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What is the best alternative to irc.c?
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IRSSI
All
12
Experiences
Pros
9
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Terminal-based
Screen multiplexing and remote connection options with screen or tmux.
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Con
No GUI
Actually a plus for some, lower memory overhead.
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Pro
Themes
Allows the modification of IRSSI's look and feel.
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Top
Con
Gives little direction upfront
Actually, Irssi.org has it's own GREAT documentation for new irssi users. Inline /help options are pretty well documented.
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Top
Pro
Free and open-source
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Top
Con
Cryptic configuration files
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Pro
Quick and easy setup
3 or 4 commands and you're ready to chat with all your old friends.
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Pro
Perl scripting
Allows the user to create and use perl scripts to perform actions.
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Top
Pro
Command line outputs can be sent to a channel or message
/exec -o figlet "Slant.co"
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Pro
Easy logging
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Pro
Persistent connection
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Pro
Has a plugin for encrypted communications
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Experiences
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99
8
Konversation
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Regularly maintained
Konversation is still being updated with new features and bug fixes. Konversation 1.5(released January 15, 2014) has added plenty of major features.
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Top
Con
Updating to a new version overwrites configuration settings
Colors, fonts and autojoin behaviors may be customizable, but backing up the settings prior to updating the software is imperative.
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Pro
Notifications
Konversation has an OSD(On Screen Display) feature that gives you an overlay message anytime your nick is mentioned. This means you won't be interrupted from your work and reduces the need to keep the window open.
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Top
Con
Crashes when trying to download search results (on Ubuntu 16.04)
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Pro
Plenty of useful smaller features
Koversation is full of features to make IRC simpler and smoother. It comes with tools like a channel bookmarker, the ability to insert special characters easily and the "URL catcher", which gives quick access to any links mentioned in the channel.
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Pro
Quick Buttons
The Quick Buttons features allows you to set a button to any IRC command that you frequently use. It has several defaults such as whois, and kick but a button can be created for any command you need.
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Pro
Very professional UI design
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Specs
License:
GPLv2
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Experiences
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27
3
Communi
All
7
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Elegant and minimalist interface
Communi user interface for desktop and mobile is minimal, which helps you focus on the task at hand instead of being distracted by extra UI elements.
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Top
Con
No DCC
Communi does not support DCC (for a reason)
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Top
Pro
Good ZNC integration
The author is involved in ZNC development, so the latest ZNC goodies are guaranteed to be well supported (http://communi.github.io/znc/). With help of the documented ZNC modules, Communi retains its state well across sessions. No repetitive buffer playback on reconnect, notifications and banners for newly received messages only, queries stay open until closed etc.
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Top
Con
No scripting
Communi has no support for scripts
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Pro
UI runs on multiple platforms
While Communi itself is a IRC framework, the project offers several UI implementations such as desktop, SailfishOS, Meego and Symbian.
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Top
Pro
Quassel protocol implementation
Communi is integrated with Quassel.
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Pro
Event merging
Consequent events (joins, parts, quits etc.) are merged to reduce noise and to keep focus on the discussion.
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Experiences
Free
2
0
WeeChat
All
23
Experiences
Pros
20
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Terminal-based
WeeChat has a command line interface.
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Top
Con
No official GUI option
While there are some unofficial remote graphical interfaces available for WeeChat, it is intended to be used as a terminal client. As such it might be challenging to use to those accustomed to graphical interfaces.
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Top
Pro
Accessible to less expert users out of the box
WeeChat has an easy to use interface and sane defaults, making it a great client for beginner users.
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Top
Con
Scripting API allows poorly written scripts to be used as attack vectors
Plugin documentation includes the following warning: In many functions, for speed reasons, WeeChat does not check if your pointer is correct or not. It’s your job to check you’re giving a valid pointer, otherwise you may see a nice crash report ;)
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Top
Pro
Builtin SSL support
Easy to configure weechat connect to server using certificates
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Pro
Highly customizable and configurable
Many dotfiles are publicly available.
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Top
Pro
Flexible window splitting
Weechat allows very flexible window splitting behavior to show multiple IRC channels at once. Windows can be split vertically and horizontally.
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Pro
Fully keyboard driven
Weechat can be fully driven by keyboard shortcuts. Navigating between buffers, switching between windows and changing text styling can all be achieved with keyboard shortcuts.
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Top
Pro
Extensible via plugins and scripts
Supports scripting in C, Python, Perl, Ruby, Lua, Tcl, Scheme and Javascript.
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Pro
Persistent connection
Works perfectly with a poor connection.
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Pro
Smart filtering
Smart filtering lets set a series of rules for IRC channels. For example, it allows instructing the client to show /quit and /join messages only if the user was speaking in the last 20 minutes.
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Pro
Free and open source
WeeChat is a free program licensed under GPL with source code available on GitHub.
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Top
Pro
Can act as a relay for mobile client
It's possible to leave WeeChat running at home/on a server, then connect to it with a smartphone client. This way a choppy mobile internet connection won't disconnect from IRC, and still allow using a touch screen optimized UI.
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Pro
Active and helpful community support
Weechat community can be found on #weechat @ Freenode. The community, including devs, is helpful in answering any WeeChat related questions.
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Top
Pro
Built-in script manager
WeeChat has a built-in tool for searching, downloading, installing and updating scripts and plugins.
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Pro
Intuitive, detail-oriented interface
By default WeeChat has a chat area surrounded by a nicklist on the right, title bar on top, and status and input bars at the bottom. The layout, though, can be completely customized and split vertically or horizontally. It supports 256 colors as long as the terminal supports 256 colors as well as bolded, italicized and underlined text. Even includes little touches as differently colored nicknames for people /away.
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Top
Pro
Huge library of scripts
WeeChat scripts repository has hundreds of scripts including url shorteners, music player integrations and bandwidth monitors.
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Top
Pro
Mouse support
Mouse click and gestures are supported on a local terminal as well as remote terminal accessed via ssh regardless of screen/tmux. To enable mouse support use /mouse enable command or press alt+m.
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Top
Pro
Easy to customize
You are able to modify configurations inside application or via modifying files(i.e. colors).
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Top
Pro
Actively developed
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Pro
Offers a choice of remote interfaces
WeeChat has html5, qt, android, emacs and javascript remote interface options.
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Top
Pro
Incremental text search
Text is searched through in real time as search terms are being written.
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Specs
License:
GPLv3
Proxy server:
Yes
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Experiences
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209
19
KVIrc
All
5
Experiences
Pros
4
Specs
Top
Pro
Extensive documentation available
Help files and online resources show all of the feature and scripting capabilities.
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Top
Pro
Portable
KVIrc does not need to be installed. It can be kept on a flash drive and run from there.
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Top
Pro
Still active developement
Despite whats been said, development has been continuing at a steady pace on version 4.3.1 and more recently 4.3.2.
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Top
Pro
Plenty of customization options
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Specs
Platforms:
GNU/Linux, Windows
License:
GPL
Media:
Yes
Interface:
GUI
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51
9
The Lounge
All
6
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Free
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Top
Con
Server, not an application
This is a server, not an application, so there's that extra bit of overhead.
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Top
Pro
Highly maintained
You can see the activity here. For example 62 pull requests were merged from 2018-02-17 to 2018-02-24.
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Top
Con
Uses NodeJS
Javascript...
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Top
Pro
Hosted on the web
Always up.
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Specs
Platforms:
Linux for server and gui is progressive web app
Media:
Yes
Message history:
Optional
Proxy server:
Yes
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0
8
2
Polari
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Con
Some advanced features are lacking
Polari's users will find some advanced features lacking, such as Direct Client-to-Client (DCC).
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Top
Pro
Great UI
The CSD-based UI is great to look at. No screen space goes entirely wasted and is presented neatly.
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Top
Con
May seem too simple
Unlike Hexchat or other alternatives, it does not expose much of its functionality though some of it might really be present.
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Top
Pro
Easy to use
Polari is very straight forward to use.
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Top
Pro
GNOME-Integration
Polari integrates nice with GNOME, on a visual and technical level. It uses GNOME online accounts and runs empathy in the background.
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7
2
HexChat
All
19
Experiences
Pros
13
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Free and open source
HexChat is available as a free download with source code licensed under GPL v2 and available on GitHub.
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Top
Con
It is not free on Windows Store
Caused by Windows Store way of installing. If you select install trial, you have full use without limit. Don't use Windows Store.
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Top
Pro
Simple, clear interface
HexChat's default interface is clear, well-organized and intuitive. Channels can be laid out as both tabs and in a tree structure. All components such as user lists, topics bar or even menu bar can be hidden to provide a clean way to interact. Conversely the interface can be configured to show quick access buttons for changing channel flags, sending files or performing operator actions.
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Top
Con
Bad character support
Writing normal apostrophes and certain characters is not possible without a certain plugin installed. Additionally, it does not render all glyphs like most other programs would.
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Top
Pro
Works for any level of user
HexChat is an advanced IRC client that is good for beginners as well as those users who like to get under the hood. It is easy to get up and running, but has all the advanced features that a power user would need.
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Top
Con
Poor high DPI display support
Text is blurry and hard to read on HDPI displays. Both in Windows and Mac.
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Top
Pro
Multi-platform
Windows , Linux and Mac. Source-code available. Someone named Berke Victor's responsible for the Mac version. It's not maintained by the github team (Win, Linux, source-code).
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Top
Con
High CPU usage on some Windows 8.1 & 10 versions
HexChat has a long-standing unresolved issue with high CPU usage spikes on key-presses that is noticed in some Windows 8.1 and 10 versions.
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Top
Pro
Functionality can be extended with plugins and scripts
HexChat has a great list of plugins and scripts and is compatible with most XChat plugins. XChats library is incredibly extensive. There is a wide range of both useful and fun plugins. It's possible to add an RSS feed, play a game of chess or control an mp3 player via chat while translating everything written to l33t speek.
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Top
Con
Doesn't support fingerprint verification for SSL certificate
Doesn't support certificate fingerprint verification for SSL certificates. Hence can't use self-signed certificates for SSL.
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Top
Pro
Highly customizable look
While most clients allow changing the theme or style of a window, HexChat gives complete control over what it looks like. It's possible to set a custom image as the background, changing font, or syntax colors.
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Top
Pro
The Win10 Store Trial Is actually the full version
The Win10 Store "trial" is actually the full version and is not time limited - the pay version is simply there to give Windows Store users the ability to donate to the project, because the Windows Store doesn't support a donate button.
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Top
Pro
Portable
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Pro
Available in multiple languages
HexChat has either complete or partial translations in over 50 languages.
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Top
Pro
Highly scriptable
HexChat supports scripting in Perl and Python. Both languages can be used to extend functionality of the software - bots can be written, automation can be added, new dialogs can be created.
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Top
Pro
Actively developed
GitHub repository shows active development.
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Top
Pro
Automation tools built into core application
Lots of automation features built into the core application. Custom keyboard shortcuts and Alias commands enabled. Winamp, url-logger, and many other plugins can be easily enabled for extra functionality. UI is highly configurable/themeable, large community of users. Supports countless simultaneous connections.
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Top
Pro
Excellent documentation
Hexchat has well-organized, extensive documentation that covers everything from a basic Getting Started guide to enabling Spell Check, connecting to Twitch chat or using Tor.
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Specs
SSL:
Yes
Multi-server:
Yes
OTR:
plugin
URI scheme:
Yes
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Experiences
FREE
691
105
Quassel
All
6
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Free and open source
Quassal is available for free with source code licensed under GPL and available here.
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Top
Con
Potential memory bloat in monolithic client if left running for a period of time
(I don't know if this problem has been fixed in recent years, but I have doubts)
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Top
Pro
Distributed
It's possible for a front-end client or multiple front-end clients to connect to a single core client. This allows setting up an always on-line core that can be accessed from anywhere.
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Top
Con
No DCC support
DCC or Direct Client-to-Client protocol allows for private communications between users (without the traffic being routed through servers). Neither chat nor file transfers are supported.
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Top
Pro
Easy installation on Ubuntu due to the existence of PPA's
Right now Quassel has a PPA maintainer, which allows you to install the stable version or daily versions. Support for PostgreSQL as database backend and easy to configure for people that know a bit about systems.
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Specs
License:
GPL
Interface:
GUI, TUI
IPv6:
Yes
Auto update:
No
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77
22
Pidgin
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Support for a wide range of additional chat services
Pidgin not only supports IRC, it also supports plenty of other services such as AIM, Google Talk, MSN, ICQ and plenty of others. This way, you can have all of your conversations in the same app and won't have to deal with multiple chat windows being open.
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Top
Con
Miserable IRC font controls (as of 2.13.0.17)
Does its best to avoid putting sensible default font controls in any place where you can get to it. And when it does grudgingly change it, based on system preferences (not local preferences), it does so in an inconsistent and unpredictable fashion.
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Top
Pro
Free and open source
Pidgin and its code is completely free and open source. Pidgin has no ads and no features behind a paywall.
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Top
Con
No native VoIP support
While there are plugins there is no built in support for VoIP in Pidgin which is time consuming to implement instead of being baked in from the jump.
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Pro
Cross platform
The Pidgin instant messaging client is cross platform, working on Linux, Windows and OSX.
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Pro
Convenient notification features
Like other quality IRC clients, Pidgin features notifications that the user can set in order to have a variety of things happen when the users is mentioned, such as an audio cue or changing the system tray icon.
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Pro
Highly customisable with plugins
Pidgin not only has a large plugin library built-in, but also an array of third party plugins for a variety of functions.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux
License:
GPL
Media:
Video send/receive, Images
Message history:
Optional
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Experiences
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297
81
XChat
All
6
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
Highly customizable look
While most clients allow changing the theme or style of a window, XChat gives complete control over what it looks like. It's possible to set a custom image as the background, changing font, or syntax colors.
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Top
Con
Development stopped
The latest release of XChat was in 2010. An active fork is HexChat.
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Pro
Works for any level of user
XChat is an advanced IRC client that is good for beginners as well as those users who like to get under the hood. It is easy to get up and running, but has all the advanced features that a power user would need.
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Top
Pro
Excellent Plugin Library
XChat has a great list of plugins and scripts. Most quality IRC clients support plugins but XChats library is incredibly extensive. There is a wide range of both useful and fun plugins. It's possible to add an RSS feed or play a game of chess. Or maybe you want to control an mp3 player via chat while translating everything you type to l33t speek. XChats Plugin Library is truly extensive.
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Top
Pro
Great interface
XChat's default interface is clear, well-organized and intuitive. Channels can be laid out as both tabs and in a tree structure. All components such as user lists, topics bar or even menu bar can be hidden to provide a clean way to interact. Conversely the interface can be configured to show quick access buttons for changing channel flags, sending files or performing operator actions.
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Specs
License:
GPL Proprietary
Interface:
GUI TUI
IPv6:
Yes
Auto update:
No
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60
29
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4.7 star rating
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