Empathy

Was ist Empathy?

Empathy was introduced in 2006 as part of the GNOME desktop to replace the older Gaim and later to replace the now‑discontinued Empathy client. It aimed to provide a single application that could talk to AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo, ICQ, MSN and others through the Telepathy framework. The project was active for several years, but development slowed after 2015 and the last release was in 2018.

The target users were GNOME desktop users who wanted an integrated chat client without installing separate apps for each service. It was designed to feel native to the desktop, using standard GTK widgets and the same look‑and‑feel as other GNOME apps.

Compared to the Windows tools it offered, Empathy was more lightweight and less feature‑rich. It lacked some of the customizations and advanced settings found in Windows Live Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger, but it did provide voice and video calls, file transfer, and a unified contact list across services.

Ideal für: Users who want a free, GNOME‑native chat client for legacy IM services.

Wichtige Funktionen von Empathy

• Multi‑protocol support via Telepathy
• Text, voice and video chat
• File transfer
• Unified contact list
• Presence status
• Desktop notifications
• Integration with GNOME Shell

Tipps für Windows-Umsteiger

If you’re moving from Windows Live Messenger or AIM, note that Empathy uses Telepathy accounts stored in ~/.config/telepathy/; you’ll need to re‑add each service manually. Shortcuts differ: use Ctrl+N for new chat, Ctrl+T for file transfer. File transfer uses the same format as the Windows client, so no conversion is needed. The UI is simpler, so you may need to explore the Preferences dialog for advanced options.