http://help.hipchat.com/knowledgebase/articles/64439-how-to-connect-using-pidgin
How to connect using Pidgin
Warning: If you choose to use non-HipChat client you will miss out on some of or best features: file sharing, @mentions, inline previews for images, YouTube videos, Tweets, etc, audio/video chat, and room creation/management. More details here.
Pidgin is a free chat client for Windows and Linux that supports many networks.
Account setup
- Open Pidgin (we require v2.7.0 or above)
- Go to the “Add Account” window
- Protocol: Select “XMPP”
- Username: Enter your username from from this page
- Domain: “chat.hipchat.com”
- Resource: “xmpp”
- Password: Your HipChat account password
- Click “Add”
- If prompted to accept certificate, click “Accept” (Tech note: Pidgin on Windows doesn’t ship with DigiCert’s root cert)
You should now see your HipChat contacts appear in your buddylist.
Joining a room
- Go to “Buddies” → “Join a Chat…” or hit Ctrl+C
- Select your HipChat account in the dropdown menu at the top
- For “Room”, enter an “XMPP/Jabber Name” from the rooms list here
- For “Server”, enter “conf.hipchat.com”
- For “Handle”, enter your “Room nickname” from this page
- Leave the Password field blank
- Click “Join”
Joining rooms using the “Room List” dialog is not supported since it will not send the proper handle (nickname).