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Many normal users think that GNU/Linux is not for them, but only for geeks. One reason for this is they believe they can not do the basic things like chatting under GNU/Linux. They believe that there are no Instant Messenger clients for Yahoo, MSN, and ICQ in GNU/Linux, but this is absolutely wrong - chatting was actually first implemented in UNIX. (Linux is a UNIX like free/open operating system).
talk was the first chatting program developed from UNIX long ago when there was no MS trying to capture the Internet. The computing world was a free land then, and you could share any program with any one, you could change them too to suit your needs - much like what Free Software is trying to do. talk is still available with UNIX & GNU/Linux .
From talk, other chatting concepts were developed. IRC was the first to be developed,then other companies came and hence ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, AIM etc. chat systems were developed.
I shall try to touch on each of the chat systems here.
It is the most basic chat system but still popular in LAN's. If you are in a college or office and can access only a UNIX or Linux terminal then you can chat with your friends. First of all the talk server daemon must running.
To chat with your friend then all you have to do the following
[anirban@anirban anirban]$ talk <username>@host <tty>
i.e. if the user name is raj (it will the same as the login name to the
system) and his host computer is www.anyhost.com then it will be
[anirban@anirban anirban]$ talk raj@www.anyhost.com
You may be wondering what tty is? Suppose your friend opened many terminals - the terminal in which you want to send the message is specified by the tty number. Numbers start from 0 and only integers are allowed.
You can do the above with write too.
[anirban@anirban anirban]$ write <username@host> <tty>
If you want not to receive any chat invitition or any chatting then
you have to give the command.
[anirban@anirban anirban]$ mesg n
to remove the blocking you have to do
[anirban@anirban anirban]$ mesg y
If you a GUI lover and a heavy Yahoo or MSN chatter then you may not
like this kind of chatting, but for many of us who like GNU/Linux this
old system is still gold.
After talk came IRC and it is still popular. I think
that if you really want a high class chatting experience without the
flooding or other bad stuff of Yahoo and MSN, then IRC is the thing for
you. Also, there are many rooms (known as channels in IRC) from where
you can get really good help on GNU/Linux, C/C++ programming,
maintaining your Linux box and much more. (As an aside, in my personal
experience I was a Yahoo chatter and did not get any thing more than
flooding and 4 or 5 guys running for a girl in the room. But from IRC I
received really good help when I was stuck. IRC can really be a great
source of help.)
IRC is a little bit different from Yahoo or MSN chat since IRC is not owned by any company. It is free/open like GNU/Linux and generally run by volunteers.
The main difference is that you do not have to sign up to get a ID or password. So what do you do instead? Choose a nickname and a host (IRC server) to connect to. Since it is not run by a single company you have to know the host address, like you have to know the URL to visit a page on Internet. You can get the addresses of different hosts from the internet and also to which topic it is dedicated; for example, irc.openprojects.net is dedicated to the betterment of open source projects and open source developers.
So you have to provide your nickname and the host you want to connect to. If the nickname you pick is already taken then you'll have to provide another nickname.
IRC newbies should check out the IRC Primer
before using IRC for the first time.
There are many IRC chat applications available but I think Xchat
is the best. Most distributions provide it with their installation CDs
and it is often included in default installations. If it isn't already
installed, fear not; you can find it in the installation CDs or download
it from http://www.xchat.org. You
will generally find it in RPM format so installation will not be
difficult.
After installation type xchat in a terminal or click the xchat icon (you will find it in `Main Menu > Internet > Chat').
The first window of Xchat will appear. Provide the nickname you would like. You can provide more than one. In case a nickname is already taken in a room xchat will use the other nickname you provided, else it will pick the first nickname in the list. You also can provide your real name and as which user you want to use it - (generally you do not have to provide all these; the system guesses it for you from your system login name and real name).
Now choose a host from the list of hosts and double click it or click on `Connect' at the bottom. A new window will open with some text flowing in it. It will take a little time to connect, then after connecting it will show the rules you should follow to chat in this host. Since IRC generally is a volunteer effort by good-at-heart people and not by any company, please try to follow it or else you may get banned. Maintainers of IRC chat rooms are very strict about the rules. (That is why chatting experience is much better here than yahoo or MSN).
Now you will see a single line text box where you can write both what you want to say, and also commands to navigate. Commands all start with a / (ie. slash). To get the list of rooms (or channels) in the host type /list . You will see all the rooms, choose the one which suits you and then type /join #<roomname> and then click `Enter'. Please note that you have to always give the number sign (#) before any room name.
Now you will enter that room and start chatting. At the extreme right there will be the list of all users/chatters in that room; selecting any one will get info about him /her. You will find many buttons at the right side of your chat window, by selecting a user and clicking the buttons you can ban or block a user, get info about him/her, invite him/her in a personal chat or even transfer files in IRC.
So I think you will now be able to chat in IRC. Some day you may
even meet me in IRC. I generally live in the host irc.openprojects.net
and in the room linux (you have to give a number sign ie. # before
joining ie. /join #linux).
There are several ICQ chat clients in GNU/Linux, and Licq is one of the most popular. You will find it inside the internet or network sections of the main menu i.e. KDE main menu ( so `Main Menu > Internet/Networking > Instant messenger') or just type licq in a terminal. After starting for the first time it will want you to register to their server to get a ID and password. Then you can login with that ID and password as you do with most of the Window's versions of ICQ clients.
Yahoo provides its own yahoo messenger for Linux and it is similar to the windows version except that you may find some features missing. To get more details go to yahoo.
Since it is similar to the windows version you will find `Add
Friends, Your Status, Ban' etc buttons in their usual places,
generally as part of a menu at the top of Yahoo Messenger. Currently you
can send files, invite people to group chat, and get email
notifications.
Kit is the AIM client
for Linux (KDE). You will find it in the main menu under network /
internet or just type `kit' in a terminal. At the first startup
it will ask you to create a profile and if you do not have a account in
AOL it will ask you to create one by going to their site. The current
version of Netscape also has a built-in AIM client.
Do you use or need several different instant messaging clients?
Everybuddy is an Open Source IM client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN,
Yahoo!, and Jabber chat, as well as having some file transfer
capabilities. In other words, a single Everybuddy client can take the
place of several single-purpose clients. It is included (and often
installed by default) with some distros, or you can download it from
the Everybuddy
homepage.
GAIM is another all-in-one client resembling AIM that works with AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo! and more. If you don't have it already installed, check out your installation CDs or go to the GAIM website.
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Copyright Ac 2002, Shane Collinge. Copying license http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html
Published in Issue 85 of Linux Gazette, December 2002
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