If it is not working and updates are available, I would tend to think that
updating might solve something. Then, if you still have problems, at least
we know you are up to date as that would normally be the first suggestion I
would give. Sometimes I lose connection with Pidgin and the only way to get
it to work is to close it down, wait a moment, then start up a new Pidgin
session.

If you want to use yahoo chat. All you need to do is click on the messanger tab
at the yahoo welcome page. It will walk you through. You do not need to install
any thing to use it. Very easy.

re you suggesting I download and install the unix/linux version
of yahoo messenger??
Before I set up pidgin I read some old posts on this group regards
chat and some liked pidgin and some liked gaim(I have not tried this
yet as I already had pidgin in 7.10) but I recall someone said the
unix/linux version of yahoo messenger was problematical.........

pidgin is the renaming of gaim.

I prefer Kopete as a multi protocol chat client. available through
synaptic or the add/remove tab on the applications menu.

pidgin's a huge step downward from gaim. kopete's ok.

No you do not need to install yahoo mess at all. Click on the mess tab at the
yahoo welcome screen. Click on get started, then it will ask you to sign in.
Then you can instant pester any one.

you cant transfer files to/from yahoo messenger, but it
works great. lots more emoticons too. pidgin doesnt have a button to
click on to send what youre saying, you have to press ENTER. that's
kind of annoying. it works, though.

Thanks I'll get the pidgin updates.
Funny thing I started pidgin just now and under "invisible" mode it
would not co-operate so just for the heck of it I went "visible" and
it started working!!!
I don't see why altering my availability status should affect pidgin
connecting to Yahoo but maybe it does???
Anyhow I can try this clue in future, might just be one of a thousand
tricks I gotta learn in order to be a Linux person

I think that he is suggesting to using Yahoo Messenger from the browser. On the
Yahoo homepage it will say Messenger somewhere (depends on whether you have
customized the homepage where it actually is). Mine is with the tabs for mail
and calendar, etc. If you are logged in your Yahoo account on your home page you
will be logging into the Yahoo IM. When you click on it it will ask you to
install the Yahoo IM client, but if you ignore this and click at Get Started at
the bottom it will take you to the login screen.

Another way to go would be to use the Yahoo toolbar in Firefox or a service such
as Meebo which gives you IMing for many clients (MSN, Gtalk, Yahoo, ICQ, etc.).
Meebo works the same as Pidgin, but from the browser window. There is a Meebo
Add-on for Firefox 2, but I don't think that there is one for Firefox 3. It
works without a Meebo account, but if you signup for a free account your Meebo
password will log you into all of you clients with just the one password.

Also there is more than one Linux client. You could install Kopete which is a
KDE app, but it works in either Gnome too. The features of Kopete and Pidgin are
pretty much the same and it is a question of personal preference. I use Pidgin
because it is what I prefer, but Kopete works just fine. The KDE4 client for
Kopete is nice, but useless unless you want to install lots of KDE4 libraries.

Linux is all about choice and there is lots of it. If one thing does not work,
try something different.

I found Kopete and Gaim good... then
tried Meebo and stuck with that. Meebo is useful if one uses different
machines and thus one doesn't have to install software on each one.

I have pidgin working now but I tried your Yahoo messenger suggestion
and I was requested to download "flash player", I was unsure if I
should. I mean if I'd been using windows I would not have hesitated
but I didn't know if flash player was something Linux was gonna be
happy about???
Similarly when I log onto my MSN hotmail box I am told by Firefox that
I need plugins to display the page properly and I don't know if I
should attempt that either???
So I guess I'm asking if I'm offered a program designed for windows
and I try to download it what's gonna happen?
By the way now I'm using Linux should I be calling "programs"
applications?,

In general, mainstream plugins (like "Flash Player") required by
mainstream web applications (like Yahoo Messenger) are safe to
download, and will work well. You're not exactly treading new ground...

You won't be downloading the Windows versions - Firefox will pick an
implementation suitable for Linux / Firefox.

There is one "trap" to avoid. For some plugin functions, Firefox will
offer a choice of plugins. For your purposes, I'd recommend staying
with the most "mainstream" option you see. For Flash Player, that
will be the one from Adobe (I think; working from memory, here). (I
tried one of the others - Gnash, I think - it didn't work very well on
some of the web sites I needed.)

(Likewise, if you want to install a Java runtime environment, stick
with Sun Microsystems. I've tried - and abandoned - the "Iced Tea"
alternative.)

(Why are there several, you ask? Licensing. the Adobe / Sun licenses
are too restrictive for a GPL (General Public License) Linux
distribution, (but OK for individual end users). So the Linux
community is developing replacements under GPL. They are "works in
progress".)

The preferred method is install Flash from the repositories. It will install it
automatically in the subdirectories of each browser. The actual files will
reside in the plugins folder of your browser. Once installed the files are
called flashplayer.xpt and libflashplayer.so and they can be copied to the
plugins folder not covered by the above, such as perhaps Flock or one of the
lesser known browsers.