Yahoo Messenger

Yahoo! Messenger

Program Info

Terminal command	ymessenger
Program URL	http://messenger.yahoo.com

The Linux user community is currently small enough that most companies scoff at making special versions of popular software just to run in Linux. Yahoo! did it. They didn't have to make a Linux version of their IM client, but they listened to users who requested it.

Now that we are done praising Yahoo! for being progressive and attempting to serve a wider range of operating systems than its IM competitors, I am free to complain. Yahoo! IM for UNIX (see Figure 10.6) works just fine. Everything functions. However, for a desktop aficionado who likes to have everything look nice, this program hurts the eyes. I need antialiased fonts (the nonjaggy ones) like J. Edgar Hoover needed a nice pair of red pumps and a girdle. Well, I guess he didn't need those, and I probably don't need nice fonts to look at. But, krikey, we want these things.

Figure 10.6. Yahoo! Messenger for UNIX, chat window and main window.

Okay, I'm done. It's not a bad program to use. If you only have a Yahoo! account and want to get down to basics with simple conversation windows, this one is for you. Yahoo! Messenger is also good for anyone who might be used to using the Windows version of the program. You will find lots of the features missing and things moved around a bit, but labels and basic functions are the same.

TOOL KIT 10.3

Install and Use Yahoo! Messenger

Use Me

1. On first run, you get a setup wizard to step through. Be thoroughly welcomed by the nice words and then click Next. Accept the license agreement. There's no need to read it; you are agreeing to give away all future profits obtained through your participation in the invention of spray-on hair for men.

2. Now you have some check box choices for KDE and for GNOME. Pick the ones you want. Mandrake users need to uncheck all these boxes for the program to launch without error. You can also choose to have Yahoo! Messenger start automatically for you. If you like that, check the box. I tend to never have any program start automatically; it just gives me the willies. After you click Next, the screen says that everything in the world is happy.

3. If you already have a Yahoo! ID, fill in your info and go (see Figure 10.7). If you need to sign up for one, use the Get a Yahoo! ID button, which brings up a browser to the appropriate page on Yahoo!'s Web page. The Remember My ID & Password choice is good when you are not on a public computer. Log In Under Invisible Mode is a feature the Yahoo! protocol has so that you can hide from your ex, or your mother, or anyone you owe money to on your friends list.

   Figure 10.7. Yahoo! Messenger Login screen.

   

   
   

Talk to Me

1. When you are logged in, you can add with the Add button on the toolbar or in the menu by going to Tools > Manage Friend List > Add a Friend.

2. The Add Friend dialog box is simple: Just enter the Yahoo! ID, select a group (if needed), make sure your correct account is chosen, and enter the message that will be sent to the friend you are adding. Yahoo! lets users know when another user is adding them to their list.

3. Double-click a friend to talk to that person.