Gajim 1.8.1

Overview

Gajim is a multi protocol and multi platform instant messaging client. Originally developed for Linux distributions, Gajim now also supports Windows and chatting between different services, like those provided by Yahoo, AIM or ICQ. It implements some pretty cool features and the simple yet appealing interface will make you give it a go.

Installation

You should be happy to find out that the installation process of Gajim is simple and straightforward. At just 15MB, you will instantly download it and install it in a matter of seconds. In order for you to run it on Windows, you will need the GTK gear that you can get with Gajim. That is all. There are no other special requirements. It doesn’t come bundled with adware or spyware and it supports all of the versions of Windows you can think of. Of course, something too ancient is excluded. Let’s move on to the interface.

Interface

The nice and simple interface is appealing and effective. It sports functionality and you get access to a lot of themes and status icons in order to customize your chat experience, just the way you like it. Novice users will have no problems in using Gajim and chat on Yahoo, MSN and ICQ at the same time. The placement of the buttons and controls allows for an easy navigation and the switching between these multiple chatting protocols is done with ease.

Pros

Gajim is a wonderful IM client that you will simply learn to love. The contacts list is referred to as “roster” and Gajim allows control over each of the multiple accounts in the roster. As a result, a different avatar and a different status can be added. You also get access to a lot of options by accessing the “preferences” window, as the themes available can be managed. What is more, you can sort the contacts in your roster according to their status and also choose between multiple icon sets. Of course, the main appeal of Gajim lies in the fact that it supports multiple protocols such as ICQ, MSN, AIM and Yahoo. The ‘send group message’ function is great as it allows you to easily send messages to all of the users in one group. The fast connection and the stability of this tool make it one of the best multi platform clients on the market.

Cons

Moving contacts to different groups is rather challenging, as Gajim doesn’t provide an easy way of doing it. In addition, several users are reporting problems with the integration of Gajim in Win Vista though when I tested it, there aren’t any issues.

Alternatives

Alternatives to Gajim include the following instant messengers: Pidgin, Google Talk, Nimbuzz, Yahoo Messenger, IM+ and a lot more products.

Conclusion

To sum it up, Gajim is a very good instant messaging client and the fact that it is multi platform and multi protocol will certainly make it appealing to most people so why not give it a try? You won’t be disappointed!