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Choose your client
Pidgin, an instant messenging application, comes with Trisquel. It supports many instant messaging protocols, is extensible, and is very popular. Search Trisquel's repositories for "pidgin", to check out it's extensions.We have similar applications in Trisquel's repositories. Some of these are:
- Empathy -- GNOME's default client,
- Kopete -- KDE's default client,
- Kadu (which supports the XMPP and the Gadu-Gadu protocols),
- Gajim -- a full-featured XMPP client,
- Psi -- for the XMPP protocol only,
- Tkabber -- (idem),
- MCabber -- (idem and terminal-based),
- aMSN -- for the Windows Live Messenger protocol only
- emesene (idem),
When deciding which application is best for you, consider:
- Which features do I want?
- plain text messaging
- voice calls
- video calls
- Which operating systems do my friends use?
- x y and z are multi-platform
- Which messaging protocols do my friends use?
The XMPP protocol
What is XMPP?
XMPP is an open chat protocol. It supports plain-text-messaging, voice, video, file-transfer, and more. Some XMPP clients support all of these features. Some support just a few of them.
Where can I make an XMPP account?
You can make an XMPP account from any website that offers accounts. You could also set up your own XMPP server. Our community talked about where and how to make an account here.
You may connect with users on any XMPP server, no matter where you make your account. This is called interdomain federation. Older protocols tend to be centralized.
The Trisquel project hosts an XMPP server for it's members. In this case, the "domain" is member.trisquel.info, the "username" is the one you would register when becoming a member. And so is the "password". By entering those pieces of information in any chat client that supports XMPP, you can chat with any other XMPP user.
I have an account -- what next?
Log in to your XMPP account through your XMPP client. Ask your friends for their XMPP account addresses. Then add them to your XMPP list, from your client.
In Pidgin: Ctrl+B or menu "Buddies/Add buddy..."
XMPP will then ask your friend whether she would like to add you to her XMPP list.
XMPP and popular Internet services
The XMPP protocol is very popular today.
... and it deserves it! Google uses it within GMail, Facebook within its social network, Apple supports it in the default (and proprietary) client for Macs, etc. In fact, many protocols seem to slowly disappear in favor of XMPP. Even if they are still working, protocols such as ICQ, Windows Live Messenger or Skype (for text messages only) are now automatically translated to XMPP when required. In fact, the companies behind those centralized protocols set up gateways to the network where most XMPP clients are connected (including, e.g., those chatting through a GMail page).
You could similarly make an account at Google account for XMPP. You would choose gmail.com as a "domain" and inform the remaining fields ("username" and "password") accordingly.
