Mulitiple IM Chat Client - Pidgin (Free - Open Source) January 24, 2008
Posted by paragonhost in Collaboration, Internet, Internet Protection, Linux, ScanDefense.com, Technology News, Web Development.Tags: aim, client, Collaboration, console chat, dave safley, google chat, icq, im, instant message, instant messenger, Linux, linux chat, mulitple im, open source, ParagonHost, paragonhost llc, scandefense, text based chat client, thespambusters, yahoo im
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Pidgin is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client that allows you to use all of your IM accounts at once.
Pidgin can work with:
- AIM
- Bonjour
- Gadu-Gadu
- Google Talk
- Groupwise
- ICQ
- IRC
- MSN
- MySpaceIM
- SILC
- SIMPLE
- Sametime
- XMPP
- Yahoo!
- Zephyr
Pidgin is free software. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. This means you are free to use it and to modify it, but if you distribute your modifications you must distribute the modified source code as well.

Pidgin is an instant messaging program for Windows, Linux, BSD, and other Unixes. You can talk to your friends using AIM, ICQ, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, QQ, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, MySpaceIM, and Zephyr.
Pidgin can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AIM, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting in an IRC channel all at the same time.
Pidgin supports many features of the various networks, such as file transfer, away messages, and typing notification. It also goes beyond that and provides many unique features. A few popular features are Buddy Pounces, which give the ability to notify you, send a message, play a sound, or run a program when a specific buddy goes away, signs online, or returns from idle; and plugins, consisting of text replacement, a buddy ticker, extended message notification, iconify on away, spell checking, tabbed conversations, and more.
Pidgin runs on a number of platforms, including Windows, Linux, and other UNIX operating systems. Looking for Pidgin for OS X? Try Adium!
Pidgin integrates well with GNOME 2 and KDE 3.1’s system tray, as well as Windows’ own system tray. This allows you to work with Pidgin without requiring the buddy list window to be open at all times.
Pidgin is under constant development, and releases are usually frequent. The latest news regarding Pidgin can be found on the news page.
What is Finch?
Finch is the text-based version of Pidgin. It supports the same IM networks, but you can run it in a console window. You can use it on Linux, BSD, and other Unixes.
What is libpurple?
libpurple is the programming library that powers Pidgin and Finch. It’s responsible for connecting to all the IM networks, and for managing your accounts and preferences. It’s written in C and makes heavy use of Glib.
Is all of this free?
We believe in freedom of communication. To support our aspirations of “IM Freedom,” we release Pidgin, Finch, and libpurple as free software under the GNU General Public License (GPL). We believe that giving others the freedom to modify, share, and augment our code contributes to the goal of bringing freedom of communication to the Internet. The GPL allows us to ensure that any modifications to our code remain free, so that everyone may enjoy their benefits.
How can I help?
We always welcome feedback and contributions. You don’t need to be a developer to help out, but if you are, you can help us by fixing bugs in our code or building new functionality into it. Our development site includes numerous resources for getting started with libpurple, Pidgin, and Finch development.
If you are a regular user, we encourage you to let us know about any problems you encounter and to provide us with suggestions for improvement. You can do so via our support system, IRC channel, XMPP conference, or development mailing list. We also encourage users to help one another solve problems and discover new features using any of these media.

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Great FREEWare / Donation tools to help you view your images, resize and more! January 14, 2008
Posted by paragonhost in Internet, ParagonHost, Technology News, Web Development, photography.Tags: coppermine, gallery, image resizer, image viewer, max image size, ParagonHost, photo, photo upload, photography, resizer, viewer, web photo, web photos
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Fun with DNS: Three Useful Commands January 9, 2008
Posted by paragonhost in Hosting News, Internet, Linux, ParagonHost.add a comment
| Fun with DNS: Three Useful Commands | |
| Last update: 01.25.07 |
Submitted by Dan Forootan |
| There are three crucial commands that can put all the DNS information you need at your fingertips. The way to use this article is to try each of the commands listed on a domain name, so you can see what the output looks like. | |
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The DNS is a distributed, hierarchical database where authority flows from the top (or root) of the hierarchy downward.
When thinking of the structure of the DNS, imagine an inverted tree. Each branch of the tree is within a zone of authority; however, multiple branches of the tree can be within a single zone. The software (Bind being the most common) that stores domain name information is called a domain name server. A single name server can be authoritative for multiple zones. All zones have a primary master and a secondary master name server that provides authoritative responses for their zones. If you query a name server not authoritative for a particular zone, that name server will most likely have up-to-date information. This is because zone information propagates throughout the Internet at regular intervals, and name servers cache zone information for which they are not authoritative. DNS Commands There are three crucial commands that can put all the DNS information you need at your fingertips. The way to use this article is to try each of the commands listed on a domain name, so you can see what the output looks like. Learn by doing! Zone file database records divide DNS information into three primary types: NS (Name Server) records, MX (Mail Exchange) records, and A (Address) records. NS records indicate the name servers. MX records indicate the hosts that handle e-mail delivery; the priority (pri) number indicates the order in which mail servers are used, with the lowest number receiving the highest priority. The A (Address) records map hostnames to IP addresses, the real names of machines. host This is the simplest of the DNS commands. It is a quick way to determine the IP address of a hostname: : host www.your-domain-name.com The -a option will return all of the DNS information in verbose format. : host -a www.your-domain-name.com Now that you know the IP address for www.your-domain-name.com , try a reverse lookup. : host IP-ADDRESS dig (domain information groper) This command gathers and returns DNS information in a format the name server can use directly. You will find it easy to query specific name servers with dig. You can quickly determine the Name servers of your host or any other host: : dig ns your-host.com Then you check your (or another) website against the host’s name servers: : dig www.your-domain-name.com @ns.your-host.com Dig can provide output that is in the same format as the zone file itself. Here is how to get the whole zone file: : dig any your-domain-name.com Here are the most useful dig query types: dig any (gathers all DNS information), dig ns (gathers name server information), dig mx (gathers mail exchanger information) and dig a (gathers network address information). The dig command can also do reverse lookups with output formatted for the zone file: : dig -x IP-Address nslookup You can use this tool as a single line command, or you can use it interactively, which distinguishes it from the other DNS commands. Once you have started nslookup, type set all to list the default options. As with dig you can choose the server (name server) you want to query, and you can decide the type of DNS information on which to focus. Just as you can issue commands to nslookup interactively, you can also change the initial defaults by starting a .nslookuprc file. The format of the .nslookup is one command per line: set type=NS Conclusion These three commands can provide you with most of the information you need about your domain names. They are powerful tools, and this article should provide you enough information to get started or offer a quick refresher if you already use these commands. |
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The Top Ten Email Marketing Tips January 7, 2008
Posted by paragonhost in Business Development, E-Mail, Hosting News, Internet, MyiContact.com, ParagonHost.Tags: blog, blogs, business, distribution, email, icontact, marketing, myicontact, ParagonHost
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| The Top Ten Email Marketing Tips | |
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#10 Build Your List at Every Opportunity Build your list at every opportunity you have. If you have a retail location, add a point-of-sale sign up form. At conferences or events, ask everyone you speak with if you may add them to your list after you exchange business cards. Finally, add your newsletter sign-up form to every page on your web site. You can even use the sign-up form generator within iContact to automatically generate the code you need. #9 Avoid Excess Punctuation or Capitalization #8 Include both Plain Text and HTML #7 Familiarity Encourages Opens #6 Add a Note about Deliverability #5 Be consistent with your sending frequency. #4 Timing is key with Business to Business Communication – In most cases it is best to send business to business emails Tuesday through Thursday. We’ve found that the best times of the day to send are just after the start of the day around 9:30am or just after lunch around 1:30pm. It is best to avoid sending business to business emails after 4:00pm or on weekends. #3 Timing is key with Business to Consumer Communication — In most cases it is best to send business to consumer emails either between 5:00pm and 8:00pm Tuesday through Thursday or between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon. #2 Only include content relevant to the type of content the person has requested. As long as one provides value–whether by providing content on a topic a recipient is interested in or a discount off a product related to one purchased previously—-people will allow you to continue to contact them. #1 Only send emails to persons who have requested to receive them. Unsolicited email is, of course, called spam. Sending spam will ruin any legitimate organization’s reputation and brand value startlingly quickly. Rule number one of becoming an intelligent email marketer is to never send unsolicited email. MyiContact |
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