Make Voice & Video call via Pidgin 2.10.10 Opensuse 13.2
 

Hi All,

I am using Opensuse 13.2 for my daily use operating System in my personal laptop. There for Gtalk I am using Kopete and Pidgin. So far so good both of them for chatting. But whenever I am trying to make any Voice and Video call, I am not able to find the option to call. I remember before also I use to use pidgin with Ubuntu (back to 2010-11) and use to make voice and video calls. But now I am not able to find the option. So if anyone kindly help me to setup properly the voice & video call in pidgin, it will be very helpful. I did some google search and they are ending up with the info about old pidgin versions and maximum are pointing to install some plugins (gst-plugins-ugly and gst-ffmpeg) which I have installed already. But still no luck. Below details may help you. Also if you require any more information please let me know so that I can provide the same.

OS info:-
openSUSE 13.2 (x86_64)
VERSION = 13.2
CODENAME = Harlequin

Pidgin info:-
Information for package pidgin:
-------------------------------
Repository: openSUSE-13.2-Update
Name: pidgin
Version: 2.10.10-5.4.1
Arch: x86_64
Vendor: openSUSE
Installed: Yes
Status: up-to-date
Installed Size: 3.9 MiB
Summary: Multiprotocol Instant Messaging Client


Dependencies:-
linux-lsur:~ # ldd /usr/bin/pidgin
linux-vdso.so.1 (0x00007fffe45fc000)
libXss.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXss.so.1 (0x00007f6509bf7000)
libSM.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libSM.so.6 (0x00007f65099ef000)
libICE.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libICE.so.6 (0x00007f65097d1000)
libgtkspell.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgtkspell.so.0 (0x00007f65095ca000)
libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f6508f8e000)
libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f6508cd8000)
libatk-1.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libatk-1.0.so.0 (0x00007f6508ab2000)
libcairo.so.2 => /usr/lib64/libcairo.so.2 (0x00007f6508794000)
libgdk_pixbuf-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgdk_pixbuf-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f6508571000)
libpango-1.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libpango-1.0.so.0 (0x00007f6508326000)
libpurple.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libpurple.so.0 (0x00007f6507ffc000)
libdbus-1.so.3 => /lib64/libdbus-1.so.3 (0x00007f6507db4000)
libgstreamer-0.10.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgstreamer-0.10.so.0 (0x00007f6507ac7000)
libgobject-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgobject-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f6507876000)
libglib-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libglib-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f6507567000)
libm.so.6 => /lib64/libm.so.6 (0x00007f6507266000)
libpthread.so.0 => /lib64/libpthread.so.0 (0x00007f6507049000)
libc.so.6 => /lib64/libc.so.6 (0x00007f6506ca0000)
libX11.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libX11.so.6 (0x00007f6506962000)
libXext.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libXext.so.6 (0x00007f6506750000)
libuuid.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libuuid.so.1 (0x00007f650654a000)
libenchant.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libenchant.so.1 (0x00007f650633e000)
libgmodule-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgmodule-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f650613a000)
libpangocairo-1.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libpangocairo-1.0.so.0 (0x00007f6505f2c000)
libXfixes.so.3 => /usr/lib64/libXfixes.so.3 (0x00007f6505d26000)
libgio-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libgio-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f65059af000)
libpangoft2-1.0.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libpangoft2-1.0.so.0 (0x00007f650579a000)
libfontconfig.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libfontconfig.so.1 (0x00007f650555c000)
libXrender.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXrender.so.1 (0x00007f6505352000)
libXinerama.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXinerama.so.1 (0x00007f650514e000)
libXi.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libXi.so.6 (0x00007f6504f3e000)
libXrandr.so.2 => /usr/lib64/libXrandr.so.2 (0x00007f6504d34000)
libXcursor.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXcursor.so.1 (0x00007f6504b28000)
libXcomposite.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXcomposite.so.1 (0x00007f6504925000)
libXdamage.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXdamage.so.1 (0x00007f6504722000)
libpixman-1.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libpixman-1.so.0 (0x00007f6504476000)
libfreetype.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libfreetype.so.6 (0x00007f65041e0000)
libEGL.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libEGL.so.1 (0x00007f6503fb8000)
libdl.so.2 => /lib64/libdl.so.2 (0x00007f6503db3000)
libpng16.so.16 => /usr/lib64/libpng16.so.16 (0x00007f6503b76000)
libxcb-shm.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-shm.so.0 (0x00007f6503973000)
libxcb-render.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-render.so.0 (0x00007f6503768000)
libxcb.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libxcb.so.1 (0x00007f6503548000)
libz.so.1 => /lib64/libz.so.1 (0x00007f6503332000)
libGL.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libGL.so.1 (0x00007f65030a1000)
librt.so.1 => /lib64/librt.so.1 (0x00007f6502e99000)
libdbus-glib-1.so.2 => /usr/lib64/libdbus-glib-1.so.2 (0x00007f6502c70000)
libxml2.so.2 => /usr/lib64/libxml2.so.2 (0x00007f6502905000)
libidn.so.11 => /usr/lib64/libidn.so.11 (0x00007f65026d1000)
libresolv.so.2 => /lib64/libresolv.so.2 (0x00007f65024b9000)
libffi.so.4 => /usr/lib64/libffi.so.4 (0x00007f65022b1000)
libpcre.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libpcre.so.1 (0x00007f6502046000)
/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007f650a126000)
libselinux.so.1 => /lib64/libselinux.so.1 (0x00007f6501e22000)
libharfbuzz.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libharfbuzz.so.0 (0x00007f6501bc8000)
libexpat.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libexpat.so.1 (0x00007f650199e000)
libX11-xcb.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libX11-xcb.so.1 (0x00007f650179b000)
libxcb-dri2.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-dri2.so.0 (0x00007f6501596000)
libxcb-xfixes.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-xfixes.so.0 (0x00007f650138f000)
libgbm.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libgbm.so.1 (0x00007f6501180000)
libwayland-client.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libwayland-client.so.0 (0x00007f6500f72000)
libwayland-server.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libwayland-server.so.0 (0x00007f6500d60000)
libdrm.so.2 => /usr/lib64/libdrm.so.2 (0x00007f6500b53000)
libXau.so.6 => /usr/lib64/libXau.so.6 (0x00007f650094f000)
libglapi.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libglapi.so.0 (0x00007f6500724000)
libxcb-glx.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-glx.so.0 (0x00007f650050c000)
libxcb-dri3.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-dri3.so.0 (0x00007f6500309000)
libxcb-present.so.0 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-present.so.0 (0x00007f6500105000)
libxcb-sync.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libxcb-sync.so.1 (0x00007f64ffeff000)
libxshmfence.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libxshmfence.so.1 (0x00007f64ffcfc000)
libXxf86vm.so.1 => /usr/lib64/libXxf86vm.so.1 (0x00007f64ffaf5000)
liblzma.so.5 => /usr/lib64/liblzma.so.5 (0x00007f64ff8cf000)
libgraphite2.so.3 => /usr/lib64/libgraphite2.so.3 (0x00007f64ff6b1000)


Thanks for your help in advance.
If you feel I have posted this query on wrong thread please feel free to move it to appropriate place.

I think both Kopete and Pidgin are used for IM (instant messaging) only and not for voice/video. You can get audio/video with Jitsi, Ekiga and loads more.
jdk

Hi Jdk,

Thanks for your response.

But I still remember I used to make Voice & video call from GTalk account via both the client Pidgin and Empathy. I guess they might remove the calling features from these clients and only at present focusing on the IM part.

You may have used Pidgin or Kopete along with GTalk. I used Pidgin years ago but don't remember ever having audio capabilities with it.
jdk

Yeah with Gtalk I used Pidgin.. What I suspect, after migrating Gtalk to Hangout the audio & video call support may be removed from Pidgin. But this is just guessing... Not sure about this.

Sorry to have seen this, but right click on the "buddy" and you should get a video/audio call option. The option appears only if the other party is connected. Otherwise you will get only an IM option.

Although I have so far only used it for testing videocalls, Pidgin seems to function very, very well. It is also great because you can put virtually ALL of your communications link in Pidgin rather than having multiple programs (including Kopete) running. KDE does not exactly welcome Pidgin, but you should have full functionality.

Jitsi, mentioned above, should be the program for videocalls given that it encodes jabber calls, but the technical problems with it have become too much for me.

Thanks Aguador for your response. I have already checked by right clicking on the buddy to see the video/voice call option. But it is not there inspite of having that buddy online by logging in to his account via Google+. I suspect google stopped the video/voice call functionality on other 3rd party apps (except Hangout) or Pidgin dropped the idea to support this feature any more.

It may be a Google issue as there was a Google page talking about how to configure Pidgin to connect to Google Talk. Now that Google is dropping/has dropped Google Talk it is not longer available and I do not know if there is anything special that needs to be done for Hangouts. Guess Google couldn't get enough user data via Talk to continue supporting it.;) Sorry I couldn't help more.