gaim(1)gaim(1)NAME
Gaim v0.59 - Instant Messaging client
SYNOPSISgaim [options]
DESCRIPTIONgaim is a GTK-based Instant Messaging (IM) client designed primarily
for use with AOL Instant Messager (AIM). However, it supports most
other popular IM protocols including ICQ, MSN Messager, Jabber, Yahoo!,
IRC, Napster, Zephyr, and Gadu-Gadu.
OPTIONS
The following options are provided by gaim using the standard GNU com‐
mand line syntax.
-a, --acct
Launch the account editor rather than the login window on start.
-d, --debug
Print debugging messages to stdout. These are the same debug‐
ging messages that are displayed in the debug window.
-f, --file=FILE
Use FILE as the configuration file instead of ~/.gaimrc.
-h, --help
Print this help and exit.
-l, --login[=NAME]
Automatically login on start using the default account or the
account specified by the NAME parameter.
-u, --user=NAME
Use account NAME as default.
-v, --version
Display the version information window.
-w, --away[=MESG]
Automatically go away on signon. You may optionally use the
MESG parameter to set the away message.
BUDDY LIST
The Buddy List Window is gaim's main interface window. The focus of
this window is the Buddy List itself. This is a list of your contacts
whose presence you have been notified of.
The list of buddies is organized into groups. Gaim supports multiple
connections, but all online buddies are organized on the same buddy
list. Buddy List organization is handled in the Edit Buddies tab.
Buddy Lists can be imported and exported to disk using the appropriate
commands in the file menu.
The icon to the left of each buddy indicates the buddy's current state.
Double clicking a buddy will open a new conversation window. Right
clicking will open a menu:
IM Opens a new conversation window to the selected buddy.
Alias Create an alias for this buddy. This will open up a new dialog
in which one can give this buddy an alternate name to appear on
the buddy list and in conversataions.
For example, if a buddy's name screen name was jsmith1281xx and
his real name was 'John Q. Smith,' one could create an alias as
to identify the buddy by his common name.
Add Buddy Pounce
A Buddy Pounce is a configurable automated action to be per‐
formed when the buddy's state changes. This will open the Buddy
Pounce dialog to be discussed later.
View Log
gaim is capable of automatically log its activities. These logs
are html files (with a .log extenstion) located in the
~/.gaim/logs directory. This menu command will attempt to view
this file with gaim's internal log viewer.
The remainder of the menu will consist of protocol specific commands.
If logged on with multiple connections, these will appear in submenus
named with each screen name logged on. These commands vary depending
on the protocol; below are the commands available when using OSCAR, the
more popular and developer-recommended AIM protocol:
Get Info
Retrieves and displays information about the buddy. This infor‐
mation is also known as a Profile.
Get Away Msg
If this buddy is in an Away state, this will retrieve and dis‐
play the buddy's Away Message.
Direct IM
This will send a request to the buddy for a Direct IM. If
accepted, a direct connection will be made between the two
clients, no longer relying on the server. This will reveal your
IP address to your buddy, which may constitute a security risk.
The Conversation Window
When starting a new conversation, the user is presented with the con‐
versation window. The conversation appears in the upper text box and
the user types his message in the lower. Between the two is a row of
setting, represented by icons. From left to right:
Bold adds <b></b> to your message
Italics
adds <i></i> to your message
Underline
adds <u></u> to your message
Strikethrough
adds <s></s> to your message
Decrease font size
adds <font size="1"></font> to your message
Default font size
adds <font size="3"></font> to your message
Increase font size
adds <font size="5"></font> to your message
Select font face
adds an appropriate font tag to your message.
Select a foreground color
adds an appropriate font tag to your message.
Select a background color
adds an appropriate body tag to your message.
Add hyperlink
adds an appropriate a href tag to your message.
Add smiley
adds an ASCII smiley to your message. This will become a
graphic smiley in the upper textbox if the option for graphical
smileys is set.
Enable logging
As the conversation continues, everything will get logged to a
log file in ~/.gaim/logs
Save Conversation
Saves the current conversation to a log file of your choice.
Enable Sounds
Choose whether events in this conversation will trigger sounds.
Beneath the lower textbox is a row of buttons that execute com‐
mands:
Send This sends what's currently in the lower textbox
Get Info
This gets information (a profile) about the other person in the
conversation.
Warn This issues a warning to the other person in the conversation.
Block This adds the other person to your deny list.
Add to buddy list
This adds this user to your buddy list. If he already is on
your list, it will remove him from it.
Close Closes this window.
Edit Buddies
Clicking this tab on the Buddy List Window will invoke the main inter‐
face to edit and organize buddy lists. Buddy's already in your buddy
list can be moved to different groups or reordered in the same group by
clicking and dragging with the mouse. One can also add, rename, alias,
or delete buddies here, as well as some of the functions available in
the Buddy List Dialog.
In the Edit Buddies dialog, the list is arranged by connection. If two
or more connections have a group of the same, the Buddy List will only
show one group with that name. Available buddies from both connections
will be shown in this group. If both connections have a buddy with the
same screen name in a group of the same name, the buddy will appear
only once.
Buddy Chat
For protocols that allow it, Buddy Chats can be entered through the
file menu, the keyboard shortcut CTRL+C, or the right most button on
the bottom of the uddy List Dialog.
Additional commands available in chat, depending on the protocol are:
Whisper
The text will appear in the chat conversation, but it will only
be visible to the sender and the receiver.
Invite Invite other people to join the chat room.
Ignore Ignore anything said by the chosen person
Set Topic
Set the topic of the chat room. This is usually a brief sen‐
tence describing the nature of the chat--an explanation of the
chat room's name.
AWAY MESSAGES
Most protocols allow for away messages. When a user is away, he can
leave a message indicating why for others to see. The away submenu of
the Tools menu is used to add and remove away message, as well as to
set a user's away state.
New Away Message provides space for one to enter an away message and a
title for that message. If Save of Save & Use are chosen, this message
will be saved. It can later be referred to by the title given to it.
Remove Away Message is a submenu containing the titles of saved away
messages. Clicking on one of these titles will remove the away message
associated with it.
The rest of the away menu provides the user with a way to assign dif‐
ferent away messages to different connections. Choosing Set All Away
will set away all the connections capable of the away state.
BUDDY POUNCE
A Buddy Pounce is an automated trigger that occurs when a buddy returns
to a normal state from an away state. A pounce can be set to occur on
any combination of the events listed, and any combination of actions
can result. If Save this pounce after activation is checked, the trig‐
ger will remain until it is removed from the Remove buddy pounce menu.
ACCOUNT EDITOR
The account editor consists of a list of accounts and information about
them. Clicking Add or Modify will invoke a Modify Account window.
Here, you can alter information about your account. When creating a
new account, you will submit your screen name and password. You will
also choose your protocol; The two AIM protocols, TOC and OSCAR are
always loaded, but other protocols can be dynamically loaded and
unloaded using Protocols Plugins (PRPLS).
If Remember Password is chosen, the password will be saved in gaim's
configuration file.
If Auto-Login is chosen, this account will automatically login upon
starting gaim.
Each protocol has it's own specific options that can be found in the
protocol-specific tab on the modify screen.
PERL
Gaim allows for perl scripting. This submenu provides for the loading
of individual perl scripts and for the unloading of all of them. See
PERL-HOWTO for more information about perl scripting.
PLUGINS
Gaim allows for dynamic loading of plugins. The plugin window shows
the paths to loaded plugins on the left, and the name and description
of the plugin on the right.
You may load and unload plugins using the appropriate buttons.
PREFERENCESGeneral
Use Borderless Buttons
Change the appearence of the GUI's buttons.
Show Buddy Ticker
This opens the Buddy Ticker, a small window in which the con‐
tents of your buddy list scroll to keep you up to date on their
status.
Show Debug Window
This opens a debug window into which gaim sends more verbose
information about what it's doing.
Report Idle Times
For protocol's that require the client to report idle times,
this option sets the method of determining idle times. If None
is chosen, idleness will not be reported. If Gaim Use is cho‐
sen, it will send idle times relative to the last time gaim was
used. If X Use is chosen, idle times will be reported based on
the last time the mouse or keyboard was used.
Logging
Log all conversations will automatically log conversations into
~/.gaim/logs/. Unless Strip HTML from logs is checked, they
will be saved as an HTML file with a .log extension. The pref‐
erences window provides options to specify exactly what to log.
Browser
Choose the Web Browser to use when a hyperlink is clicked.
Buddy List
Hide IM/Info/Chat buttons
This option will remove the three buttons beneath the Buddy List
in the Buddy List Window.
Show pictures on buttons
If checked, the buttons will feature an icon, otherwise, the
buttons will be text.
Hide groups with no online buddies
This feature will only display a folder representing a group if
there is at least one online buddy in it.
Show numbers in groups
This feature displays the number of buddies in each group and
the number of these online in the Buddy List.
Show buddy type icons
This icon is a quick reference as to what protocol a buddy is
using, and what away state, if any, he is in.
Show Idle times
This shows how long a buddy has been idle next to his name.
Show warning levels This shows the warning level of a buddy next
to his name.
Conversations
Keyboard Options
These options set certain keybindings.
Show graphical smileys
This will convert emoticons such as :) and >:-O to small icons
representing them.
Show timestamp on messages
When selected, this option shows in the conversation window, the
time each message was received or sent.
Show URLs as links
This will convert URLs such as http://gaim.sourceforge.net to a
hyperlink pointing to that site.
Highlight misspelled words
While typing a message, if a user misspells a word, it will
immediately turn red. Right-clicking on the word will invoke a
menu of possible corrections.
Sending messages removes away status
If this option is selected, a user will come back from away if
he sends a message to someone.
Queue new messages when away
This option will cause new conversation windows not to be cre‐
ated until a user returns from away. Instead, a record of how
many messages received and from whom they were received is shown
in the away message window.
Ignore colors/font faces/ font sizes
These options ignore font settings that can be set in HTML tags.
Ignore TiK Automated Messages
AOL's open source TiK client gets a user's away message by send‐
ing him an automated message. This option ignores those mes‐
sages.
Ignore new conversations when away
If checked, new conversations will be ignored entirely when
away. Unlike the Queue new messages when away option, no record
will be kept of these.
Windows
Show buttons as:
This option selects the look of the buttons.
Show all conversations in one tabbed window
Instead of seperate windows for each conversation, they are all
shown in one window with tabs at the top to select the conversa‐
tion. A name on a tab will become red if a new message hasn't
yet been read.
Raise windows on events
When an event happens to a conversation, the conversation window
will be raised above all other windows on the desktop.
Show logins in window
This will show when buddies log in and out in the conversation
window, if one is open for that buddy.
Window size
Select the default size for new conversation windows.
Font Options
These set the font preferences that are sent with all messages over a
protocol that supports HTML.
Chat Rooms
This is a list of available chat rooms and chat rooms that you are sub‐
scribed to.
Sounds
No sounds when you log in
This will prevent sounds from playing when gaim is first noti‐
fied of your buddy's presence because you just signed on.
Sounds while away
This option will continue to play sounds on events if you are
away.
Beep instead of playing sound
This will cause a terminal beep instead of a sound upon events.
Command to play sound files
If you need a special command executed to play a sound, enter it
in the given box with %s representing the filename. If you pre‐
fer gaim to play the sound, leave it blank.
Events Choose sounds to play when each event occurs.
Away Messages
Don't send auto-response
If someone sends the user a message while away, gaim will not
respond with the away message if this is checked.
Auto Away
If this is selected gaim will automatically go away if it's been
idle for the specified length of time.
Privacy
Here, the user can configure his permit/deny lists.
FILES
~/.gaimrc - Gaim Config File
~/.gaim/logs/SCREENNAME.log - a log of all conversation with SCREEN‐
NAME.
/usr/local/lib/gaim/ - Gaim Plugin Files
~/.gaim/SCREENAME.PROTOCOL.blist - the buddy list for SCREENAME using
protocol number PROTOCOL
BUGS
Known bugs are at http://sourceforge.net/bugs/?group_id=235
BUG REPORTS
If you find a bug in gaim, please submit a bug form at http://source‐
forge.net/bugs/?group_id=235
Before sending a bug report, please verify that you have the latest
version of gaim. Many bugs (major and minor) are fixed at each
release, and if yours is out of date, the problem may already have been
solved.
SEE ALSO
http://gaim.sourceforge.net/ http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/gaim/
LICENSE
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MER‐
CHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General
Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
59 Temple PLace, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
AUTHORS
The authors of gaim are:
Rob Flynn <rob@marko.net> - AIM: RobFlynn
Sean Egan <bj91704@binghamton.edu> - AIM: SeanEgn
Syd Logan
The retired authors of gaim are:
Jim Duchek <jim@linuxpimps.com> - AIM: Zilding
Eric Warmenhoven <eric@warmenhoven.org>
Mark Spencer <markster@marko.net> - AIM: Markster97
This manpage was originally written by Dennis Ristuccia <dennis@den‐
nisr.net> AIM: D3nnisR. It has been updated and largely rewritten by
Sean Egan <bj91704@binghamton.edu> AIM: SeanEgn
gaim(1)
