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Adium is a popular instant messaging client for Mac OS X that supports multiple protocols through the libgaim and joscar libraries. It is written using OS X's Cocoa API, and it is released under the free software GNU General Public License.
History Adium was originally created by college student Adam Iser, and the first version, 1.0, was released in September 2001. The next version—originally slated to be called Adium 2.0, but then renamed to Adium X—is a complete rewrite of the code of the 1.x series. Its largest improvement was switching to libgaim to add support for IM protocols other than AIM; supported protocols now include ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Jabber and Google Talk. Most of the work on libgaim itself is done by the Gaim team; the Adium team mostly works on the Adium X graphical user interface (GUI). The next major release is Adium X 1.0. The development can be followed at Adium's trac page. The most significant change in Adium 1.0 will be the switch from libgaim to joscar for implementing AIM, which will improve file transfer. Protocols Adium X supports the following account types: Plugins and Customizability Adium makes use of a plugin architecture; many of the program's essential features are actually provided by plugins. A built-in plugin provides support for the rendering of LaTeX math expressions during conversations. Other features in the newest version include support for file transfer, support for the Growl notifications system, and support for encrypted messaging with the off-the-record messaging library. Adium 0.88 was the first version compiled as a universal binary, making it run natively with Intel-based Macs. Adium is also highly customizable through the use of resources its developers call "Xtras". The program can be customized by the use of hundreds of third-party Xtras that alter the appearance of emoticons, Dock icons, contact list styles, and messages styles. Adium can also be enhanced through the use of different sound sets. AppleScripts can also be utilized to automatically alter behavior in responses to certain triggers. Adium also has a fork project, called "Metal Adium". This version uses iLife's 'Polished Metal' theme instead of the default Aqua and is maintained by Michael Barca and Andrew Nesbitt. Trivia See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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