Pidgin is an instant messaging client Instantaneous multiplatform, multiprotocol, extensible with dozens of supplements, which until recently was known as GAIM (until AOL got angry), programmed with the GTK + libraries and libpurple, which recently added support for audio and video to Google Talk.
A Pidgin we know almost all users of GNU / Linux. However, who is often ignored under the overwhelming role of our graphical interface, is the brother of our purple desarropado messenger: Finch: A version of Pidgin for the command line.
Well, we begin to use basic functions of some steps in Finch.
1. Finch to install from the command line.
I did it on a server without graphical environment and downloaded several megabytes of information. The package has the same name in Fedora. Here I do a typical installation for Debian / Ubuntu.
$ sudo apt-get install finch
2. Runs and configures Finch.
The first time you run Finch, you'll see a text interface for configuring your accounts. To navigate between options using the TAB key. Already a user of Pidgin, that interface will seem very familiar. First select a protocol among the ten available (even Facebook), enter your user name, and other options. So to save the account settings.
$ finch
Finch tries to connect to your instant messaging server, and if the data were correct, you'll see your dear friends.
3. Learn the basic options.
Almost all options use the ALT key. I will not be exhaustive, there are dozens of options, but consider these as essential:
- Exit window: ALT-c.
- Switching between windows: ALT or ALT-n-p.
- Open the menu for each window: F10.
- Resizing windows: ALT-r and then one of the arrows.
- Switch to the nth window: ALT-n.
- Moving windows: ALT-m.
- View all possible actions (eg, adding accounts): ALT-a.
4. Chat with your friends.
Once you learn to move between windows, you're spoiled for choice friends to talk. I did this to invite my good friend Diego to use Finch. This time from the pseudo terminal for GNOME.
