EmpathyLinux
vs
Quiet Internet Pager (QIP)Windows
Empathy as a Linux alternative to Quiet Internet Pager (QIP)
Updated
Our verdict
Empathy can serve as a replacement for QIP for users who need basic ICQ support and a multi‑protocol client on Linux. It covers the core IM functions—contact list, text chat, file transfer and group chats—but it lacks some of the Russian‑focused UI tweaks and built‑in emoticon packs that QIP users may miss. If you are comfortable with GNOME’s look and don’t rely on QIP‑specific extensions, Empathy is a reasonable choice; power users who need deep customization or legacy QIP features may need to look elsewhere.
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- —
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Both support ICQ and other IM protocols
- Unified contact list with presence information
- File transfer capability
- Group chat handling
- Message history logging
What is different
- Empathy uses Telepathy and may not support some older ICQ features that QIP had
- No built‑in Russian emoticon packs or theme collection that QIP provided
- Voice and video chat are present in Empathy but were not a focus of QIP
- Empathy’s UI follows GNOME conventions, which can feel less familiar to QIP users
- QIP stored logs in a proprietary format; Empathy stores them in plain text or SQLite
Opening your Quiet Internet Pager (QIP) files
Empathy does not understand QIP's proprietary log or contact files, and there is no documented import tool. You can manually export QIP logs to plain text (if the client still runs under Wine) and then import them into Empathy by copying the text into the new history, but automated conversion is not available.
Switching from Quiet Internet Pager (QIP) to Empathy, step by step
- Install Empathy from your distribution’s repository (e.g., sudo apt install empathy).
- Launch Empathy and add your ICQ account using your existing credentials.
- Import any exported plain‑text chat logs into Empathy’s history folder (~/.local/share/Empathy).
- Customize the contact list view and notification settings to match your workflow.
- Test file transfers and group chats with a trusted contact to verify functionality.
Key features of Empathy
- Multi‑protocol support via Telepathy
- Text, voice and video chat
- File transfer
- Unified contact list
- Presence status
- Desktop notifications
- Integration with GNOME Shell
Frequently asked questions
Can Empathy handle multiple ICQ accounts simultaneously?
Yes, you can add as many ICQ accounts as you need; each appears as a separate entry in the contact list.
Does Empathy support the old ICQ OSCAR protocol?
Empathy relies on Telepathy‑Qt/GLib back‑ends; it supports the modern ICQ service but may not work with very old OSCAR‑only accounts.
What alternatives exist if Empathy lacks a feature I need?
Consider Pidgin (with the icq plugin) or the newer GNOME Conversations, both of which retain broader protocol support and more customization.
3 other alternatives to Quiet Internet Pager (QIP)
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PsiPsi is a lightweight, standards‑compliant XMPP/Jabber instant messaging client for Linux.Open sourceFreePsi vs Quiet Internet Pager (QIP)
KopeteKopete is a discontinued multi-protocol instant messaging client designed for the KDE desktop environment.Open sourceFreeDiscontinuedKopete vs Quiet Internet Pager (QIP)