User:FunkyFish/wip/Documentation/IM accounts registration
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IM accounts registration
This section says a bit about registering new and entering existing accounts' details into configuration of your CenterIM. Everything that CenterIM can do about it is available through the "Accounts" dialog displayed at the start and then residing under the f4->Accounts.. menu item.
ICQ accounts
To be able to use the ICQ IM service you should have a UIN (I think it stands for something like "user identification number"). You can either use an already existing UIN or register a new one selecting appropriate items in the "Account manager" dialog. Some attention should only be paid to the "server address" field. The default value will be substituted unless something is set there, i.e. empty "server" field is quite ok. In the majority of cases you do not need to change it. The only exception is if you have your own ICQ server on LAN.
Yahoo! accounts
CenterIM doesn't support registering new Yahoo! IDs, so if you don't have one yet, just visit the homepage Yahoo! messenger at http://messenger.yahoo.com/ and select the "Acct info" link in the top right corner.
AIM accounts
AIM accounts can be created with the AOL's web interface at http://my.screenname.aol.com/ by clicking on the "Get a Screen Name" link. Don't also forget to set your profile information with "Update your details" item in the Account manager dialog.
IRC accounts
This service is completely different from others supported by CenterIM. You don't need to register to connect to irc. All you need is just choose a nick which is not used by anyone else. Otherwise it'll be reported as soon as you try to log in. So set any nick and a host name of the server you want to chat on, and go ahead!
For the advanced IRC users there can be a need for so-called NickServ authentication using a password to identify himself. Sometimes it's used to protect your nickname from overtaking on a specific IRC network. CenterIM does support this too, providing a non-obligatory password field.
IRC channels
IRC channels behave theirselves like usual contacts, though the set of actions possible to perform upon them is different. Using the F2-menu and hotkeys it's possible to join or leave a channel, view the list of users, etc. Please note, in order to stay on a channel you should have it on your contact list. As soon as a channel is deleted, you leave it automatically.
Jabber accounts
Jabber is the most advanced open source and free instant messaging solution. Since the version 4.8.8 it's been supported by CenterIM. Due to its being open and developed by the wide community, CenterIM can register new nicknames in it very easily.
Jabber groupchat conferences
Like IRC channels, they're controlled like usual contacts, too.
LiveJournal
Though LiveJournal is not actually an IM service, but I hope you forgive me for that. LiveJournal is a weblogs community. Its URL is http://www.livejournal.com/. CenterIM makes use of their open source and well-documented client-server protocol, and makes it possible to post items and read friends' RSS feeds directly from its interface. So if you want an account, go to http://www.livejournal.com/ and see how to get it. If you don't like the rules, you can always download their server software and install it on your own. Long live open source!
Gadu-gadu
If you have libjpeg installed in your system and the configure script does find it, CenterIM can register a UIN on this network for you. Otherwise you can only register one with the official client that can be downloaded from the official site at http://www.gadu-gadu.pl/
MSN
An account for MSN can also be registered through a web interface at http://chat.msn.com/ though it seems that they block access from Linux based web browsers.
Updating details
If you have just registered on the ICQ network only basic fields of your details were set. Now, if you want to provide the world with more information about yourself, you should invoke the "Update ICQ details" dialog. First go to the "Accounts" dialog which can be accessed through the global menu, and there in the ICQ node select "Update user details". You can fill in information that will be visible to other ICQ users. They also will be able to find you with specifying what you filled in their "find users" requests.
It's possible to update your ICQ and AIM details any time you're online with the dialog. Details within other networks are possible to be updated with respective web interfaces, I believe.
