How to Install libpurple
Installing libpurple is actually pretty easy. For this example, I will show you how to install libpurple on Ubuntu Linux using apt-get (should work on Debian as well).
In your terminal, type:
sudo apt-get install libpurple-devAnd…well…that’s it! And hopefully, libpurple was installed with no errors. However, if you do have errors, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Just as a side note, libpurple requires Glib to run. Commonly, this comes installed on Linux, however, it may not already be installed on a Windows or Mac machine. Since I have never installed Glib on Windows or Mac, I can’t tell you exactly how to do it, but if you type in “how to install glib on windows/mac” in Google, you should be able to find some helpful resources.
Of course, using apt-get is not the only way to install liburple in Linux (although it’s by far the easiest). You can also get it from the official website, where you can either choose your system type or download the source code. It is possible to install libpurple from the source code, although I highly discourage it unless you plan on modifying libpurple itself.
Roughly, to install from source, you must download the source code, cd to the directory, and do something along the lines of ./configure, make, and make install, which will take a very very long time since it must re-compile all of the source code.
Once you have installed libpurple, your system is now equipped to handle instant messaging programs, which I will explain next.
If you had any trouble installing libpurple or thought this was at all useful, please leave a comment! Thanks.
This is awesome! Exactly what I was looking for (although I’m working on a Mac.) I can’t wait for the next post!
Hmm.. apt-get can’t find the package. Any advice?
@phil If you’re using Mac, you might want to check out the download page here and see if that helps. I have never installed it on a Mac before, but if you still need help, I’ll see if I can get it working on a Mac I have here.
@phil I just tried to install libpurple on my Mac using Fink, but I’m afraid I’m stuck on the same problem as you after I messed with it for a few hours. Sorry I’m not as experienced in this area. Anyone else know how to put libpurple on a Mac?
[...] so assuming you have libpurple installed, you can now write your first instant messaging program. This will be written in C. If you’re [...]
It’s actually a nice and useful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
can i just install libpurple0 not libpurple-dev for running your hello.c program?
sorry for my bad english
Hello,
I’m trying to make a client on Windows using libpurple. The program works fine but it can’t connect to the server. Can anybody show me how to use libpurple on Windows?
Thank you for your help.