Buzz
Previously, Facebook utilized the XMPP protocol for chat functionalities, making it easy to connect user profiles with chat clients, especially on Linux. However, not long ago, the social media giant discontinued the integration of their old chat protocol. As a result, the method for connecting Facebook Messenger chat with external clients was disrupted.
That's why users now need to use new plugins to integrate Facebook Messenger accounts with chat clients. One noteworthy plugin is Purple-Facebook, considered a replacement solution for traditional Facebook Messenger integration. Moreover, Purple-Facebook performs well on modern systems.
In this article, Mytour will guide you on installing the Purple-Facebook plugin on the Linux platform and setting up Facebook Messenger on Linux and Ubuntu with Pidgin IM.
Installing Purple-Facebook
There are various methods to install the Purple-Facebook plugin on Linux. Building the Purple-Facebook plugin from source is quite challenging due to unclear instructions. The plugin provides binary installation packages. Choose the Linux distribution you are using and follow the steps below:
On Ubuntu
Ubuntu provides numerous binary installation packages for the Purple-Facebook plugin, thanks to the OpenSUSE service. To install the Purple Facebook plugin on Ubuntu, you need to utilize the wget tool. In this guide, Mytour uses version 17.10 of the plugin. This version is compatible with Ubuntu 18.04 and later.
wget http://downloadcontent.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/jgeboski/xUbuntu_17.10/amd64/purple-facebook_20180323
After downloading the latest Deb package, use the CD command to move the Deb package to the -/Downloads directory. Use the dpkg tool to install the plugin.
sudo dpkg -i purple-facebook_*.deb
The command above will install the Purple-Facebook plugin on Ubuntu. If you encounter any issues resolving dependencies, run the command apt install -f. This command will address any potential problems:
sudo apt install -f
Additionally, you can install the plugin using the Ubuntu Software Center by opening the file manager, double-clicking the Debian package, and then clicking the Install button.
To uninstall the plugin, use the command:
sudo apt remove purple-facebook
On Debian
The steps to install Purple-Facebook on Debian are similar to those on Ubuntu. Building the plugin from source on Debian Linux distributions is quite challenging. Moreover, there are no available plugin package versions in the official Debian software sources.
Fortunately, in the SUSE OBS, there are packages for Debian versions. In this guide, Mytour will instruct you on the steps to install Purple-Facebook on Debian Stable (9.4 Stretch). For other Debian versions, you can follow a similar process.
First, use the wget tool to download the Purple Facebook package:
wget http://downloadcontent.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/jgeboski/Debian_9.0/amd64/purple-facebook_20180323-ef6ae47-9ff9acf9fa14-145_amd64.deb
After downloading, you can open the Deb package using the Gdebi package installer. Click Install to install the package. Alternatively, you can use the CD command in the Terminal to move the Deb package to the -/Downloads directory.
cd -/Downloads
Use the dpkg command to instruct Debian to install the plugin package:
sudo dpkg -i purple-facebook_*.deb
If you see an error message displayed on the Terminal with 'error' or any other content, use the apt install -f command to fix the error:
sudo apt install -f
In case you want to uninstall the plugin, use the command:
sudo apt remove purple-facebook
On Arch Linux
The Purple-Facebook plugin is available in the Arch Linux software repository. Just ensure that the Community section in the pacman.conf file is activated, then use the Pacman command to install the plugin:
sudo pacman -S purple-facebook
If you want to uninstall the plugin, Arch users can use the command:
sudo pacman -R purple-facebook
On Fedora
To install the Purple-Facebook plugin on Fedora, use the command:
sudo dnf install purple-facebook
To uninstall the plugin on Fedora, use the DNF remove command:
sudo dnf remove purple-facebook
On OpenSUSE
In the Mytour guide, you've learned how to use OBS to install the Purple-Facebook plugin on Debian and Ubuntu. Additionally, you can use OBS to install the Purple-Facebook plugin on OpenSUSE. The only difference is that there's no need to use the wget tool to download the plugin package.
To download the Purple-Facebook plugin on any OpenSUSE version and install it, visit HERE
Building the plugin from source
If the only way to install the Purple-Facebook plugin on Linux, Ubuntu is by building from source, you can refer to online guides to understand the required dependencies for the installation. The plugin code is available on Github.
Using Purple-Facebook with Pidgin on Linux, Ubuntu
The Purple-Facebook plugin works seamlessly with the Pidgin chat tool. To use the chat tool, ensure you have installed the latest version of Pidgin IM (if not installed, simply enter the keyword 'pidgin' in the Search box to find and install the tool) on your Linux, Ubuntu computer.
Once the program is correctly installed, open the tool and click on Accounts => Manage accounts.
In the Manage Accounts section, click on Add account. This action opens the Add Accounts window, containing several options. Here, find Protocol and click the drop-down menu. Locate and select the Facebook option to display login options.
The Facebook login window will prompt users to enter their username and password. To find your Facebook username, click on your Facebook profile and copy the URL. For example, if the URL is https://facebook.com/yourusername, enter yourusername as the username. Then enter your Facebook password to log in.
Note: If you want to add a nickname to Pidgin to display your real name in the chat instead of the username, enter your name in the 'alias' field.
Once Purple-Facebook is connected correctly, your Facebook friends will appear in the Pidgin buddy list. You can chat with your friends directly on your Linux computer.
So, this article from Mytour has just guided you on how to install Facebook Messenger on Linux, Ubuntu with Pidgin IM. What are you waiting for? Install Facebook Messenger on your Linux, Ubuntu computer now and chat with your friends and family.
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