Pidgin - Find invisible users on gmail

This is the second way by which you can find invisible buddies on Gmail / Orkut / any other chat client.  The notion behind this working is same as of Udghosh. You can read it here.
Anyway use and fulfill your mind of finding invisible user before Google patch it.

How to install Pidgin

Pidgin Supports Voice/Video chat that which is available only in Gmail. Presently works only in Linux. But i have not used or tried.

In Windows:
Go to this site and choose Windows OS and download the offline installer [26.8 MB]. The normal installation is around 9.1MB but after that you may have to again download GTK+ for proper working of it hence offline installer has been choosen.
For me installation went smooth. If you encounter any problem please read FAQ in Pidgin and if not solved ask in the forum in Pidgin.

In Linux:
Go to this site and choose your linux flavour. If its RHEL /Cent OS /Fedora you need to do through yum command, they have explained it there how to do it. But still you will find the trouble of dependency which might take your mood. Anyway you can read what has been written in this blog and try.
For Ubuntu it should run easily.
For all other flavours you need to compile from source.
Lower version of any linux flavour is not going to work as its depended on latest GTK+.
For me installation was smooth in Ubuntu but in RHEL faced some problems, but was installed after solving dependency. If you encounter any problem please read FAQ in Pidgin and if not solved ask in the forum in Pidgin.

In Mac OS X:
Go to this site and choose yours. You might find it tough to do as you need to install Fink. I dropped the idea of trying this.  If you encounter any problem please read FAQ in Pidgin and if not solved ask in the forum in Pidgin.


In Solaris:
Go to this site of Solaris local packages and try to install it. I have not tried. Pidgin doesn't directly give a package for the same but you can compile using their source. You may ask in the forum of pidgin to do the same if you encounter any trouble.

How to configure Pidgin for google talk:
1. Click on Accounts-Manage Accounts.
2. In that new Window click on Add.
3. Choose Protocol as Google talk and fill your username. Add the domain as "gmail.com". Resource as "Pidgin". Look the screenshot below.

Add account in Pidgin

 4. Click on Advanced. and check it should have the fields like this.

Pidgin Advanced

In the connect server it should be talk.google.com, for the latest version of Pidgin you don't have to type, leave the field empty it auto detects.
5. Save and then click on Accounts-Enable accounts-#choose your account #.
6. A pop up should come for password. Type the password and wait for sometime.
7. It will login and show you all the buddy list. You will be logged in as "Available" state that's online status. You can use a plugin to change that to "invisible" after logging in from here. There its well explained how to use that plugin. I have tried in Windows, it works but you login as "Available" and then you have to change it to invisible. So you will be atleast for a few seconds be seen as "Available".

Find invisible user using Pidgin
1. By default Pidgin doesn't show offline/invisible users. Go to Buddies-Show-#select Offline Buddies#
2. Right click the buddy whose invisible/offline status you want to check. From the context menu click on for . Check the below image. By clicking initiate chat you actually invite the buddy for group chat.

Click on Initiate Chat from the context menu

3. A new window will pop up. If the buddy is invisible then you will find the buddy in the group chat room. Check the image below.

You and your invisible buddy you will find in the room. If he is offline you alone will be in the room.
Your buddy will find an alert window at his/her end in Gmail/Orkut/ Chat client. If you immediately close the window you will be leaving the room. Check below the image.

Pros and Cons of using Pidgin [compared with Udghosh]
1. For Pidgin you need to download [26.8 MB] and for Udghosh its just 1.14MB [usually java will be present in all the system by default].
2. Pidgin has to be installed in your system only for this process, no installation for Udghosh [only pre-installed java]
3. Pidgin completely a manual process at present no scanner nor auto scanning.
4. Pidgin shows you online for a few seconds even if you use the invisible plugin. Udghosh makes you completely invisible.
5. Pidgin has no way to detect when a offline user comes in invisible mode.
6. Pidgin doesn't show from where the user is invisible [Gmail/Orkut], Udghosh shows it.
7. Pidgin different operating system support is not well packaged for Linux/Mac/Solaris. Java support is there everywhere, hence Udghosh runs everywhere easily.
8. In Pidgin if you found the user invisible you can continue chatting from there itself. Udghosh you need to go to Gmail to chat.
9. In Pidgin you don't have to type any email id of the person you need to select the buddy and initiate chat. In Udghosh  for selective user you need to manually type it , but it supports many emailid's together. For complete scan in Udghosh you don't have to type.

For more information on Udghosh  click here.


Thank you for visiting. Please put your comment how you made use of it.