gaim/gaim
Yo.
\fBgaim\fR is a GTK-based Instant Messaging (IM) client designed primarily for use with AOL Instant Messager (AIM). However, it supports most other popular IM protocols including ICQ, MSN Messager, Jabber, Yahoo!, IRC, Napster, Zephyr, and Gadu-Gadu.
Print debugging messages to stdout. These are the same debugging messages that are displayed in the \fBdebug window\fR.
Automatically login on start using the default account or the account specified by the NAME parameter.
The \fBBuddy List Window\fR is \fBgaim\fR's main interface window. The focus of this window is the \fBBuddy List\fR itself. This is a list of your contacts whose presence you have been notified of.
The list of buddies is organized into groups. \fBGaim\fR supports multiple connections, but all online buddies are organized on the same buddy list. Buddy List organization is handled in the \fBEdit Buddies\fR tab.
Buddy Lists can be imported and exported to disk using the appropriate commands in the \fIfile\fR menu.
The icon to the left of each buddy indicates the buddy's current state. Double clicking a buddy will open a new \fBconversation window\fR. Right clicking will open a menu:
Create an alias for this buddy. This will open up a new dialog in which one can give this buddy an alternate name to appear on the buddy list and in conversataions.
For example, if a buddy's name screen name was jsmith1281xx and his real name was 'John Q. Smith,' one could create an alias as to identify the buddy by his common name.
A Buddy Pounce is a configurable automated action to be performed when the buddy's state changes. This will open the \fBBuddy Pounce\fR dialog to be discussed later.
\fBgaim\fR is capable of automatically log its activities. These logs are html files (with a .log extenstion) located in the ~/.gaim/logs directory. This menu command will attempt to view this file with \fBgaim's\fR internal log viewer.
The remainder of the menu will consist of protocol specific commands. If logged on with multiple connections, these will appear in submenus named with each screen name logged on. These commands vary depending on the protocol; below are the commands available when using OSCAR, the more popular and developer-recommended AIM protocol:
This will send a request to the buddy for a \fBDirect IM\fR. If accepted, a direct connection will be made between the two clients, no longer relying on the server. This will reveal your IP address to your buddy, which may constitute a security risk.
When starting a new conversation, the user is presented with the conversation window. The conversation appears in the upper text box and the user types his message in the lower. Between the two is a row of setting, represented by icons. From left to right:
adds an ASCII smiley to your message. This will become a graphic smiley in the upper textbox if the option for graphical smileys is set.
Clicking this tab on the \fBBuddy List Window\fR will invoke the main interface to edit and organize buddy lists. Buddy's already in your buddy list can be moved to different groups or reordered in the same group by clicking and dragging with the mouse. One can also add, rename, alias, or delete buddies here, as well as some of the functions available in the \fBBuddy List Dialog\fR.
In the \fBEdit Buddies\fR dialog, the list is arranged by connection. If two or more connections have a group of the same, the \fBBuddy List\fR will only show one group with that name. Available buddies from \fIboth\fR connections will be shown in this group. If both connections have a buddy with the same screen name in a group of the same name, the buddy will appear only once.
For protocols that allow it, \fBBuddy Chats\fR can be entered through the file menu, the keyboard shortcut \fICTRL+C\fR, or the right most button on the bottom of the \fBBuddy List Dialog\fR.
The text will appear in the chat conversation, but it will only be visible to the sender and the receiver.
Set the topic of the chat room. This is usually a brief sentence describing the nature of the chat--an explanation of the chat room's name.
Most protocols allow for away messages. When a user is \fIaway\fR, he can leave a message indicating why for others to see. The \fBaway\fR submenu of the \fBTools\fR menu is used to add and remove away message, as well as to set a user's away state.
\fINew Away Message\fR provides space for one to enter an away message and a title for that message. If \fISave\fR of \fISave & Use\fR are chosen, this message will be saved. It can later be referred to by the title given to it.
\fIRemove Away Message\fR is a submenu containing the titles of saved away messages. Clicking on one of these titles will remove the away message associated with it.
The rest of the \fIaway\fR menu provides the user with a way to assign different away messages to different connections. Choosing \fISet All Away\fR will set away all the connections capable of the away state.
A Buddy Pounce is an automated trigger that occurs when a buddy returns to a normal state from an away state. A pounce can be set to occur on any combination of the events listed, and any combination of actions can result. If \fISave this pounce after activation\fR is checked, the trigger will remain until it is removed from the \fIRemove buddy pounce\fR menu.
The account editor consists of a list of accounts and information about them. Clicking \fIAdd\fR or \fIModify\fR will invoke a \fIModify Account\fR window. Here, you can alter information about your account. When creating a new account, you will submit your screen name and password. You will also choose your protocol; The two AIM protocols, TOC and OSCAR are always loaded, but other protocols can be dynamically loaded and unloaded using \fBProtocols Plugins (PRPLS)\fR.
If \fBRemember Password\fR is chosen, the password will be saved in \fBgaim's\fR configuration file.
Each protocol has it's own specific options that can be found in the protocol-specific tab on the modify screen.
\fBGaim\fR allows for perl scripting. This submenu provides for the loading of individual perl scripts and for the unloading of all of them. See PERL-HOWTO for more information about perl scripting.
\fBGaim\fR allows for dynamic loading of plugins. The plugin window shows the paths to loaded plugins on the left, and the name and description of the plugin on the right.
This opens the \fBBuddy Ticker\fR, a small window in which the contents of your buddy list scroll to keep you up to date on their status.
This opens a debug window into which \fBgaim\fR sends more verbose information about what it's doing.
For protocol's that require the client to report idle times, this option sets the method of determining idle times. If \fINone\fR is chosen, idleness will not be reported. If \fIGaim Use\fR is chosen, it will send idle times relative to the last time \fBgaim\fR was used. If \fIX Use\fR is chosen, idle times will be reported based on the last time the mouse or keyboard was used.
Log all conversations will automatically log conversations into ~/.gaim/logs/. Unless \fIStrip HTML from logs\fR is checked, they will be saved as an HTML file with a .log extension. The preferences window provides options to specify exactly what to log.
This option will remove the three buttons beneath the \fBBuddy List\fR in the \fBBuddy List Window\fR.
This feature will only display a folder representing a group if there is at least one online buddy in it.
This feature displays the number of buddies in each group and the number of these online in the \fBBuddy List\fR.
This icon is a quick reference as to what protocol a buddy is using, and what away state, if any, he is in.
When selected, this option shows in the conversation window, the time each message was received or sent.
While typing a message, if a user misspells a word, it will immediately turn red. Right-clicking on the word will invoke a menu of possible corrections.
This option will cause new conversation windows not to be created until a user returns from away. Instead, a record of how many messages received and from whom they were received is shown in the away message window.
AOL's open source TiK client gets a user's away message by sending him an automated message. This option ignores those messages.
If checked, new conversations will be ignored entirely when away. Unlike the \fBQueue new messages when away\fR option, no record will be kept of these.
Instead of seperate windows for each conversation, they are all shown in one window with tabs at the top to select the conversation. A name on a tab will become red if a new message hasn't yet been read.
When an event happens to a conversation, the conversation window will be raised above all other windows on the desktop.
This will show when buddies log in and out in the conversation window, if one is open for that buddy.
This will prevent sounds from playing when \fBgaim\fR is first notified of your buddy's presence because you just signed on.
If you need a special command executed to play a sound, enter it in the given box with %s representing the filename. If you prefer \fBgaim\fR to play the sound, leave it blank.
If someone sends the user a message while away, \fBgaim\fR will not respond with the away message if this is checked.
If this is selected \fBgaim\fR will automatically go away if it's been idle for the specified length of time.