doc/FAQ

Gaim: The Pimpin' Penguin IM Clone Thats Good For The Soul

1  Compiling
	1.1  Is there some way I can compile just Gaim, without all of
	     these protocols?
	1.2  I'm getting an error: ./au2h.c BuddyArrive.h open: No such
	     file or directory
	1.3  I compiled Gaim, but when I restart, it did not update.
	1.4  I can't compile Gaim CVS.
	1.5  I have a question about GTK2.

2  Using Gaim
	2.1  How do I register for a new account?
	2.2  Why is gaim crashing when somebody sends me an IM?

3  Features
	3.1  How do I use MSN, Yahoo, IRC, Gadu-Gadu, Napster, or Zephyr?
	3.2  Can Gaim send files?
	3.3  When will file transfer be supported? Is it being worked on?
	3.4  How come there's no Export Buddy List?
	3.5  Will Gaim save my buddy list to the server?
	3.6  Can Gaim import my buddy list?
	3.7  Can I set a buddy icon?

4  ICQ Protocol
	4.1  How do I use ICQ?
	4.2  ICQ doesn't work.

5  AIM/ICQ (Oscar) Protocol
	5.1  Some of my buddies are not showing up as online, why is that?
	5.2  IM Image doesn't work, why?
	5.3  I sent an IM Image, but only a blank line shows up, why?

6  IRC Protocol
	6.1  Why am I getting disconnected when I try to connect to IRC?

7  Jabber Protocol
	7.1  How do I choose which Jabber server to use?
	7.2  How do I change my Jabber resource to be other than the
	     default of "/GAIM"?
	7.3  How do I register a new Jabber account?

8  Scripts and Plugins
	8.1  Where can I find documentation on writing plugins and
	     Perl scripts?
	8.2  How do I compile a plugin for Gaim?

9  Development
	9.1  Where should I report bugs?
	9.2  Did you guys reverse engineer it?
	9.3  Will Gaim be ported to Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP?
	9.4  Will there be a QT dock app?

10  Misc. Questions
	10.1  Does AOL's attempts at blocking Trillian affect Gaim?
	10.2  Is Gaim affected by the vulnerability found in Windows
	      AIM or Yahoo Instant Messenger clients?
	10.3  Can I IM you guys?
	10.4  Can I give you money/hardware/other expensive things that
	      can be hocked for cash what with you all being
	      students/full-time-workers and helping to produce this
	      wonderful software instead of studying/sleeping?


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1  Compiling
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.1  Is there some way I can compile just Gaim, without all of
     these protocols?

  Sort of, yeah. There's actually two ways to do it.

	1.  Use the --with-static-prpls option to ./configure along with
	    --disable-plugins. This will let you choose which protocols are
	    compiled in with Gaim, but you will not be able to use any other
	    protocols or plugins.

	    You'll need to compile any protocols that you specified in
	    --with-static-prpls. Oscar and TOC are defaults.

	2.  Change to the directories for the protocols you
	    want to compile (e.g. src/protocols/jabber), and
	    run make from there. Then after you've compiled all
	    of them, change back to src/ and run make gaim.


1.2  I'm getting an error:

     ./au2h.c BuddyArrive.h
     open: No such file or directory

  You're not using gmake, are you? You need to be using gmake


1.3  I compiled Gaim, but when I restart, it did not update.

  If you previously had an rpm or a Debian package installed, you need to
  remove that first. When you restart Gaim, it will give some errors about
  your plugins. This is normal. Simply go into the Plugins dialog
  (Tools->Plugins) and reload them. These errors will only happen once.


1.4  I can't compile Gaim CVS.

  Make sure you have gettext <= 0.10.40, autoconf 2.11 or 2.53, and
  automake 1.4px. If you are still having problems, make sure that your
  gettext package includes the program gettextize. If it does not, look for
  another package.

  If you have Slackware, you need to get non-slack packages for autoconf,
  automake, gettext, and libtool. You also have to copy the contents of
  /usr/local/share/aclocal to /usr/share/aclocal. This is due to bugs in
  Slackware and the auto* packages.


1.5  I have a question about GTK2.

  Don't ask untill the changelog says it works.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2  Using Gaim
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1  How do I register for a new account?

  This depends on the protocol.

	AIM: Go to http://aim.AOL.com/aimnew/Aim/register.adp.

	ICQ: Go to http://web.icq.com/register.

	Yahoo: Go to http://edit.yahoo.com/config/eval_register.

	MSN: Go to http://registernet.passport.com.

	Gadu-Gadu: Use the official client to create an account.

	Jabber: See the question "How do I register a new Jabber account?"
	        below.


2.2  Why is gaim crashing when somebody sends me an IM?

  If you're using a version older than 0.55 (or Ximian or Debian's 0.54
  package), you can be crashed remotely through an IM using one of two
  strings. The solution is to upgrade to the latest version, where both
  exploits are fixed.

  If you are using a version newer than 0.55 and gaim still crashes, please
  let us know.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3  Features
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1  How do I use MSN, Yahoo, IRC, Gadu-Gadu, Napster, or Zephyr?

  First load the plugin. Protocol plugins come with Gaim, so just go to the
  Plugins dialog (Tools->Plugins, or the Plugins button on the start
  screen) and then click "Load." The protocol plugins are named
  lib<protocol>.so, so MSN for instance is provided by libmsn.so.

  After you have loaded the appropriate plugin, use the Account Editor
  (Tools->Accounts, or the Accounts button on the start screen) to add the
  account.


3.2  Can Gaim send files?

  TOC can, in a limited way. Most protocols are capable of it, but Gaim
  hasn't implemented anything yet.


3.3  When will file transfer be supported? Is it being worked on?

  File transfer is not currently being worked on. It will be supported if
  someone writes a patch using a generic user interface and without adding
  any GTK+ to the protocol plugins.


3.4  How come there's no Export Buddy List?

  It would be the same as the cp command. Gaim stores your buddy list in
  the $HOME/.gaim directory. You can copy it out of there.


3.5  Will Gaim save my buddy list to the server?

  Gaim already does this in MSN, Yahoo, and TOC. As of version 0.53, this
  support exists for Oscar as well. Improved Jabber support is being worked
  on.


3.6  Can Gaim import my buddy list?

  This depends on the format of the buddy list. Gaim cannot import Licq
  contact lists. Gaim has mixed success importing Windows AIM buddy lists.
  If you want to try, click File->Import. This is accessible after you sign
  on.


3.7  Can I set a buddy icon?

  Yes. Go to the Account Editor (Tools->Accounts from the buddy list), and
  click to "Modify" the Oscar account you wish to have an icon. Type the
  full path to the image you wish to use in the box labeled "Buddy Icon
  File." The file must be below 4KB. It can have any dimensions, and can be
  in any format. However, if you wish Windows users to see it, it must be
  in a format Windows understands, such as .bmp, .gif, and .jpg.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 4  ICQ Protocol
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.1  How do I use ICQ?

  ICQ support is part of the OSCAR protocol, labeled AIM/ICQ in gaim (see
  the question "ICQ doesn't" work for why). To use it, simply put your
  account number in the ScreenName box and your password in the password
  box. Leave the server settings alone. 


4.2  ICQ doesn't work.

  Use AIM/ICQ for ICQ. AOL stopped supporting the older versions of the ICQ
  protocol. The newer versions are extensions of Oscar, which is labled
  AIM/ICQ in gaim. Currently, Oscar supports as much of ICQ as the ICQ
  plugin used to. To use Oscar for ICQ, put your UIN in the Screenname box,
  and leave the server information alone.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 5  AIM/ICQ (Oscar) Protocol
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.1  Some of my buddies are not showing up as online, why is that?

  AOL has set a limit for the maximum number of people you can have in your
  buddy list. This number is currently 200. Gaim 0.58 gives you a warning
  if you are over the limit, but if you are using something prior to 0.58,
  make sure you are not over the limit (and upgrade to something more
  recent!).

  The other possibility is that your server-stored buddy list is corrupt.
  Unfortunately, Gaim 0.53 had a bug that caused it to corrupt some
  entries, especially group names. While this corruption doesn't show in
  gaim unless you remove the SCREENNAME.0.blist file from ~/.gaim, it does
  affect how long the server thinks your list is. The best way to fix this,
  is to:

mv ~/.gaim/SCREENNAME.0.blist ~/

  where SCREENNAME is your screenname, without spaces and in all caps. Then
  signon, delete all groups, signoff, and signon again to verify that your
  list is empty. Once it is empty, signoff, mv your SCREENNAME.0.blist file
  back into ~/.gaim, then sign on again.


5.2  IM Image doesn't work, why?

  IM Image is very sensitive, even from windows. Gaim currently only
  supports sending IM Images if the sender is not behind a firewall or nat
  device.  Given that the windows version of AIM also has trouble in this
  situation, we are not sure this is entirely fixable. A work around that
  is sometimes effective is to have the reciever, not being behind a
  firewall, request a direct connection, then send the immage.


5.3  I sent an IM Image, but only a blank line shows up, why?

  You need to have gdk-pixbuf installed to send IM Images, if the reciever
  is also using gaim, [s]he also needs to have this installed.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 6  IRC Protocol
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

6.1  Why am I getting disconnected when I try to connect to IRC?

  You will be disconnected if the nickname you chose is already in use on
  that IRC server. Try again with a different nickname.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 7  Jabber Protocol
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

7.1  How do I choose which Jabber server to use?

  The Jabber server name is part of your Jabber I.D., such as
  somebody@server.name. So when entering your Jabber "screen name", the
  server is specified as part of your JID.


7.2  How do I change my Jabber resource to be other than the default of
     "/GAIM"?

  When you create your account in Gaim, simply append the desired resource
  identifier to your Jabber I.D. For example: somebody@server.name/resource 


7.3  How do I register a new Jabber account?

  As of version 0.52 and up:

	1. Click "Tools->Accounts->Add"
	2. Select "Jabber" for the protocol.
	3. Fill in screen name and password as you normally would.
	4. Check the "Register with server" check-box
	5. Click "OK".

  A pop-up will tell you whether the registration succeeded or not.

  Note: You are strongly recommended to check the "Remember
        password" check-box as well, as Gaim presently does no password
        verification. So if you don't type in what you thought you did,
        you're hosed.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 8  Scripts and Plugins
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

8.1  Where can I find documentation on writing plugins and Perl scripts?

  If you look in the plugins/ directory in the Gaim source, you should see
  a HOWTO file for C plugins and a PERL-HOWTO for Perl scripts.


8.2  How do I compile a plugin for Gaim?

  To compile a plugin for Gaim, you must have Gaim's source code. There are
  two ways to get this: Tarballs, and CVS. To work with a tarball, follow
  the instructions below. To use CVS, follow the instructions on the CVS
  page.  Please note that normally, CVS is much more stable than the
  tarballs!

  To work with a tarball, download the latest source code from
  http://gaim.sf.net/ and untar it with the command:

	tar zxvf filename

  where filename is the file you downloaded.

  After you have a Gaim source code tree, either through tarballs or CVS:

	1. Change to the resulting directory and run the command:

	   ./configure

	   This will create the necessary make files.

	2. Move the plugin you wish to compile into the plugins/ directory in
	   the Gaim source code tree.

	3. Change to the plugins/ directory.
	4. Type:

	   make name.so

	   where the name of the file you wish to compile is name.c.

	   Note well the difference in the extensions. If you type make name.c
	   nstead of name.so, it won't work.

	5. After make finishes, you can move the plugin to a place that is more
	   convenient. $prefix/lib/gaim is suggested. If you installed Gaim by
	   compiling it yourself, $prefix is /usr/local by default. Otherwise,
	   $prefix is /usr.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 9  Development
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

9.1  Where should I report bugs?

  http://gaim.sf.net/bug.php


9.2  Did you guys reverse engineer it?

  TOC, Jabber, MSN, Napster, and IRC are published protocols, so we didn't
  have to reverse engineer those. Oscar, ICQ, and Yahoo are not published,
  and were reverse engineered by other people.


9.3  Will Gaim be ported to Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP?

  When GTK+ 2.0 comes out and compiles well against Cygwin, and Gaim has
  been ported to it, Gaim should work. It will not happen before GTK+ 2.0
  is ported to Windows, though.


9.4  Will there be a QT dock app?

  Right now Gaim, is done entirely in C and GTK+, so a QT dock app is not
  in planned. You can either write a patch to do this yourself, or wait
  until the core and UI of Gaim are split. A QT UI will probably be
  considered at that time.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 10  Misc. Questions
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------

10.1  Does AOL's attempts at blocking Trillian affect Gaim?

  No.


10.2  Is Gaim affected by the vulnerability found in Windows AIM or Yahoo
      Instant Messenger clients?

  No.


10.3  Can I IM you guys?

  Sure! Look at the Contact Information
  (http://gaim.sf.net/contactinfo.php) page!


10.4  Can I give you money/hardware/other expensive things that can be
      hocked for cash what with you all being students/full-time-workers
      and helping to produce this wonderful software instead of
      studying/sleeping?

  No. We're completely fool-hardy and won't accept any gratuities with no
  strings attached for just being good guys. That and we'd have to share
  with everyone who has submitted patches. ;-)