Pidgin account won't enable

welcome to ubuntu bobbyyg,

you dont <i>create</i> accounts in pidgin. you add them there after they are created. for example, if you have an MSN messenger account you give it your msn username and password and tell it to use the MSN protocol. then if you have a yahoo account you add it to the yahoo protocol, etc. you can even have multiple accounts of the same protocol! pretty cool eh? no video or audio chat in this version yet but should be out in Jaunty jackalope. if you want to video chat you can use aMSN instead.

crap the italics tag didnt work hehe

I see what you are saying. . . . . but I was trying to join a "chat room" at Ubuntu to find out how to view a UTube video with with my browser. Firefox said I needed "quick time" . . . . OK I understand that I need to "join" ................so how do I sign up ?

step 1) forget pidgin. i know it has irc capibilities, but its really an IM client.
step 2) install xchat. Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install xchat

it should appear in your Applications → Internet → Xchat

now after you launch it, join the channel #ubuntu if it doesnt auto join for you on chat.freenode.net

that will get you on irc. i'm on there most of the time too. same username nhasian if you need more help.

to watch flash videos on youtube in the terminal type:

sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

now youtube will work! yay

Thank you nhasian for working with me on this problem!

I opened a terminal window with this window still open and got the following command line:

bob@MusicMachine:~$

I typed in "sudo apt-get install xchat" (right after the $) and got:

[sudo] password for bob: (I entered my password and hit enter) and got:

E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem.
*
The last time I ran this computer I may not have shut down Firefox before I shut down the machine, does that matter?

Hello bobbyyg,

looks like your almost there. please follow the instructions and type:

dpkg --configure -a

as directed. i'm not sure if it needs sudo or not. try it without first, if that fails then do it with sudo before the command.

also in a terminal do sudo apt-get install xchat again just to make sure it was installed properly. then i'll see you in irc.

I read (and used) Dos for Dummies years ago. That's what got me started messing around with computers BUT I was happy to have Windows do some of that stuff for me (spoiled). I have a copy of Linux for Dummies around here somewhere but I never got past the first chapter..............

"dpkg --configure -a" gave me:
dpkg: requested operation requires superuser privilege

Does "sudo" give me that privilege? Tried it...............yes it does!

Also, when I first started Ubuntu with the Nvidia video card that it didn't like there was a "tray?" at the bottom of the screen where, if I remember correctly, programs went when I minimized them..........but that tray isn't there now and I haven't been able to " restore" it. I have to relaunch Firefox and use it's history function to get back to the Launchpad/Question each time.

Thanks again

I have just bought my first ubuntu dell mini, but cannot download the 15 updates because I get the following error message:-E: /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-2.6.24-22-lpia_2.6.24-22.45netbook9_lpia.deb: files list file for package `libxcb-shape0' is missing final newline
Can you help me?

@Jonathan https://bugs.launchpad.net/dell-mini/+bug/391796 and in the future

Please don't append a new question on a already answered or marked as solved question.
Please make new question from here: https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion
you will get better chance to get right answer on a fresh tagged "open" question.
Solved or answered questions are usually not read from answering people.

Thank you