanced works well.

The main window is structured into tabs. The Chat tab notifies you of
new messages you received in your Yahoo! email account and briefly
displays the status of your contacts when you log in. The Buddies tab
lists your contacts and can display their Yahoo! avatar, but only
that; custom avatars are not shown. A pop-up message in the lower
right part of the screen notifies you of actions like buddy logins or
new messages. Using the button bar below the tab, you can get
information about the currently selected contact, view his webcam,
edit his details, send him a file, or invite him to a chat room. The
My Yahoo! tab displays various types of information: a preview of your
personal inbox, weather information, news headlines and RSS feeds, the
Yahoo! TV Guide, your Yahoo! photo album, Calendar, Notepad, tips, and
guides, all from a dropdown list above the main window. The fourth
tab, Contacts, works like an address book.

The main chat window allows you to IM a contact, view his details,
block the current contact, and view the contact's webcam. Gyach
Enhanced even has support for Yahoo! Messenger audibles. The list of
audibles that it supports is old, but at least it's there. You can
choose from among 64 audibles from the button next to the one that
brings up the smilies set. There are also about 20 "TUXVironments" to
choose from -- preset backgrounds and styles, each uglier than the
other. There's a text configuration bar in the upper part of the chat
window that lets you configure text effects.

Speaking of configuring Gyach Enhanced, the Setup window allows
in-depth tweaking of the user interface and application options. You
can show or hide the quick access toolbar, reposition the main window
tabs, and set up your webcam device. In chat rooms, you can filter
users based on criteria such as age and gender.

One of the best features of Gyach Enhanced is the fact that it offers
good spam protection. You can set the application options in such a
way that only people you know can contact you. Furthermore, you can
set it to ignore consecutive messages coming at regular intervals,
duplicate chat messages, messages that begin with an URL, and so on.