Last night, purely by chance, I noticed a post on Jaiku by Techsyslonghorn requesting assistance in getting a linux application named Pjaiku working on Ubuntu. So, as my never-ceasing quest to find the latest and greatest software continues, I had to check it out.
While the application does not yet have a formalized installation procedure, here are the steps I took to get it running:
First off, the application requires two python modules (and some ancillary modules which will also be installed for us), so install those first:
sudo apt-get install python-qt4 python-simplejson
Next, download the file either through your web browser or via the command line:
wget http://h.ordia.com.ar/pjaiku/pjaiku_020.tar.gz
Then unpack it by either right-clicking on it in Gnome and choosing Extract Here, double-clicking on it and using File Roller to extract it, or, being a command line junkie, do it the easy way:
tar zxf pjaiku_020.tar.gz
Now, change into the directory created above and try to run it:
cd pjaiku
./pjaiku.py
If all has gone according to plan, the application should open up and present you with a request for your Jaiku username and your API key which is available at http://api.jaiku.com.
After entering those pieces of information, you should be presented with the main Pjaiku window and the application should go fetch your friends recent posts. So far I am enjoying the app. It has full support for post icons, allows posting to the new’ish Jaiku groups, and generally presents information in a nice way.
Some of the things I’d like to see which are currently missing or simply not yet implemented:
- A way to follow the public timeline
- The ability to reply or submit a comment
- An ability to minimize the icon and have popup notification boxes, a la libnotify, etc
Give it a try, I think you’ll like it!
