Pidgin

Ever wish you could be in multiple places at once? With Pidgin, you kind of can at least when it comes to chatting. Imagine having all your messaging apps in one place. You could be catching up with a friend on MSN, planning something with a buddy on Google Talk, and lurking in a Yahoo chat room, all without switching between apps or even thinking about it.

And the best part? Pidgin isn’t picky about what kind of computer you’re using. Whether you’re on Windows, Linux, or another UNIX based system, it’s ready to roll. No fuss, no complicated setup just install and go.

Out of the box, it plays nice with a ton of networks: AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, and even some lesser known ones like Gadu Gadu, IRC, and QQ. And if your favorite platform isn’t on that list? There’s probably a plugin for it. The community around Pidgin has built extensions for everything under the sun.

But it’s not just about bringing all your chats together Pidgin also keeps the features you actually use. File transfers, custom emojis, typing indicators, away messages… it’s all there. And if you want more, plugins can add voice/video support, encryption, or even fun stuff like message translation or random chat games.

Oh, and if you’re on Windows, Pidgin slips right into your system tray so it’s there when you need it and out of the way when you don’t. No clutter, no distractions just clean, simple messaging done right.