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| SILC Pidgin |
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Features
SILC Pidgin is a full featured SILC client combined with the familiar
user interface of one of the most popular chat clients,
Pidgin. SILC Pidgin supports
practically all SILC protocol features and all Pidgin features. In addition
of using SILC protocol you can also use all the other chat protocols that
the Pidgin supports, such as ICQ, IRC, Jabber, MSN and many more. You can
use your SILC Pidgin to chat with your friends or with your colleagues in
your office SILC network. You can also exchange files securely between
other users.
SILC Pidgin also fully supports the SILC Client and you can upgrade from
SILC Client to SILC Pidgin without need to make any changes. The same SILC
public key pair that you used with SILC Client is automatically used also
in SILC Pidgin.
Buddy List
The SILC Pidgin includes full support for the Pidgin buddy list with automatic
presence notifications. You can see when your friends login to the
network or leave the network for a reason or another.
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Your friends are
added to the buddy list using their SILC public key. This way you can
establish a trust to your friend. As the nicknames are not unique in
the SILC network the SILC public key can be used to identify users.
With a friend you have added to the buddy list you can easily and
securely exchange files, negotiate secret key pairs, and of course
talk securely and in private.
In addition of having friends in the buddy list you can also add your
favorite channels there. By adding channels to the buddy list you can
join them automatically and operate the channel features such as mode
changes by using the context menu available by clicking the right mouse
button on the channel name.
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Secured Instant Messages
SILC Pidgin supports all the familiar Instant Message features that you can
except to see in Pidgin. You can talk with your friends securely and
privately in many ways. The traditional IM provides instant messaging
secured with session keys.
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The IM with key exchange provides you the most secured conversation by
first negotiating a secret key with the SILC Key Exchange protocol. The
SILC Pidgin includes a NAT detector, and as long as one of you are not
behind NAT you will be able to negotiate the keys automatically.
The IM with password can be used if you and your friend has agreed to use
a certain password or passphrase to protect your conversation.
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Automatic Presence Notifications
SILC Pidgin also supports automatic presence notifications, and the user
online attributes which can be used to deliver extra information about the
user. You could receive for example your friend's business card
(vCard), public keys, certificates, pictures and much more.
By holding your mouse over your friend in the buddy list you can see
details about your friend's status in the network in a tooltip box. You
can set same information for yourself as well. And if you like your
privacy you can of course reject others from seeing this information.
Private Channel Groups
Private groups inside channels are a novel idea where you can create sort
of a corner table in the room and chat privately with your friends so that
no other person can hear you or your friends. Private groups exists in
the channel and their messages are secured with so called channel private
key. In order to join the private group user has to know the correct
passphrase. Only after that user is able to see the private group
messages. It is possible to create multiple private groups on same
channel and you can belong to as many private groups as you like. Normal
channel rules and modes still apply to private groups as well. And you
can still talk normally in the channel with other people that are not part
of your private group.
With private groups it is possible to maintain a public channel where
everyone can talk freely, but still have private conversations inside the
channel that no outsider, inside or outside the channel, is able to see.
You can create private groups once you have joined the channel, and once
you have added the channel to your buddy list. Once you add new private
group it gets added to the buddy list automatically.
File Transfers, Detaching, and more
SILC Pidgin also supports tons of other useful features. You can exchange
files securely with SILC Pidgin. The file transfer is secured with the SILC
protocol and the files are sent peer-to-peer. The file transfer includes
a NAT detector, and as long as one of you are not behind a NAT device you
will be able to exchange files.
You can also detach from the SILC server but still remain in the SILC
network. This allows you to stop chatting without need to logoff
from the network. This way you will remain on all channels and your
online status and privileges will remain. When you return to the network
the SILC Pidgin automatically opens the windows on those channels you were
joined. And you can continue chatting like you were never gone.
> See detailed specifications for SILC Pidgin
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