There are virusses, there are rootkits, there are exploits, they can break in to your box....
You need a firewall.

Based on what I've read on various Linux forums I got the impression that Linux operating systems were not vulnerable to viruses. However, I still looked at firewalls but I couldn't find any that didn't require advanced knowledge to set up. Do you have any suggestions? Keep in mind that I don't have a degree in computer science and I don't know how to string my own fiber optic cable

Viruses are not exactly the issue when discussing firewalls -- the issue is preventing outside forces (like hackers, infected Windows machines, etc..) from being able to find a way into your machine.

On Linux, a firewall can be either very simple, or ridiculously complex. Personally, I use an 'iptables' firewall, which is configured using a set of tools called 'iptables'. The configuration is/can be confusing for a beginner, however there are so many available resources on the net that explain how to set up your own iptables firewall, including examples of scripts you can download and pretty much use as is with very minor modification, that Google search or an LQ search will show you LOTS of different firewall tools for Linux.

I cannot vouch for methods & tools besides iptables, as I have not tried/used any, so I'll leave it to you to search a bit and identify a few tools you might consider, and also to other members here to suggest methods or tools that THEY use, and how to go about using one if you're interested in it.

Happy day,
Sasha

Gee, I'm feeling lazy right about now lol. If anyone wonders why Windows is so popular it's precisely because of stuff like this: you don't have to worry about programming or messing around in terminals. But even so, I don't think I want to go back to windows: surfing the web on a windows computer sort of feels like walking through Baghdad without a flak jacket. Especially XP, I get sick every time I see an XP desktop. Maybe it's because I have had to fix too many of my friends or family's XP systems that were completely messed up by malware and viruses. My solution in more than a few cases was to delete XP and install something like Xubuntu.

I used to have XP with a good firewall and anti-virus but I was still constantly worrying about viruses and running all sorts of checks - not to mention how slow windows can get. I feel a lot safer on Linux, but if there is something I can do to make it even safer I am all for it. I guess this is the part where I have to find the time and will to read and research and maybe eventually come back here and start a new thread if I have any questions .

Anyway, to get back on topic: I googled the pidgin problem I am having (not being able to log on to msn or yahoo) and found something I thought would work but it didn't: it was about deleting the caches in the certificates folder. Because when the certificate changes it can be a problem if it does not match the cached one. This is where the post told me to look: /.purple/certificates/x509/tls_peers/. But that folder looked empty to me. Maybe I am just being a dumb newbie and I read it all wrong, but this is the post I was reading: http://pidgin.im/pipermail/support/2...ly/001580.html

Thanks again for your time, guys

From you above post, I'd..

A) Agree with you about why you suspect Win is more 'popular' or at least, more 'common' -- it's *usually* more of a plug-and-play situation out of the box; plus, when you want software, you just cruise the 'net, find what you want, and download and install it. Presto! You now have either a shiny new program, or a malware-infested pack of crap lol

B) Based on your last post, I'd say you are poised to appreciate the beauty of Linux, BUT: you're right, it takes patience, and reading, and the help of others, to get a firm enough grip on things to start to appreciate its benefits.

Linux does usually take more time and patience to configure. But given the attention it demands, it can & will reward you greatly compared to running a Win OS.

Now, back on topic: I don't use Pidgin, so I'll leave that stuff to the others who were doing a fine job here before I jumped in

PS - if you DO have any/more questions, search LQ and Google, and then just ask away if you haven't found an answer we're here to help.

Sasha

Iptables is built into the kernel; it is a core component of Linux.

There are a lot of firewalls that have been built using iptables with an eye toward making things comprehensible for someone who doesn't want to master iptables. I think that now most major distros include their own firewall. My system for instance, has one called "drakfirewall" which I can easily configure for basic things but still set up for many more complicated things.

Firestarter and kmyfirewall are a couple of point and click choices for a firewall front end. Work on kmyfirewall seems to be languishing and the website doesn't seem to be working quite right, but firestarter is still rolling forward.

Another popular firewall front-end is called shorewall, though it isn't point and click and takes some work to set up.

Everyone needs a firewall. Something has to be taking a look at what is coming in and deciding if it is likely to be malicious or not. No operating system is "immune". Some are merely far more resistant than others.

Currently (again on the subj of firewalls) I'm using a heavily modified (almost unrecognizable) version of LutelWall, which is iptables based, but uses a human-readable configuration file that makes things very easy.

I've been working on it for some time, as last I checked it too had been languishing unmaintained on its homepage.

It works great, but some (rather unimportant) areas I have added into it are not quite done. If/when I determine that it's "finished" I'll make it available. (Or if you want the VERY-BETA version, I could supply it.)

Sasha

I have a suggestions:
Try to delete/move your .purple Folder because there its all the configurations of pidgin, maybe the problem is from the configurations and try pidgin from scratch, If it doesnt work, backup your .purple again to not loose you log files

Hope it helps

Pidgin 2.6.1 released but I only can find it for ubuntu on http://www.getdeb.net/app/Pidgin
Hope pclinux update there repos soon

Thanks for the tip, I tried deleting the .purple folder but unfortunately it didn't work. I am still unable to connect to yahoo and msn. Am I the only one having this problem? Seems weird that Pidgin would act up this way.

I didn't re-read this entire thread, but any particular reason you couldn't try Kopete?

I found Gaim (Pidgin previously I believe) to be buggy, while Kopete has always worked well. It also supports all the common chat protocols.

Can you connect with a jabber account?

If so, though it's not elegant, you can connect to your msn & yahoo accounts through jabber....

Doesn't solve the actual issue, but it'll allow you to connect through pidgin while you hunt for clues.

Props to GrapefruiTgirl, pidgin's buggy, Kopete does the trick.

cheers,

Here's a dumb question.
Did you check on the PCLOS forums and ask if anyone else there is having probs with pidgin?
I know PCLOS and am pretty sure the overwhelming majority of members are at the same stage as far as updates/upgades go on everything.
If others are having probs, that would tell us it's probably a prob the devs there need to take a look at.
If not, it's something peculiar to you.
Uninstalling, then deleting the libpurple folder, then reinstalling should have fixed any probs you were having.
I run pidgin as well, release 2.5.9 and my Yahoo account stays online as I use it to chat with relatives in other states.

Well i dont use pidgin ,for msn use amsn and for yahoo you can use gyache improved.

I do have Kopete (it came with the distro), but I prefer Pidgin due to the simplicity of the interface and ease of use compared to Kopete. But then again, it may just be because I'm so used to Pidgin. The only time I use Kopete is in combination with the webcam, since Pidgin does not support video or voice.

I suppose if all else fails I can just start using Kopete instead. Now that I think back, I seem to remember that the reason I started using Pidgin in the first place was because it was the only messenger I could find that would support MyspaceIM. But I no longer have a Myspace account, so (strictly speaking) I guess I don't need Pidgin.

That's a good question, actually. The answer is no, I have not been to a PCLOS forum. I have on the other hand been to the pidgin website and searched through issues that were listed there without finding anything. The only problem that seems to come up is the one with yahoo before it was "fixed" in the newest update that I downloaded. I've also done google searches on the problem, so far it seems to be pretty unique to me. But it would be useful (as you suggested) to talk to someone who has the same OS to see if they have similar problems. I looked at the Linux - Distributions forum here but I couldn't find a sub-forum for PCLinuxOS. Do you know of a PCLOS forum?