Pidgin

Pidgin boasts support for more instant-messaging services including many lesser-known services such as Zephyr, SIMPLE, Sametime and QQ.

There’s a unique feature in the form of Buddy Pounces, which enables Pidgin to automatically perform pre-set actions (such as opening a message window, launching a program or changing online status) whenever a particular contact signs in, goes offline or performs a number of other tasks.

The absence of any support for audio and video chats is rather disappointing, but there is little to fault in the text-conversation department. The tabbed interface makes it possible to talk to several people simultaneously without taking up valuable screen space, while support for plug-ins means that it’s no bother adding new features to the program.

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