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Rhapsody
August 19th, 2006, 03:21 AM
I would make this a poll, but Wikipedia's list of IRC clients (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IRC_clients) makes any such effort seem rather pointless.

I'm making this topic because IRC is one of the two main forms of communication I use over the internet (I hate e-mail and dumped IM programs years ago) and I recently started using a new client that I'd meant to have switched to months ago. But first, some history.

Years ago, I first started using IRC. Being a Windows user going on to IRC for the first time, mIRC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIRC) was my client of choice. I used this for quite some time and it was fairly good, but the fact that I was using shareware that I'd never paid for bugged me, and I resolved to find a new client.

After a bit of looking, I happened upon Visual IRC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_IRC) and decided to give it a go. However, it seemed rather spartan and updates were rather 'infrequent' (it was at 2.0 when I stopped using it, and it's still at 2.0 right now) so I went searching again.

This time I found X-Chat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Chat) and found that I liked it. It was powerful, easy to use, and GPLed! What more could I want? I used it for a fair while and got used to it, but then came the announcement (which should be quite infamous among people who were using X-Chat for Windows at the time) that the Windows version would become shareware (the reason I'd left mIRC in the first place!). I used an alternate build, but was never really happy with it anymore. Once I decided to switch to Linux, I decided I would switch again once on the 'other side'. My new client of choice was to Irssi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irssi).

However, things didn't go as planned, and the install was delayed. In the meantime, I found Konversation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konversation) came with Kubuntu. I didn't like it as much as X-Chat, but it worked and wasn't shareware at all, so I started using it regularly. I tried to install Irssi using apt-get, but it seemed to fail (a regular occurance at the time). Five months passed.

Then, I look in Adept and happen upon the 'irssi-text' entry, and what's this? It's already installed? Sure enough, typing 'irssi-text' into Konsole launched Irssi! It lives!

My switch to Irssi has been a bit rocky, but it seems to be working well now. I normally end up using IRC when my cordless mouse is recharging, and a keyboard-only app is perfect for just those times. Ctrl+F2 (to get me to desktop 2, my IRC desktop) and everything else is done with keyboard commands! Brilliant!

So that's my long experience with various IRC clients. What I want to know is what IRC clients people here use, and if anyone else has a story like mine to tell. Five clients is a lot to end up using, but I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who can beat that!

GuitarHero
August 19th, 2006, 03:24 AM
X-chat, but I rarely use it.

Rackerz
August 19th, 2006, 03:25 AM
GNOME X-chat but I rarely use it either.

jISh
August 19th, 2006, 04:45 AM
Hmm, well I started with mIRC years ago as well. When I came to Linux I used X-Chat for a while, then decided it was too big and bulky and switched to irsii, of which I have no plans of ever changing from.

user1397
August 19th, 2006, 04:52 AM
i didn't even know anything about IRC until i switched to ubuntu! i first learned it with gaim, and that's still what i use! (it's so easy with gaim!)

DoktorSeven
August 19th, 2006, 04:53 AM
xchat has always been my IRC program of choice, both on Windows (using one of the free builds, not the official one) and Linux.

Rebeca
August 19th, 2006, 04:56 AM
My first IRC client was also mIRC. For a while, I didn't use IRC at all. Afterwards, I just used GAIM and Chatzilla in Windows, and just GAIM in Linux. I still use messengers (because I have to communicate with people who don't use IRC), and GAIM has everything so that works.

croak77
August 19th, 2006, 05:02 AM
... What IRC client do you use? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=184917)

favorite irc clients (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=85583)

mips
August 19th, 2006, 12:42 PM
Xchat is the best i reckon although I use Konversation as it comes with Kubuntu.

bonzodog
August 19th, 2006, 03:12 PM
I use Weechat-curses. It has a cool interface, runs in the terminal, and can handle scripts. Another one you might like, is your nickname, Rhapsody, which is also an ncurses Terminal client. They both put the user list on the right hand side automatically.

look at these two sites:

http://rhapsody.sourceforge.net

http://weechat.flashtux.org

Dinerty
August 19th, 2006, 04:00 PM
irssi and Xchat

irssi is very nice CLI from terminal, really getting into it

Rule
August 19th, 2006, 05:12 PM
can you do file transfers in irssi?

CronoDekar
August 19th, 2006, 05:24 PM
I'm similar actually, I very rarely use email and I don't find much point with IM since everyone I want to talk to is on IRC.

Anyway, I use XChat -- though not the GNOME version, the one in Universe. The GNOME version is a little feature sparse for my tastes.

I've been playing with KDE these past couple weeks, but haven't been that impressed with Konversation or KSirc. Though to be fair, I haven't given a lot of time to working with those, and I have some TCL scripts I made for XChat that I'd like.

Dinerty
August 19th, 2006, 07:14 PM
can you do file transfers in irssi?

No

From my experience of using it I have not seen file transfers, checked website and seen no scripts for it and searched board.

If I'm proven wrong please say :)

croak77
August 19th, 2006, 07:47 PM
No

From my experience of using it I have not seen file transfers, checked website and seen no scripts for it and searched board.

If I'm proven wrong please say :)

Are you talking about dcc?

/help dcc

arox
August 19th, 2006, 07:54 PM
I'm using irssi and Konversation sometimes

AndyCooll
August 19th, 2006, 08:01 PM
XChat.

When I used ******* I used mIRC. I liked dcc-assist, which I've heard there's a version that works with XChat. However I ain't got it to work yet. If I could get that set up I'd be a very happy guy.

:cool:

Cap'n Refsmmat
August 19th, 2006, 08:01 PM
I go for X-Chat as well.

crackseller
August 19th, 2006, 08:25 PM
Same here. I like XChat: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=239211

ruvil
August 19th, 2006, 11:23 PM
Irssi :-)

Dinerty
August 20th, 2006, 02:22 AM
Are you talking about dcc?

/help dcc

Well spotted :)

Rhapsody
August 20th, 2006, 04:54 AM
Another one you might like, is your nickname, Rhapsody, which is also an ncurses Terminal client. They both put the user list on the right hand side automatically.
I have looked at that, and the name surprised me somewhat. But I'll probably wait until it's out of beta before considering it over Irssi.