Gaim has a minor upgrade to reach version 0.79
Freeware, Instant Messengers, New Release, Web Stuff June 29th, 2004
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My first experiences with Gaim started with my experiences with Linux. One fine day I switched to Mandrake and the first thing to search after switching was to find a decent chat client. Yahoo! had its messenger in Yahoo! Messenger for Linux but Microsoft did not have any client for Messenger for Linux.
I tried AMSN for Linux but it turned out to be as awful as Yahoo! Messenger for Linux was. So I turned to Gaim. Gaim is a pretty cool multiplatform all-in-one IM client that combines the powers of AIM, ICQ, Yahoo!, MSN, IRC, Jabber, Zephyr, and Gadu-Gadu under a common interface. And it actually does a pretty good job. So much so that I use it in the moments of crisis on Windows Platform too!
The latest release has following updates:
- Display name changes are now shown in the conversation windows.(Robert Mibus)
- Get Info on Yahoo! now works for nonenglish profiles.(Ambrose Li)
- General "Get Info" improvements on Yahoo! and MSN (Ambrose Li)
- Yahoo! Japan support. Click More Options and check Yahoo Japan in the account editor, to use your Yahoo! Japan account
- Gtk themes can now theme the Gaim buddy list independently of other things (Stu Tomlinson)
- Show timestamps now has a per-conversation option in addition to the global one, bringing it in line with the other conver- sation options (Stu Tomlinson)
- Added MSN buddy icons (Felipe Contreras)
- Added MSN file transfer (Felipe Contreras)
- MSN’s idle state now actually sets a buddy idle
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Open Source Messaging Client Gaim in version 1.30
About
I think one of the biggest hassles with instant messaging is that itâ??s tied to the computer. If Iâ??m away from the computer, like watching tv, I may miss an important IM. I can leave the speakers on the PC really loud, but then Iâ??m always jumping up and running back to the PC to read an incoming IM in case itâ??s important. Most of the time itâ??s not. I can subscribe to a service with my cell phoneâ??but that costs money. So here is (I think) the perfect solution, and a good GAIM plug-in thatâ??s not too much work.
I just installed a Pluto Home system (plutohome.com). Itâ??s a free, open source smarthome and media server. You put Bluetooth dongles on all the pcâ??s in your house, and then when you enter a room your Symbian Bluetooth phone turns into a remote control for everything in that room. It already tracks your movementâ??if you start listening to music in 1 room, your music will follow you as you move with your phone to another room. And it already sends messages to the phone based on events. For example, when the song changes, the cover art shown on my phone changes to show me whatâ??s playing.
So that got me thinkingâ?¦ Why not make a GAIM plugin for pluto so that whenever I get an IM, I see it on my Bluetooth phone? That way I can either type a reply on the phone, or go back to the computer if I want to use the keyboard, or ignore it if itâ??s not important. And Iâ??m not having to run back and forth to the computer to check IM. And itâ??s free since it uses Bluetooth! Plus, I think itâ??s such a real convenience it would be a great way to get people to switch to GAIM.
I talked to the programmers at Pluto and they said it would be really easy since their stuff is already written in small modules and plugins. However, since weâ??re all open source, we could also just take whatever pieces were useful and do something completely new using the same concept.
Many of the other GAIM projects listed are either specific for only some users (like Apple iChat), or would only be used by geeks (like the Perl interpreter). But not having to run back and forth to the computer is something everybody wants (imho). I donâ??t see how to recommend a new idea for GAIM, so Iâ??ll just try the forums and hope somebody else likes it too.