<s>
Empathy	B-Language
is	O
an	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
and	O
voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
(	O
VoIP	B-Application
)	O
client	B-Protocol
which	O
supports	O
text	O
,	O
voice	O
,	O
video	O
,	O
file	O
transfers	O
,	O
and	O
inter-application	O
communication	O
over	O
various	O
IM	O
communication	O
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empathy	B-Language
was	O
created	O
by	O
forking	O
the	O
Gossip	B-Application
project	O
started	O
by	O
Michael	O
Hallendal	O
,	O
Richard	O
Hult	O
and	O
later	O
maintained	O
by	O
Martyn	O
Russell	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
initially	O
completely	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
based	O
(	O
similar	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
chat	O
implementations	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
others	O
wanted	O
it	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
Telepathy	B-Protocol
stack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
forking	O
and	O
new	O
name	O
Empathy	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empathy	B-Language
also	O
provides	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
reusable	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
widgets	O
for	O
developing	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
clients	O
for	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
written	O
as	O
extension	O
to	O
the	O
Telepathy	B-Protocol
framework	I-Protocol
,	O
for	O
connecting	O
to	O
different	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
networks	O
with	O
a	O
unified	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empathy	B-Language
has	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
since	O
its	O
version	O
2.24	O
,	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
since	O
version	O
9.10	O
(	O
Karmic	O
Koala	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Fedora	O
since	O
version	O
12	O
(	O
Constantine	O
)	O
;	O
Empathy	B-Language
has	O
replaced	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
as	O
their	O
default	O
messenger	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empathy	B-Language
is	O
no	O
longer	O
under	O
development	O
by	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empathy	B-Language
natively	O
supports	O
protocols	O
,	O
implemented	O
in	O
telepathy	B-Protocol
framework	I-Protocol
:	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
(	O
including	O
configuration	O
for	O
Facebook	B-Application
IM	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
,	O
though	O
Gizmo5	B-Application
,	O
LiveJournal	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
,	O
Nokia	O
Ovi	O
and	O
other	O
Jabber	B-Protocol
servers	O
also	O
supported	O
)	O
,	O
salut	B-Protocol
link-local	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
for	O
local	O
network	O
peer	O
discovery	O
,	O
MSNP	B-General_Concept
(	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
Messenger	O
service	O
as	O
used	O
by	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
or	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
)	O
,	O
IRC	B-Protocol
and	O
SIP	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
protocols	O
are	O
supported	O
with	O
libpurple	B-Protocol
plug-in	O
:	O
OSCAR	B-Application
(	O
AIM/ICQ/MobileMe	O
)	O
,	O
Bonjour	B-Application
(	O
Apple	O
's	O
implementation	O
of	O
Zeroconf	B-Application
)	O
,	O
MySpaceIM	B-Protocol
,	O
QQ	B-Operating_System
,	O
MXit	B-Protocol
,	O
Novell	B-Operating_System
GroupWise	I-Operating_System
,	O
YMSG	B-Application
,	O
Gadu-Gadu	B-Application
,	O
Lotus	B-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
,	O
SIMPLE	O
,	O
SILC	B-Protocol
,	O
Zephyr	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Automatic	O
features	O
include	O
auto	O
away	O
and	O
extended	O
away	O
using	O
gnome-screensaver	O
,	O
and	O
auto	O
re-connect	O
using	O
NetworkManager	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
One-on-one	O
and	O
group	O
chats	O
include	O
smileys	O
and	O
spell	B-Application
checking	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversation	O
windows	O
can	O
be	O
themed	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ryan	O
Paul	O
at	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
wrote	O
in	O
March	O
2009	O
,	O
"	O
Empathy	B-Language
's	O
highly	O
modular	O
design	O
,	O
basic	O
video	O
chat	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
excellent	O
support	O
for	O
desktop	O
integration	O
are	O
all	O
major	O
assets.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
"	O
improved	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
rough	O
around	O
the	O
edges	O
"	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
it	O
had	O
not	O
yet	O
"	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
any	O
major	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	O
"	O
citing	O
an	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
usability	O
study	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2009	O
,	O
after	O
Empathy	B-Language
replaced	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
(	O
and	O
Ekiga	B-Language
)	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
9.10	O
,	O
Ryan	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
Although	O
Empathy	B-Language
has	O
improved	O
a	O
lot	O
over	O
the	O
past	O
year	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
still	O
not	O
stable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
extended	O
review	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
9.10	O
,	O
Igor	O
ǈubunčić	O
was	O
terse	O
about	O
the	O
switch	O
from	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
to	O
Empathy	B-Language
:	O
"	O
Personally	O
,	O
I	O
see	O
no	O
value	O
in	O
the	O
change	O
,	O
especially	O
since	O
Empathy	B-Language
supports	O
less	O
networks.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Tom	O
's	O
Hardware	O
reviewer	O
Adam	O
Overa	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
switch	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
much	O
less	O
popular	O
and	O
compatible	O
Empathy	B-Language
client	B-Protocol
"	O
,	O
as	O
"[p]robably	O
the	O
most	O
controversial	O
change	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
9.10	O
"	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
a	O
"	O
firestorm	O
of	O
debate	O
has	O
been	O
raging	O
over	O
this	O
topic	O
among	O
developers	O
and	O
users	O
alike	O
ever	O
since	O
the	O
announcement	O
to	O
replace	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
was	O
made	O
…	O
"	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Empathy	B-Language
was	O
listed	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
"	O
5	O
open	O
source	O
VoIP	B-Application
softphones	O
to	O
watch	O
"	O
by	O
Rodney	O
Gedda	O
of	O
Computerworld	O
magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
clients	O
supporting	O
Off-the-Record	B-Protocol
Messaging	I-Protocol
(	O
OTR	O
)	O
,	O
Empathy	B-Language
lacks	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
facilities	O
enforced	O
through	O
technical	O
means	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Empathy	B-Language
's	O
developers	O
do	O
not	O
consider	O
it	O
within	O
the	O
client	B-Protocol
's	O
scope	O
to	O
implement	O
OTR	O
,	O
while	O
leaving	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
supporting	O
potential	O
future	O
protocol-level	O
encryption	O
standards	O
open	O
.	O
</s>
