A.2 Network

The following section features various Linux applications for networking purposes. Get to know the most popular Linux browsers and e-mail and chat clients.

Epiphany

Epiphany is a lean, but powerful Web browser for the GNOME desktop. Many of its features and extensions resemble Firefox. Find more information about Epiphany at www.gnome.org/projects/epiphany.

Evolution

Evolution is personal information management software for the GNOME desktop combining mail, calendar, and address book functionality. It offers advanced e-mail filter and search options, provides sync functionality for Palm devices, and allows you to run Evolution as an Exchange or GroupWise client to integrate better into heterogeneous environments. Find more information about Evolution at www.gnome.org/projects/evolution.

Firefox

Firefox is the youngest member of the Mozilla browser family. It runs on various platforms, including Linux, MacOS, and Windows. Its main features include built-in customizable searches, pop-up blocking, RSS news feeds, password management, tabbed browsing, and some advanced security and privacy options. Firefox is very flexible, allowing you to customize almost anything you want (searches, toolbars, skins, buttons, etc.). Neat add-ons and extensions can be downloaded from the Firefox Web site). Find more information about Firefox at www.mozilla.org/products/firefox. You can also read our Firefox chapter.

Gaim

Gaim is a smart instant messenger program supporting multiple protocols, such as AIM and ICQ (Oscar protocol), MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, SILC, and GroupWise Messenger. It is possible to log in to different accounts on different IM networks and chat on different channels simultaneously. Gaim also exists in a Windows version. Find more information about Gaim at gaim.sourceforge.net.

gftp

gftp is an FTP client using the GTK toolkit. Its features include simultaneous downloads, resume of interrupted file transfers, file transfer queues, download of entire directories, FTP proxy support, remote directory caching, passive and nonpassive file transfers, and drag and drop support. Find more information at gftp.seul.org.

GnomeMeeting/Ekiga

GnomeMeeting (recently renamed Ekiga) is the open source equivalent of Microsoft's NetMeeting. It features LDAP and ILS support for address lookup and integrates with Evolution to share the address data stored there. GnomeMeeting/Ekiga supports PC-to-phone calls, allowing you to call another party with just your computer, sound card, and microphone without any additional hardware. Find more information about GnomeMeeting/Ekiga at www.ekiga.org.

kbear

KBear is a KDE FTP client with the ability to have concurrent connections to multiple hosts, three separate view modes, support for multiple protocols (like FTP and SFTP), a site manager plug-in, firewall support, logging capabilities, and much more. Find more information at sourceforge.net/projects/kbear.

Konqueror

Konqueror is a multitalented application created by the KDE developers. It acts as file manager and document viewer, but is also a very powerful and highly customizable Web browser. It supports the current Web standards, such as CSS(2), Java applets, JavaScript and Netscape plug-ins (Flash and RealVideo), DOM, and SSL. It offers neat helpers like an integrated search bar and supports tabbed browsing. Bookmarks can be imported from various other Web browsers, like Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Opera. Find more information about Konqueror at www.konqueror.org. You can also read our chapter about Konqueror as a Web browser in KDE User Guide.

Kontact

Kontact is the KDE personal information management suite. It includes e-mail, calendar, address book, and Palm sync functionalities. Like Evolution, it can act as an Exchange or GroupWise client. Kontact combines several stand-alone KDE applications (KMail, KAddressbook, KOrganizer, and KPilot) to form an entity providing all the PIM functionality you need. Find more information about Kontact at www.kontact.org. You can also read our Kontact chapter in KDE User Guide.

Konversation

Konversation is an easy-to-use IRC client for KDE. Its features include support for SSL connections, strikeout, multichannel joins, away and unaway messages, ignore list functionality, Unicode, autoconnect to a server, optional time stamps in chat windows, and configurable background colors. Find more information about Konversation at konversation.kde.org.

Kopete

Kopete is a very intuitive and easy-to-use instant messenger tool supporting protocols including IRC, ICQ, AIM, GroupWise Messenger, Yahoo, MSN, Gadu-Gadu, Lotus Sametime, SMS messages, and Jabber. Find more information about Kopete at kopete.kde.org.

Linphone

Linphone is a smart and lean Voice over IP client using the SIP protocol to establish calls. Find more information at www.linphone.org. You can also read our Linphone chapter.

Mozilla Thunderbird

Thunderbird is an e-mail client application that comes as part of the Mozilla suite. It is also available for Microsoft Windows and MacOS, which facilitates the transition from one of these operating systems to Linux. Find more information about Mozilla Thunderbird at www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird.

Opera

Opera is a powerful Web browser with neat add-ons like an optional e-mail client and a chat module. Opera offers pop-up blocking, RSS feeds, built-in and customizable searches, a password manager, and tabbed browsing. The main functionalities are easily reached through their respective panels. Because this tool is also available for Windows, it allows a much easier transition to Linux for those who have been using it under Windows. Find more information about Opera at www.opera.com.

Skype

Skype is an application for several platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac Os X) that can be used for phone calls over the Internet with a good sound quality and with end-to-end encryption. When using Skype, configuring the firewall or router is not necessary. For more information, refer to www.skype.com.

XChat

XChat is an IRC client that runs on most Linux and UNIX platforms as well as under Windows and MacOS X. Find more information about XChat at www.xchat.org.