For the second time since it’s creation, Gaim, formerly known as GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger, has been once again pushed by AOL to change it’s name. The first time they did so, which was the change to the name Gaim, AOL was pleased, and didn’t bother them anymore, since at the time it was a small project.

But ever since they trademarked “AIM”, and Gaim started to gain momentum, the threats started again. And although the developers were able to sign a settlement with them, they were forced to change the product’s name to Pidgin.

This doesn’t mean that there will be a completely new look, or that the project will be “scrapped”, or started from 0, it simply means that Gaim will now be called Pidgin, and later this week, or during the next one, the developers hope to release Pidgin 2.0.

The website’s domain has also changed, and will now be: www.pidgin.im. Personally, I think that the move done by AOL was very opportunistic, and this announcement also, because not only is Gaim entering it’s 2.0 version, but also changing it’s name, and I sincerely hope that this announcement gives their popularity a boost.