About
aMSN is a free open source MSN Messenger clone, with features such as:
- Offline Messaging
- Voice Clips
- Display pictures
- Custom emoticons
- Multi-language support (around 40 languages currently supported)
- Webcam support
- Sign in to more than one account at once
- Full-speed File transfers
- Group support
- Normal, and animated emoticons with sounds
- Chat logs
- Timestamping
- Event alarms
- Conferencing support
- Tabbed chat windows
For a full list, see the features page. More features can be added to aMSN with plugins , or completely change its look with different skins!"
How to install an updated version
Rationale
On Aug 5 2008 my aMSN stopped working. Turned out Microsoft had changed the behaviour of their servers causing aMSN, which expected a certain reply from the server, to be forever at the "Logging in" stage. The issue was speedily resolved by the aMSN developers which deployed a new version, aMSN 0.97.2 . The updated version isn't yet at Ubuntu official repositories and as such a custom install of aMSN is the easiest way to be able to connect again.
Options
- Install patched (but not latest) aMSN from Ubuntu (RECOMMENDED)
Install latest aMSN using autopackage (NOT RECOMMENDED)
- Install latest aMSN from source -- YET TO BE WRITTEN (and NOT RECOMMENDED)
Install patched (but not latest) aMSN from Ubuntu
Binary Distribution (like Debian and Ubuntu) Workflow
When a change is needed to stable packages, the source package is updated, compiled, uploaded to a testing repository and afterwards out in a stable repository.
Assuming Hardy Heron, the testing repository is hardy-proposed and the stable repository is hardy-updates.
As such you can:
- Wait for the package to be in hardy-updates
- Test the package in hardy-testing
Wait for the package to be in hardy-updates
Wait and you're done, sooner or later the package will appear.
Test the package in hardy-testing
Enable {Ubuntu version}-proposed, aka hardy-proposed for most of you
Don't forget to add/edit the file /etc/apt/preferences as mentioned in the wiki, otherwise you'll end up testing ALL hardy-proposed packages instead of just the one you want, which is aMSN.
Finally, do:
'
' sudo aptitude -t hardy-proposed install amsn
'
(as you might have guessed, the -t hardy-proposed indicates that that particular package is to be downloaded from that category, hardy-proposed).