INSTANT MESSAGING CLIENT Pidgin
Version: 2.14.12 Web: https://pidgin.im
Along-time Linux mainstay, Pidgin is a wonderful app for exchanging instant messages across many network protocols. With Pidgin, you can sign in with multiple accounts in the single client and chat with loads of friends in different networks. You can use it to connect to AIM, MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo, Jabber, IRC and more chat networks all at once.
Pidgin is available in the official repos of most desktop distros. Users of DEB-based distros such as Ubuntu can grab it with sudo apt install pidgin , while those using RPM-based distros like Fedora can grab it with sudo dnf install pidgin .
The default user interface of Pidgin is uncluttered and easy to navigate. It features a tab-based interface for hosting multiple conversations simultaneously.
You can use Pidgin to sign into multiple accounts and services at the same time. On these services, the app supports all the typical IM features, such as file transfers, away messages, buddy icons, custom smilies and typing notifications.
One of Pidgin’s strengths is its plugin infrastructure. Most Pidgin installations come with a handful of useful plugins, including an auto-accept plugin for file transfers, and a psychic mode plugin that pops up a window as soon as someone starts typing a message to you. One particularly useful plugin is History, which displays your last conversation with a contact whenever you open a new IM window.
Besides the ones supported officially, there are tons of third-party plugins created by the community, linked to on the project’s website. However, be aware that not all of them work on Linux. One useful plugin that is often available as a separate package on most distros is the Pidgin-OTR plugin for encrypting your chat sessions, and you’ll find several other security and privacy plugins on the app’s website.