Pidgin (software) facts for kids
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Screenshot
Pidgin's buddy list window in Trisquel
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| Initial release | December 31, 1998 (as Gaim) |
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| Stable release |
2.14.13
 / 23 February 2024 |
| Preview release | None |
| Written in | C (C#, Perl, Python, Tcl are used for plugins) |
| Platform | Linux macOS (unofficial) Microsoft Windows Solaris(unofficial) FreeBSD NetBSD(unofficial) OpenBSD(unofficial) |
| Available in | Multiple languages |
| Type | Instant messaging client |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
Pidgin is a free computer program that lets you chat with friends using many different chat services all at once. It used to be called Gaim.
Imagine having one app where you can talk to friends on AIM, Discord, and other services without needing a separate app for each. Pidgin makes this easy! It uses a special "engine" called libpurple that understands many chat languages, called protocols.
Back in 2007, over three million people were using Pidgin. It's also known for a special add-on (plugin) that helps keep your messages private and secure with end-to-end encryption. Because of this, it's included in a privacy-focused computer system called Tails.
Contents
History of Pidgin
Pidgin was first created by Mark Spencer in 1998. He was a college student at Auburn University. He wanted to make a program that worked like AOL's chat app, AOL Instant Messenger, but for computers running Linux. He called it GAIM, which stood for GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger.
Over time, more chat services were added to GAIM. In 2015, Pidgin got a perfect score from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. This group checks how secure messaging apps are. Pidgin scored high because it keeps messages encrypted (private), lets users check who they are talking to, and has open-source code that experts can review.
Why the Name Changed
A company called AOL owned the name "AIM" for their chat service. They asked the creators of GAIM to change its name. This led to a legal discussion.
On April 6, 2007, the team announced the new names. Gaim became Pidgin, and its core engine libgaim became libpurple. The name Pidgin was chosen because a "pidgin" is a way people from different language backgrounds can communicate. The name "purple" came from "prpl," which was the internal name for a chat protocol plugin.
After the name change, Pidgin 2.0.0 was released on May 3, 2007. This new version also brought some fresh looks to the program.
Features of Pidgin
Pidgin uses its core engine, libpurple, to connect to many different chat services. It works on various computer systems like Windows, Linux, and others. You can find Pidgin already installed on systems like Tails, Trisquel, and Xubuntu.
Adding More Features with Plugins
Pidgin is designed so you can add extra features called plugins. These are like small programs that connect to Pidgin. They can add support for new chat services like Discord or Skype. They can also add other useful tools, like the "Off-the-Record Messaging" (OTR) plugin, which makes your conversations super private with end-to-end encryption.
Pidgin also lets you choose different ways to encrypt your messages, using tools like GnuTLS or OpenSSL.
Managing Your Contacts
You can group friends who use different chat services into one single contact in Pidgin. This makes your contact list much tidier! You can also give your contacts nicknames or put them into special groups.
Pidgin has a cool feature called Buddy Pounces. These are automated actions that happen when a friend logs on or changes their status (like going from "Away" to "Available"). You can set them up to do things automatically.
Sharing Files
Pidgin lets you send files to your friends through many different chat services. For some services, you can even send files directly from your computer to theirs.
Voice and Video Calls
Since version 2.6 (released in 2009), Pidgin supports voice and video calls. However, as of July 2015, these calls mostly work with the XMPP chat protocol.
Other Cool Things
Pidgin also lets you change its look with themes, use fun emoticons, and even has a spell checker to help you type correctly. It can also show notifications on your computer screen.
Chat Services Pidgin Supports
Pidgin 2.14.12 officially supports these chat services without needing extra add-ons:
- Gadu-Gadu
- IRC
- Novell GroupWise (will be removed in future versions)
- SIMPLE
- XMPP
- Zephyr (will be removed in future versions)
Some XMPP servers can connect to other chat networks. This means you can use Pidgin's XMPP support to talk on services like SMS or email, even if Pidgin doesn't directly support them.
Many other chat services can be used with Pidgin through special add-on plugins made by other developers. These include Discord, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, QQ, Skype, WhatsApp, and Signal.
Popular Plugins for Pidgin
Here are some features you can add to Pidgin using plugins:
- Chat on Discord using the purple-discord plugin.
- Chat on Facebook using purple-facebook.
- Chat on Google Chat using purple-googlechat.
- Connect to microblogging sites like GNU social and Twitter.
- Chat on Slack (software) using slack-libpurple.
- Chat on Skype using the SkypeWeb plugin.
- Chat on Telegram (software) using tdlib-purple.
- Get End-to-end encryption for private chats with Off-the-Record Messaging (OTR).
- Add mathematical formulas to your chats.
- Get special notifications, like pop-up messages.
- Show friends what music you are listening to.
- Watch videos directly in your chat window when someone shares a link from sites like YouTube or Vimeo.
Things People Have Noticed About Pidgin
Like all software, Pidgin has some areas that users have pointed out:
- Sometimes, the code behind Pidgin has had security issues.
- In newer versions (2.4 and later), you can't manually change the size of the text box where you type messages. This led to some users creating their own modified versions of Pidgin.
- Currently, Pidgin stores your passwords in a way that can be easily read if someone gets access to your computer files. Future versions (like 3.0) plan to store passwords more securely using system keyrings.
- Pidgin doesn't let you pause or restart file transfers if they get interrupted.
- You can't turn off the way Pidgin sorts your contacts into groups in the contact list.
Other Programs Using Pidgin's Engine
Many other chat programs use the same core engine, libpurple, that Pidgin uses. This means they can also connect to many different chat services. Some of these include:
- Adium (for macOS computers)
- Meebo (a web-based chat service that is no longer available)
- QuteCom (a program that focused on voice and video calls, now discontinued)
- Instantbird (another chat program that is no longer updated)
Programs like BitlBee and Minbif also use libpurple to connect to many chat networks through an IRC-like interface.
See also
In Spanish: Pidgin (software) para niños
