Labs

If your contacts all use different IMs, you can end up with multiple accounts to keep in touch with them all. Gaim is a multi-protocol IM client that could solve this problem. It runs under Windows, Linux and Mac OS X and is compatible with AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber and Gadu-Gadu. You can therefore exchange

Gaim users can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously, so you can be chatting with a group on AIM, and talking to a friend on Yahoo! Messenger at the same time. It integrates well with the System Tray, so you don't need the buddy list window showing at all times.

Gaim supports many features of the various networks, such as file transfer, away messages, typing notification and MSN window-closing notification. It also has features of its own including Buddy Pounces, which can notify you, send a message or play a sound when a specific contact goes away, signs online or returns. Its plug-ins include a spellchecker that flags unrecognised words and offers suggested replacements. This feature is really useful and, combined with the compatibility with other IMs, makes it a good choice