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More and more people use Gtalk as an interesting alternative to MSN Messenger because Gtalk uses an open-source protocol: Jabber. Gtalk and Jabber clients are also better because they don't have ads. In this tutorial we will set up a Gtalk account on Pidgin, the most widely-used universal instant messager with Gnome.

Setting up your Gtalk account in Pidgin

Using Gtalk in Pidgin is pretty easy. Launch Pidgin and click "Tools > Accounts":

You will see the list of existing accounts:

Click "Add" to add your Gtalk account to the list. A new window will appear for you to fill in your information:

There you have all you need to fill in:

• Screen name: Your Gmail username with "@gmail.com"
• Server: gmail.com
• Resource: Pidgin
• Password: Your Gmail password
• Alias: The nickname you want to be displayed in your friends'buddy list
• Remember password: If checked, Pidgin won't ask you for your password anymore
• Auto-login: Each you launch Pidgin, it will connect to Gtalk automatically
• Use TLS if available: You need to check this option
• Port: 5222
• Connect server: talk.google.com

When you are done, click "Register", and your Gtalk account will be added to your list of accounts:

Don't forget to check the "Online" option if you want to get connected now, and the "Auto-login" option if you want to connect to Gtalk each time you start Pidgin. After a few seconds, your Gtalk buddies should be added to your buddy list in Pidgin :)