Introduction & Screenshot
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Pidgin is Ubuntu's default instant messaging (IM) client, at least through 11.10 , Oneiric Ocelot. It works for a wide range of protocols, including MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber, IRC, IRQ and Gadu-Gadu. |
Installation & Start Up
If using one of the latest version of Ubuntu, the easiest way to access or install Pidgin is through the Dock, and then either searching for Pidgin, or navigating to it in the Internet Applications window if it has already been installed.
If using an older version, the user can install pidgin via Synaptic (System, Administration, Synaptic Package Manager) or via terminal: sudo apt-get install pidgin.
For more detailed information on installation and customization, refer to the Pidgin FAQ Page.
Configuring Pidgin for Ubuntu IRC
Pidgin can easily be set up to log on to the Ubuntu IRC support channels. Users must create a new account in Pidgin.
- Click the Pidgin icon, then: Accounts, Manage Accounts, Add.
Select IRC.
Enter irc.freenode.net. You can also use irc.ubuntu.com.
- Enter a username/nick. If you already have a nick registered with Freenode, enter it.
- You can visit the Ubuntu IRC channels as a guest without registering, however registering a nick (username) is encouraged.
Visit this site for how to register: How to Register on Freenode
Logging on to Ubuntu IRC
- Start Pidgin and click on the Pidgin icon.
Click Buddies, Join a Chat
- Enter the channel you wish to visit. If you wish to join multiple channels, separate the entries with a comma (#ubuntu,#ubuntu-beginners-help).
You can view a list of available Freenode channels by clicking the Room List.
View the list of available Ubuntu channels.
- If you have already registered your nick, enter your password. A password is not necessary to join channels as a guest.
Bugs
There seems to be some misconception among some Ubuntu users that the Pidgin bugtracker and the Pidgin mailing list were a general Ubuntu support forum, but this is not the case. pidgin.im is ONLY for Pidgin. If you have a question or problem that is not related to the instant messaging client called Pidgin, DO NOT ask there. Instead, install Pidgin on your computer and join one of the chatrooms listed here
Like all software, Pidgin has its share of bugs. However, you can help to improve Pidgin by reporting any bugs you may find. You can find all the currently reported bugs in the Pidgin bugtracker, which is located here.
To report a bug, you need to do the following:
- Click "register" and pick a username and password
Back at http://developer.pidgin.im click "New Ticket"
- Describe the bug, and mark what type it is. There are several types:
defect are problems/bugs in Pidgin
enhancement is an idea for how to improve the functionality of Pidgin. This corresponds to the "Wishlist" priority on Launchpad
translation is for anything that has to do with a translation of Pidgin. E.g. typos in translations of Pidgin
plugin request is pretty self-explationary: Requests for additional functionality in Pidgin that aren't of "general" interest are often better off as plugins than parts of Pidgin itself
task is for anything that doesn't belong in any of the other categories
Skilled users can also report their own patches using the patches type, but the average user shouldn't need this
In Ticket Properties you should select which part of Pidgin your ticket is about. If you don't understand this, just leave it as unclassified
Now select the version of Pidgin you are using, and optionally write some keywords to make the ticket easier to find, and lastly click Submit ticket.
Most Recent Version
Several connection issues were resolved with the release of Pidgin 2.5.7. The most recent version of Pidgin can be obtained by adding the following repository to the sources.list. Unless the version is found in the official Ubuntu repositories, it is not supported and may not have undergone testing by Ubuntu maintainers.
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/pidgin-developers/ppa/ubuntu intrepid main
Replace intrepid with your release's codename (hardy, jaunty, etc) if different.
If you get an error such as: "W: GPG error: http://ppa.launchpad.net intrepid Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 12345678" then add the public key by going to a command prompt and entering (replacing '12345678' with the public key from the error message): sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 12345678
External Links
The Pidgin FAQ - Includes help with configuring Pidgin.
Planet Pidgin - News and updates on the status of the development of Pidgin.