Pidgin is arguably the best free multi-protocol instant messenger that exists mainly because it’s one of the very few that has absolutely zero advertisements in it. In addition, it’s also great to use if you bounce between operating systems often. Pidgin works the same in Windows as it does in Linux, and on the Mac you use Adium which uses the same...

Instant messaging, abbreviated as IM, is definitely here to stay. It may not have super-wide use like it used to have, but it’s not going the way of the dodo any time soon. Here are 5 tips to provide you with the best IM experience: 1. Always sign in as “invisible”. With IM you’re always going to have that annoying friend that sends you...

For most instant messenger services, you are only allowed to have a single session open, however there are a few options if you want to use a single account on multiple computers. AIM The AIM messenger service actually does allow you to login multiple times, but there’s a catch. The multiple logins must be done from the same network using an IM client. For...

aMSN is a freeware clone of the popular Windows Live (formerly MSN) Messenger. While it’s true there are other alternative instant messaging applications out there, there are a few perks to aMSN the other guys don’t have:Available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X (Universal) and FreeBSD Can do voice clips Can do display pictures Can do custom...

In my experience the safest instant messaging is to use the “from-service” clients. For example, if you use Windows Live (formerly MSN), it is best to use their client. If you use Yahoo instant messaging, the same applies. With the from-service client there are added security features that the multi-protocol clients (like Trillian, Pidgin, etc.) do...

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has filed for a patent for for an Iphone interface for instant messaging. The filing makes the interface seem very similar to the SMS messaging interface already available on the Iphone. Instant messaging has been a highly requested feature for the Iphone since it came out. There is a version of AOL instant messenger for the...

If you use an instant messaging program, odds are you have it automatically log in using your remembered user name and password. This is a very handy feature, but allows you to easily forget your password since you never have to enter it. If this is the case and you want to “recover” your password, then download MessenPass. MessenPass is a free...

When you use the internet long enough you basically sign up for every instant messenger account on the planet. AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, MSN/Live, and so on. You also sign up for a bunch of social networking sites as well, such as MySpace and Facebook. Maybe you even use one of those micro-blogger type sites like Twitter. The problem at this point is that you’ve...

Rich takes us through Meebo; A way of connecting to all of your instant messaging software programs without having to install a...

A lengthy review of several instant messaging systems in a three part series. This is video 3 of...

A lengthy testing of instant messageing in a three part video series. This is video 2 of...

A lengthy test of messenger systems in a three part series of videos. This is video one of...

Setting up Instant Messaging / Gaim in Ubuntu.