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John
Asked: 2012-02-18 07:12:58 +0800 CST

Can Yahoo! Messenger be used with Ubuntu?

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I'm new to Ubuntu and the first thing I tried to do is download and install Yahoo! Messenger. When I went to install I keep getting an error. Is it not compatible?

compatibility instant-messaging yahoo

6 Answers

  1. First you have some alternatives to Yahoo messenger. For example, the Empathy messenger that comes with Ubuntu:

    enter image description here

    but assuming you want the actual Yahoo Messenger, the Yahoo Messenger running with Wine does not work (tested myself right now) and the Linux version for it is very old and gave me a weird error. For the time being, you can use the alternative like Empathy, Pidgin and any other messenger that supports the Yahoo protocol. All of which come with Ubuntu or can be found in the Ubuntu Software Center.

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  2. Instructions

    1. Install Wine . Wine is what is known as a "transition layer," which is a fancy way of saying that it is a program capable of running Windows programs . It is a bit like an emulator. Installation files for Wine can be obtained by selecting "Ubuntu Software Center"

    2. Download the Yahoo! Messenger installer as normal. This is an executable file with a .exe file extension that contains all the files and instructions necessary to install the program on your machine. On the Yahoo! Messenger webpage select the "Download" tab near the top of the page, and then select "Download Now" from the page that loads. Save the file to your Desktop for easy access for the next step.

    3. Execute the Yahoo! Messenger .exe file. If Wine has been properly installed, Ubuntu will automatically load the setup.exe file within Wine, which will cause the normal program setup dialog boxes to appear with instructions to follow just as if you were installing within Windows.

    enter image description here

    Right Click > properties > Permission > check Allow executing programs

    4 . double click it & install it

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  3. By the looks of things Yahoo! Messenger for Unix/Linux is basically an abandoned project.

    There are free packages like Pidgin, Empathy and a few others that will allow you to use Yahoo's messaging. All you will have to do is configure an account for access.

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  4. You can use the default chat client for Ubuntu called Empathy. You can find it by clicking the letter in the notification area (next to your clock). When it launch, if you haven't setup any account(s) it will ask you to do so. If you already have accounts there you can just click F4 and a window for accounts will pop up. There you can add new account and from the drop-down menu you can select Yahoo.

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  5. An acceptable alternative is Gyachi. you might want to give it a try. It definitely has more features than the conventional alternatives like Pidgin or Empathy, though it might have bugs ( developed only till 10.04 ,sadly )... But its worth a shot :)

    http://gyachi.sourceforge.net/intro.shtml

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  6. i don't know why people are suggesting Wine, yahoo messenger won't work with that, at-least its calling features, and there is no other known ways to access its video/voice calling in ubuntu.

    The best way is to Install Pidgin.

    sudo apt-get install pidgin

    or

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pidgin-developers/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install pidgin

    With Pidgin you can't access any of the video/audio calling features, can do chatting and add friends.

    I think that's the best you can do with yahoo messenger in ubuntu, unless they introduce n Debian specific version, and that doesn't seem to happen in the near future.

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