Overview of Instant Messaging for windows Users

Gaim is a multi-platform instant messenger capable of logging in to multiple accounts on multiple Instant Messenger networks simultaneously.

It is compatible with AIM and ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, SILC, GroupWise Messenger, and Zephyr networks.

This means that you can be chatting with friends on MSN Instant Messenger, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting in an IRC channel all at the same time.

Like this guide, Wikipedia is Libre knowledge and contains the most accurate and up to date information available on the internet and links to the most relevant resources. Libre knowledge implies freedom to read, listen to, watch, or otherwise experience explicit knowledge to learn from, copy, adapt and use it for any purpose; contribute new insights and share these for the common good; and all of this with free software.

In this guide we will aim at just getting it to work and learn as we go.

Links for further study:

Terminology: Instant Messenging, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Online chat, Computer conferencing, Social networking

Libre Software: Gaim

Instant messenger networks: Jabber, Jabber Australia