Tweeting via Pidgin on Ubuntu

Pidgin is a multi-featured instant messaging desktop client that is very popular among Linux users. It supports a wide range of chat networks like Yahoo!, AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, and IRC. You can even send and receive SMS (Text Messages) for free via Pidgin. So if it can do all these, does it support everybody's favorite micro-blogging platform Twitter?

--Yes it does. Thanks to a plugin called microblog-purple you will now be able to send and receive tweets via Pidgin.

For Ubuntu users, here's a simple tutorial on installing this Twitter plugin on Pidgin:

1. Depending on your Ubuntu version, add these software repositories:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/sugree/ppa/ubuntu hardy main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/sugree/ppa/ubuntu hardy main

or

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/sugree/ppa/ubuntu intrepid main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/sugree/ppa/ubuntu intrepid main

or

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/sugree/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/sugree/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

You can easily add software sources by opening Synaptic Package Manager, and then going to Settings --> Repositories --> Third-Party Software:

After adding the above repositories, close the Synaptic Package Manager.

2. Open a terminal and type this command in order to import the key:

sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com 0CF459B8DF37ED8B

Then:

sudo apt-get update

3. Install the microblog-purple plugin with this command:

sudo apt-get install pidgin-microblog

4. After installation, we can now enable the microblog-purple plugin by opening Pidgin, and then going to Tools --> Plugins. Make sure to check "Twitgin":

5. We can now add Twitter from the list of protocols. To do this, simply open the "Manage Accounts" window, add an account, and select TwitterIM from the "Protocol" drop-down menu:


6. Proceed by providing your Twitter username and password:


7. You can now start tweeting via Pidgin!


Note that you can also use these commands inside the Pidgin Twitter window:

/replies - get all replies to you
/refresh - get new tweets instantly
/tag, /btag, /untag - automatically tag all your message

Enjoy!