Ubuntu: using google talk (XMPP)

Many users complain that there is no version of Google Talk for Linux. This is a sad reality to which we have had to adapt. A real shame that Google doesn't go the extra mile to create this software with Linux support. However, it is already an important step that Google has decided to base its VoIP client on the XMPP protocol. Remember that the VoIP XMPP protocol is free, unlike the one used by other applications such as Skype.

However, despite the absence of an official version of Gtalk for Linux, there are several ways to use the XMPP protocol in Linux.

gtalx

It is a native VoIP client for Linux, which emulates GTalk, the application created by Google.

Here are the steps to install it in Ubuntu (unfortunately, to install it in the rest of the Linux distributions, it is necessary to download the sources and compile them):

Step 1: Download and install the corresponding .deb file from the GTalx.

Once we download it, we go to the terminal and, after accessing the folder in which we save the .deb, we write:

sudo dpkg -i gtalx_0.0.5_i386.deb

# if you have downloaded the 64 bit version

sudo dpkg -i gtalx_0.0.5_amd64.deb

# you will get a dependencies error, so you will have to write

sudo apt-get -f install

To remove this application:

sudo apt-get remove gtalx

Step 2: Launch GTalx from Applications> Internet> Gtalx

Step 3: Login using a valid gmail id, click on "connect", and then click on "Call"

Other ways to connect that you should also try:

Pidgin

One of the greatest virtues of Pidgin (ex Gaim) is to be a multiprotocol instant messaging program. In Christian, this means that if we communicate using different services - such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo, Google Talk, ICQ or AIM - we can centralize everything about it, instead of keeping several programs open.

Now, adding an account on Pidgin is usually a pretty instinctive process… except for Google Talk (aka GTalk) which requires a couple of extra prompts.

1. In the main Pidgin window, enter the menu Accounts > Add / Edit.
2. Click on the button Add and then select the protocol XMPP.
3. Fill in the rest of the form as follows:

• User Name: Put your Google Talk username, but without at sign (@) or domain (that jargon after the at sign).
• employee: gmail.com
• ResourceHome
• Password: ****** (... they won't be so mong to put the asterisks, right?)
• Local Nickname: Leave blank.

4. Optionally you can mark:

• Remember password only if it is your personal PC (never on a shared computer).
• New mail notifications if you want Pidgin to alert you when you receive messages on your account gmail.
• Use this friend icon to select an image to present in that account (remember that only images with a maximum of 96 × 96 pixels are allowed).

5. Press Save and that's it (you may need to restart the program). Do not forget to verify that the box Able is marked in the account manager that we opened at the beginning.

Empathy

1. Go to Edit > Accounts (or press F4)
2. In Account type select Google Talk and click Create
3. We enter our data from login
4. We mark the option so that the account we have just created is «Enabled«.

Hopefully it helped you get started with this open and extensible XML-based protocol, designed for instant messaging.