Pidgin has been in the news since early April, after it became the new name for Gaim. A few weeks later it was released and after an update last week I've decided to give it a try and see how it feels.

I've seen a lot of forum threads this week asking for alternatives to Windows Live Messenger, as it no longer meets their requirements. I've found myself showing them Pidgin because it works on many IM networks. However, I was recommending the program based on what I knew, I never really tested the program for long, I guess it is time I took it out for a real test drive.

Pidgin is extremely easy to install. Just over 10MB gives you so much, and you can choose to download extras such as Aspell within the installer itself. The NSIS installer system allows you to easily customise where Pidgin should be installed and what shortcuts to use without it becoming complicated.

Compared to Microsoft installers there is a huge difference, they are large, slow and, well, not easy to use. First impressions do count, and I don't want to wait 10 minutes to install a program (which is how long it takes Messenger on my old XP machine).

Getting my accounts set up was a little tricky, mainly because I didn't know what some of the input forms meant. Still it wasn't difficult, just not perfect. This is just me being nitpicky.

Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger may have teamed up, but Pidgin allows you to use all your IM accounts within one program. It may lack in features, but the features it does have provide everything you really need. I just wish the design was more customisable.

With more features and more on the team, Pidgin could be a huge program. It's great for on the go and if you are a business user. However, if like me and everyone you know uses MSN/ Windows Live Messenger, it is better to just use the main program by Microsoft. Nevertheless Pidgin is simple, clean and easy to use. I recommend this as the main alternative to Messenger, it just doesn't suit me.

Adding an account
Buddy list
Conversations in Pidgin
Managing accounts
Setting your friendly name