Free instant messaging software for linux

simple instant messaging (sim) is an IRC client specialized for use with bitlbee. It is based on sic (http://suckless.org). It reads commands from standard input and prints all server output to standard output.
simple instant messaging also multiplexes all channel traffic into one output, so you dont have to switch to different channel buffers. sim must be customized by editing its source code to insert the correct username, server, password, and identification information.
Enhancements:
- The command operator was changed.
- Some code simplifications were done.
- The output format was adjusted.

Secure Messaging is a Web-based, alternative mail system for sending and receiving messages.

Use secure messaging to send and receive messages from a alternative web-based mail system. Using the secure messaging system no actual mail is transmitted through any 3rd party servers.

Only an optional message notice is sent to the recepient, the user needs to visit the site in order to read the message.

Normal SMTP mail can hit multiple servers and can possibly be read, stored, or changed anywhere within the process.

Setup secure messaging on an SSL enabled website to enhance the privacy even more.

Off-the-Record Messaging is a Pidgin plugin that allows you to have private conversations over instant messaging by providing:
Encryption
No one else can read your instant messages.
Authentication
You are assured the correspondent is who you think it is.
Deniability
The messages you send do not have digital signatures that are checkable by a third party. Anyone can forge messages after a conversation to make them look like they came from you. However, during a conversation, your correspondent is assured
the messages he sees are authentic and unmodified.
Perfect forward secrecy
If you lose control of your private keys, no previous conversation is compromised.
Enhancements:
- Translations for English, Dutch, Spanish, French, Slovak
- Added option to not log OTR conversations
- Large messages are now fragmented transparently instead of failing
- Removed "view secure session id" and "verify fingerprint" options from the OTR button menu. Added "authenticate buddy" option in its place. This new option allows you to authenticate your buddies by entering some secret that only the two of you know, rather than by using a long user-unfriendly sequence of hex characters. [The old "verify fingerprint" dialog is still available via an "Advanced..." button from the new "authenticate buddy" dialog.]

Yafumato Web Messenger is a Web-based instant messenger client. Users can connect to supported instant messenger services using only a Web browser via HTTP (or HTTPS).
The Yafumato server connects to the messengers by proxy and provides the Web interface to the user, allowing instant messaging from computers where a desktop client cannot be used.
Yafumato Web Messenger is currently alpha software; as such, it has minimal error handling and is not feature complete.
Enhancements:
- The database is now an optional package; users can now login using messenger credentials rather than single sign-on using the database.
- Messenger session handling has been improved; any active messenger sessions are restored upon signin.
- Unstable messenger sessions can be disconnected and replaced using the new "Reset Messenger" link on the status page.

ShoutChat is a PHP script which allows developers to add an instant message (or IRC) like shout box to Web sites.
The shoutchat is an iframe element (Mozilla compatible), and the script operates using Javascript and stores the messages in a MySQL database (a file gets complicated with synchronous posts, so a database was favored).
The look of the box is controlled through styles.
All the modern browsers are supported (including Konqueror).
In order to act more like an instant chat, it handles some of the details that other shout boxes do not.
It uses Javascript head requests to check for new messages, refreshing the iframe and scrolling down to the new message when one is detected.
Several IRC features are included, such as channels. Finally, a text formatting engine called FastFormat code is used to decorate text and create special links.
Enhancements:
- renamed project to ShoutChat to reflect the change in direction the project took
- migrated to two tables, one for shouts, the other for channels
- updated database script

JWChat is a full featured, web-based Jabber client. It uses only JavaScript and HTML on the client-side. It supports basic jabber instant messaging, roster management and groupchats based on the MUC protocol.
JWChat is an advanced instant messenger (IM) just like AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger or ICQ. This means you can manage your contacts, communicate with other users in 1:1 chat sessions or join a groupchat room for collaborative communication. Unlike other IMs you can use this with your web browser without having to install any additional software at all. For a list of supported browsers see the features page.
All of your settings, bookmarks and your contact list are stored on the server side. This means that you have access to your personalized client from almost any computer as long as its got access to the internet.
JWChat and its underlying software are all Open Source. This gives you the flexibility you need in your everyday business.
JWChat brings you the perfect solution for your corporate communication. Being a web application it gives you all advantages of centralized software distribution. Dont hassle with software installs and updates on the client side!
As a web developer its easy for you to integrate it with your existing web projects. Add advanced instant messaging and groupchat functionality to your website now!
Main features:
Jabber/XMPP
- Create accounts
- Roster management: Add, delete contacts, edit contacts groups etc.
- Jabber presence types with support for away messages
- Custom presence for each roster item
- Instant Messages and 1:1 Chats
- Support for registering and searching JUD (Jabber User Directory)
- Full support for MUC (Multi-User Chats) as described in JEP-0045
- Support for transport/gateways to other IM services like ICQ, AIM, MSN, etc.
- Server side storage of preferences and bookmarks (chat rooms)
- Message-History (optional - needs support from the server side)
- many more
GUI
- Multiple language support (through apaches mod_negotiation)
- Online-Help
- System sounds
- Smileys in messages and chats (themes customizable)
- Customizable poll interval (if polling backend present)

SNIMMER stands for Single Network Instant Messaging Mediation and Relay. SNIMMER can talk to any IM network, and can relay instant messages from one IM network to another.

Currently, one cannot use AOL messenger to chat with users on MSN, Yahoo!, or GTalk and vice-versa. SNIMMER overcomes instant messenger non-interoperability.

It has been designed primarily to help webmasters to chat with Web visitors on any IM network using any instant messenger.

What you will need:

1) Internet connection
2) IM account that you always use
3) Create a set of IM accounts for all networks (eg. AOL, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN) that you want to receive visitors from. It is essential that you create brand new accounts that were not used by you for personal chat, otherwise snimmer will clash with you online.
4) Web server where you can run a CGI script. A sample script that comes with this package is written in python but you can re-write it in your favorite language - it is very simple.
5) You neeed Python to be installed on your web server. Also you will need python-xmpp library installed too.

You can grab python here: http://www.python.org/

XMPPPY library download:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=97081&package_id=103821

6) You should know how to add CGI scripts to pages and how to display results. Sample script works but youll probably want a better integration with your page.
7) You have to know what jabber servers and what jabber transports you are going to use.

You can deploy your own or you can try the ones that are publicly available. You can refer to this page to find the server for you:

http://www.jabber.org/user/publicservers.shtml

In the simplest case youll need to replace example.com with the name of the server you have picked. Though it is not neccessary that transport should be on the same server. You can use transports from other servers if their policies allow that.

How to install it:

1) get it from http://www.snimmer.com/snimmer/snimmer.tar and unpack it
2) open credentials.py with a text editor. You will see something like this (lines numbers are added for readability - they should not be present in the actual file):

1 clients={
2 snimmer@example.com:{
3 login:snimmer,
4 server:example.com,
5 password:snimmer,
6 transports:{
7 xmpp:(example.com,,),
8 # icq:(icq.example.com,123456789,ICQ_password,),
9 # yahoo:(yahoo.example.com,Yahoo_login,Yahoo_password),
10 # msn:(msn.example.com,MSN_login@hotmail.com,MSN_password),
11 # aim:(aim.example.com,AIM_screenname,AIM_password),
13 },
14 },
15
16 ## This is another connection. If you want to be able to receive two calls at the same time
17 ## uncomment it. To receive even more calls - add more such sections
18 # snimmer2@example.com:{
19 # login:snimmer2,
20 # server:example.com,
21 # password:snimmer,
22 # transports:{
23 # icq:(icq.example.com,123456780,ICQ_password2,),
24 # },
25 # },
26
27 }
28
29 SPOOL=rc:snimmerspool
30 SPOOL=r/tmp/snimmerspool
31
32 publisher_im=icq
33 publisher_screenname=123456789
34
35 blocked_ips=blocked.txt

imsniff is a pcap-based instant messaging sniffer. It captures the IM traffic in the network and is able to log conversations, contact lists, profile information, incoming email notifications, other MSN events, etc. Tested in Linux and Windows.
You can configure it via command line parameters or via a file called imsniff.conf either in the current directory or in /etc. If for some reason you rename the IMsniff
execute, you need to rename the config file as well. A sample imsniff.conf.sample file is included.
The only required parameter is the interface name to taht will be listened.
Enhancements:
- Allows to be configured via configuration file.
- Added support to non-ethernet interfaces.
- Added profile information capture.
- Added support for initial email notification.
- Added support for new email notification.