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- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: January 06, 2005
- Total Downloads: 547,051
- Downloads last week: 1,577
- See full specifications
A newer version of Gaim is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 220 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
Your mother uses AOL Instant Messenger. Your spouse prefers MSN. Your office insists on Yahoo. What are you going to do? You could run all those chat clients at once, or you could use Gaim, now renamed Pidgin. Like Trillian, Fire, and other third-party IM clients, this open-source messaging application lets you access multiple IM networks from one window, including lesser-known protocols such as Jabber and Gadu-Gadu.
Pidgin's biggest change is the redesigned interface. The Buddy List can be viewed in Basic or Advanced mode, and the most important features, including the Plug-in List, have been graduated from the Preferences window into their own panes. Twenty-two plug-ins come prepackaged as Pidgin repositions itself as a highly extensible chat client.
The IM features are unimpeachable: smileys (you can find tons of emoticons on the developer's site), file transfers, and multiperson chats. The Buddy Pounce feature lets you automatically perform certain actions (play a sound, execute a command, open an IM window) when a contact signs on or off. Pidgin also gets lots of intangibles right: logging and time-stamping, for instance, are well-executed and easy to access. However, it lacks IP telephony and video conferencing, and there are still some bugs--most notably in the Help menu. Still, Pidgin remains a highly recommended messenging app.
Publisher's description
From Pidgin :Gaim is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM (Oscar and TOC protocols), ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and Zephyr networks.
Gaim users can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AOL Instant Messenger, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting in an IRC channel all at the same time.
Gaim supports many features of the various networks, such as file transfer (coming soon), away messages, typing notification, and MSN window closing notification. It also goes beyond that and provides many unique features. A few popular features are Buddy Pounces, which give the ability to notify you, send a message, play a sound, or run a program when a specific buddy goes away, signs online, or returns from idle; and plugins, consisting of text replacement, a buddy ticker, extended message notification, iconify on away, and more.
Version 1.1.1 allows SILC authentication via public key if your key is password protected, more MSN bug fixes, and drag-and-drop to conversation window file transfers work again.
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User reviews of Gaim 1.1.1
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 220 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 17 user reviewsSee all 17 user reviews
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0 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Gaim 1.1.1
"One of the BEST Chat clients to boot."
Pros: Gaim is an excellent chat client that makes chatting easy ESPECIALLY if you have multiple connections to manage and don't like the resources that having many chat clients open takes up. Gaim is light, rather small and pretty straight-forward. featuring many options that can really turn heads and much more stable than Trillian. Gaim supports tabbed chatting which is really nice!
Cons: Gaim is rather confusing and not for the unknowledgeable of computers. I admit, I do find Gaim to be more confusing than it should be. Gaim doesn't support ( or it seems ) sounds while the system tray plugin is enabled ( similar to Trillian's "Close window and notify via the system tray" option ) so I spend a lot of the time wondering if I have a message. This is incredibly annoying like if i'm playing Starcraft with my buddies and someone messages me and I will have NO idea if they did because I'll hear no sounds. I don't like having windows pop up when someone sends me a message as it spooks me or when I'm in a program it boots me out to check a message which is usually "Hey". Gaim is rather ugly compared to other programs like Trillian and has little support as far as themes go =(. If you want an easier to use program with more features consider coughing up the money to buy Trillian. Gaim occupies NEEDLESS space in the program bar ( whatever it's called ) in the start bar. There is no way to disable this and Gaim always occupies a space when the buddy list is opened, however you can enable the system tray icon and minimize Gaim to occupy no space if you want to. Unlike Trillian, Gaim does not allow you to keep it shown on the desktop while still allowing you to view the buddy list ( Which is INCREDIBLY annoying! ) without occupying needless space in the bar.
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Version: Gaim 1.1.1
Pros: Adding an account is simple, you can see all your buddies in one list and group them, main window is simple, you can get rid of useless buttons and tabs, there are a lot of free plug-ins which are very usefull, program is frequently updated...
Cons: There is no video conferencing, first time configuration isn't so simple for all users.
I've tried many clients like Gaim (including Trillian), certainly this is the best.
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Version: Gaim 1.1.1
Pros: This is the best multi messenger program! you can have tabbed instant messeges,Nick names rather than screen names and you can be on AIM,Yahoo,MSN,Jabber,and more all in ONE buddy list!!
Cons: Everything is good exept, I dont like how you cant have your own full background.you eather have the same one as the person you are talking to or make it look high lighted or have plain white.
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Version: Gaim 1.1.1
Pros: No ads, great functionality, stable, supports all major needed features, easy to use and install (even file transfers).
MUCH better than aim, low overhead, and very easy to customize
Cons: has to run in gtk.. which is a pain, and makes finding and saving files a pain.
doesn't support sending/receiving folders.
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Version: Gaim 1.1.1
Pros: A Great Multi-Messenger. This Messenger Keeps Getting Better With Each Release.
Beats Yahoo,Msn,Aim,Trillian And Icq.
No Spyware Or Adware
Cons: I Have Never Had A Problem With This Program.
- See all 17 user reviews Write review
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