Thanks to all for taking the time to read the article.
To anyone interested, the mission statement of the Open Source Evangelism series as well as an open-ended invitation to collaborate can be found here.
If you enjoy using Pidgin, please assist the Open Initiative movement by evangelizing in your own right; to your friends, to your colleagues, to random passerby on the street.
I have always used Trillian but moved to Pidgin when I switched to Ubuntu. Really liking it so far, but only using it for AIM/ICQ. Will give it a shot for IRC this evening, still using XChat for that.
I've never tried it. I found Trillian a long time ago, and never looked back. This looks like it does basically all the same things (and costs the same) Can you compare it directly to Trillian? Other than being open source, what makes it fundamentally different?
I've never tried it. I found Trillian a long time ago, and never looked back. This looks like it does basically all the same things (and costs the same) Can you compare it directly to Trillian? Other than being open source, what makes it fundamentally different?
Pidgin, I believe, has a better community behind it and thus better plug-in support due to its open source nature. Fundamentally, the clients are very similar and someone happy with one would likely be happy with the other.
Edit: In an effort to be more specific, I have examined all the available features of Trillian vs. Pidgin with plug-ins and have determined that the only thing Trillian supports over Pidgin is audio chat on a couple of protocols. Trillian's protocol support is also lacking compared to Pidgin, although it does cover all the major protocols.
Subjectively, I much prefer Pidgin's minimalist design and low memory profile compared to Trillian's default UI or performance when using custom skins. Also, Pidgin can be skinned using WindowBlinds or plug-ins, etc. for those who must have bling in their IM.
One option that hasn't been mentioned by anyone, including myself, is Miranda. Miranda is another open source instant messaging client with multi-protocol support, like Pidgin. I find Miranda's interface to be obnoxious, and lately GAIM/Pidgin has garnered more community support.
It boils down to what you would rather support: commercial development, or open development?
My stance on the issue is clear -- I choose the open source option when two software titles are equally suitable -- but I have written a couple of blog entries to try to help others who may be less passionate about this issue to make up their minds on where they stand.
I have always used Trillian but moved to Pidgin when I switched to Ubuntu. Really liking it so far, but only using it for AIM/ICQ. Will give it a shot for IRC this evening, still using XChat for that.
Nice piece, Khaos.
First, thank you.
Second, if using Pidgin for IRC (Why not? I do. It works!) there are a number of excellent plug-ins available that greatly enhance the IRC experience. Highly suggest checking out the plug-in pack I linked at the bottom of the article for starters.
Another bonus for Pidgin... I've seen way more updates to Pidgin and better stability that with Trillian. I too used Trillian, the Pro version if fact.
Another bonus for Pidgin... I've seen way more updates to Pidgin and better stability that with Trillian. I too used Trillian, the Pro version if fact.
Nod. I also used Trillian Pro, but that was years ago before I found GAIM. For those who are unaware, Pidgin used to be called GAIM before AOL sued them over copyright.
Quick question about pidgin. I personally prefer it over trillian, but with my logitech g15 keyboard I am stuck using trillian pro so I can utilize the lcd screen. Has g15 support via plugin been added to pidgin and I haven't read about it?
Quick question about pidgin. I personally prefer it over trillian, but with my logitech g15 keyboard I am stuck using trillian pro so I can utilize the lcd screen. Has g15 support via plugin been added to pidgin and I haven't read about it?
Off the top of my head, I am not sure of this. I will research it when I get home from work.
In the mean time, you can try posting your question in the Pidgin community forums. If the G15 plug-in does not exist, or there is no way to hack it together, then perhaps some enterprising programmer with a Logitech G15 will see your suggestion and jump on it. =]
Edit: It appears that Pidgin still does not have support for the Logitech G15 keyboard. There is an open issue at the Pidgin website that someone created requesting such a feature, but I have been unable to find a plug-in that enables this support.
I love trillian, been using it for years. The fact that Pidgin has audio support vs no audio over trillian (standard) doesn't bother me, I don't use audio over IM protocols anyways.
Plus, the name Trillian is inspired by a character from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
OK, you guys are going to hate me, but I use MSN messenger and like the fact that I can check my emails through it. That said, I hate MSN messenger. I feel like they ruined it about 7 versions ago. Are their any plugins for Pidgin that'll check my hotmail account?
If you don't like msn messenger check out A-Patch (google it) it will improve life greatly. I use live messenger 8.5 and after a-patch I greatly prefer it to trillian or pidgin. I used both for about a month each at different times and they were always missing something that I used be it good web cam integration or other things. So what I do now is run live messenger on my computer and aim on my cellphone. Works well since I only use aim to chat.
OK, you guys are going to hate me, but I use MSN messenger and like the fact that I can check my emails through it.
Pidgin does this without plug-ins if you add a Yahoo/Hotmail account. It does not yet work for Google Mail. Pidgin will display a small notice at the top of the buddy list window displaying the total number of new mails and the account. Clicking on this area closes it and opens your browser to go to the mail service.
I love trillian, been using it for years. The fact that Pidgin has audio support vs no audio over trillian (standard) doesn't bother me, I don't use audio over IM protocols anyways.
I just want to correct the record here: Pidgin has NO audio support, Trillian HAS SOME audio support. Like you, I don't care either way. As for Trillian vs. Pidgin, it's somewhat subjective, but if you haven't tried Pidgin lately it is at least worth a look. I think myself and most people who are former Trillian users prefer its interface and plug-in architecture. Plus, it is open source and open source is a great thing to support because it means free, functional software that does what you need it to and nothing you don't; like ads, fluff, trial periods, etc.
I am surprised no one has mentioned Digsby (http://www.digsby.com/) its a neat app (although not open source) and is free and has a cute mascot. Check it out.
Digsby looks like a rip of Pidgin with an RSS-like module that handles pop3 and the like dropped in to check email and "social networks." God I hate that term.
I have used lots of IM clients but ultimately, I use pidgin at work (mostly for the sametime integration which is pretty craptastic) and digsby at home. I think its a little unfair/reactionary to call it a "pidgin rip-off" .... it supports more protocols (ie GMail, twitter, facebook) and obviously it's impressing some people.
Also, I like to hate on social networking like everyone else, but seriously....access to facebook/linked in/myspace shouldn't *deduct* points just because you arent into it.
I am surprised no one has mentioned Digsby (http://www.digsby.com/) its a neat app (although not open source) and is free and has a cute mascot. Check it out.
The simple answer here is that Digsby is disqualified due to its licensing scheme. My interest in software is more than mere consumerism. My aim is to support open source development because I believe it yields superior products in the long run, not to mention it gets more people interested in software development -- which I believe is an important technological direction moving forward.
@All: Let's keep the discussion civil. Steadyflux was well within her right to make a recommendation, and Digsby certainly isn't a bad client.
I never said it was a bad client. I just said it looks like pidgin with an RSS and SMTP system dropped in on it. I wasn't knocking it in any way, contrary to some...Well, I'll stop there.
As much as I like Pidgin, I've been experiencing near-daily crashes for months. (I'd report it, but "I was chatting and it died" doesn't seem like it would be descriptive enough to help anything.) I just updated to 2.5.4 today so I can't speak for its stability, but we'll see what happens.
Khaos
New Hampshire
Comments
Enjoyed the article.
Adium is a good Mac alternative as well
To anyone interested, the mission statement of the Open Source Evangelism series as well as an open-ended invitation to collaborate can be found here.
If you enjoy using Pidgin, please assist the Open Initiative movement by evangelizing in your own right; to your friends, to your colleagues, to random passerby on the street.
Open = Win.
Nice piece, Khaos.
Edit: In an effort to be more specific, I have examined all the available features of Trillian vs. Pidgin with plug-ins and have determined that the only thing Trillian supports over Pidgin is audio chat on a couple of protocols. Trillian's protocol support is also lacking compared to Pidgin, although it does cover all the major protocols.
Subjectively, I much prefer Pidgin's minimalist design and low memory profile compared to Trillian's default UI or performance when using custom skins. Also, Pidgin can be skinned using WindowBlinds or plug-ins, etc. for those who must have bling in their IM.
One option that hasn't been mentioned by anyone, including myself, is Miranda. Miranda is another open source instant messaging client with multi-protocol support, like Pidgin. I find Miranda's interface to be obnoxious, and lately GAIM/Pidgin has garnered more community support.
It boils down to what you would rather support: commercial development, or open development?
My stance on the issue is clear -- I choose the open source option when two software titles are equally suitable -- but I have written a couple of blog entries to try to help others who may be less passionate about this issue to make up their minds on where they stand.
First, thank you.
Second, if using Pidgin for IRC (Why not? I do. It works!) there are a number of excellent plug-ins available that greatly enhance the IRC experience. Highly suggest checking out the plug-in pack I linked at the bottom of the article for starters.
In the mean time, you can try posting your question in the Pidgin community forums. If the G15 plug-in does not exist, or there is no way to hack it together, then perhaps some enterprising programmer with a Logitech G15 will see your suggestion and jump on it. =]
Edit: It appears that Pidgin still does not have support for the Logitech G15 keyboard. There is an open issue at the Pidgin website that someone created requesting such a feature, but I have been unable to find a plug-in that enables this support.
I dunno...check out those beady eyes. I just can't trust 'em.
But I
^THIS
I love trillian, been using it for years. The fact that Pidgin has audio support vs no audio over trillian (standard) doesn't bother me, I don't use audio over IM protocols anyways.
Plus, the name Trillian is inspired by a character from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
That worked on me with babel fish for awhile too.
I just want to correct the record here: Pidgin has NO audio support, Trillian HAS SOME audio support. Like you, I don't care either way. As for Trillian vs. Pidgin, it's somewhat subjective, but if you haven't tried Pidgin lately it is at least worth a look. I think myself and most people who are former Trillian users prefer its interface and plug-in architecture. Plus, it is open source and open source is a great thing to support because it means free, functional software that does what you need it to and nothing you don't; like ads, fluff, trial periods, etc.
Yes, its one saving grace.
Also, I like to hate on social networking like everyone else, but seriously....access to facebook/linked in/myspace shouldn't *deduct* points just because you arent into it.
@All: Let's keep the discussion civil. Steadyflux was well within her right to make a recommendation, and Digsby certainly isn't a bad client.