Pidgin IM Overview
Pidgin is a free, open-source instant-messaging client for Windows and Linux that connects to multiple chat networks at once from a single application. Using a plugin-based protocol system (libpurple), it lets you sign in to several accounts and services together and manage all your conversations and contacts in one buddy list. It supports text chat, file transfer, and away messages, and a wide range of plugins add features and additional protocol support. Pidgin appeals to users who want one lightweight client for several messaging services rather than separate apps. The full Pidgin IM installer is self-contained and finishes installation even on an offline machine. Because chat networks change their protocols over time, plugin and protocol availability can vary, but the core multi-account experience remains its main draw. This page links straight to Pidgin IM's official Pidgin IM source.
