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Cross-Platform Video Chat For Linux?

Posted by timothy on from the would-be-nice dept.

Ethan1701 writes "Some of my friends are using iChat to stay in touch and gap the distance of the Atlantic. I'm feeling left out on my Fedora Gnome based desktop. Is there a good program for Gnome that provides cross-platform instant messaging and video chat? This rules out Skype and aMSN, as well as any other app that's specific for the ICQ/AOL Network. Kopete is for KDE. Pidgin doesn't intend to develop video-chat, I haven't found a plugin for it that provides video, and Gaim-vv hasn't been developed in over two years and is so out of date that it's still going by Gaim and not Pidgin. Do Slashdot readers have an application that meets these needs? Maybe even one that surpasses iChat?"

5 of 338 comments (clear)

  1. Ekiga by corsec67 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.ekiga.org/

    Ekiga seems to do what you want, it has pretty good support for various kinds of webcams in Linux.

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    1. Re:Ekiga by shtrom · · Score: 5, Informative

      I've had good luck with Ekiga on Linux, but my friends that use windows have stability problems with it.

      The thing is that Ekiga is an SIP client, so there is no need for the other party to be using the same program (yay for standards-based interop!).

      Ekiga works well for me under Linux, and there is a vast choice of (free as in beer) SIP clients for Windows.

      It is worth to note that ekiga.net can provide SIP account (and STUN server) for free.

      No reason not to go for it, then (;

  2. Patience by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Informative

    Pidgin doesn't intend to develop video-chat

    http://developer.pidgin.im/wiki/GSoC2008/VoiceAndVideo

    "Making good progress: it works"

    So its coming along.

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  3. Skype by Deltaspectre · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's cross platform and video chat definitely works, I don't see the submitters problem with it.

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  4. Mercury Messenger (Java-based client for MSNMSGR) by ezyzeke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Mercury messenger is java based (and thus cross-platform) and uses MSN messenger service including webcam chat (I'm not sure about audio-only chat). I use it in Mac OS X and works quite decently, and it is available in with package installer for Mac OS X, deb (Debian/Ubuntu) and rpm (Fedora/Redhat/many Others), and it is also available as tgz. I'm not sure if it is open source, though. List of features (from their website): * Sign in with multiple accounts, Fast file transfering, Simultaneous sending & receiving webcam, Offline messaging, Extensive event notifications, User defined event actions, Single window (tabbed) conversations, Customizable contact list, Customizable message views, Custom status icons, Custom emoticons, Resource saving (Webcam streams, Display pictures, Emoticons), HTTP Proxy, Yahoo contacts, Audio/Video conference, Multi OS, Runs from USB stick, Language support Website: http://mercury.im/