Pidgin isn’t an IRC client, though it does have IRC support. Instead, Pidgin is an open source, multi-platform chat client. Torrent client for mac os. Users that casually dabble in IRC may want to try out Pidgin for their needs. Like most clients, the program has support for chat history, multiple server connections, aliases, etc. This is a free, new fashion, cross-platform, distributed IRC client that works on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X, you can think of it as a GUI replication of WeeChat.
HomePCLinux10 Best IRC Client Apps for Linux You Should Use
No, you didn’t travel back to the 1990s. Some technologies are simply more enduring than others, and IRC is one of them. These days IRC is as functional as ever, new features are in the works, thanks to the IRCv3 project, and its premise is still good enough to be copied (looking at you, Slack).
If you haven’t heard of IRC, here’s a quick rundown:
What is IRC?
The abbreviation stands for Internet Relay Chat, and it’s a communication protocol that enables users to chat in channels (chat rooms) on IRC networks. A network consists of IRC servers, and users connect to it from an IRC client application.
IRC was created in 1988 and had a somewhat turbulent history with splits and forks due to disagreements over protocol standardization. As people moved to social networks and various messaging apps, the popularity of IRC declined. However, thousands are still using it, and most congregate on Freenode. It’s currently the largest IRC network, with the majority of channels dedicated to free and open source software.
Every major Linux distribution has an IRC channel, so IRC provides a great way to get help or meet fellow Linux users. You can exchange private messages and files with others, and create your own channels – public, private, or invite-only. User actions are called IRC commands, and begin with a forward slash. To join a channel, you’d type
/join #channelname in your IRC client.
Most networks allow you to participate without an account. Since IRC chats are just plain textual messages, the whole experience is lightweight and equally fast on desktop and mobile devices.
Interested in trying IRC? Do you want to change your current IRC client? Here are some of the best IRC clients you’ll find on Linux – and things you can do with them.
Keep Your IRC Client Simple1. Polari
The point of Polari is to start chatting. It doesn’t have dozens of options to distract you. All you have to do is click the plus button, choose a network from the list (or add a custom one), and join a channel. Many will find Polari too limited, but it looks like a good choice for beginners and minimalists.
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2. Pidgin
You may remember Pidgin as a multi-protocol IM app that predates current all-in-one solutions like Franz. One of the supported protocols is IRC, which makes Pidgin a fully-functioning IRC client. You can create accounts on multiple networks and join several channels at once. Authentication with SSL and SASL is supported, and Pidgin can automatically join selected channels on startup.
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Special Mention:
Communi – a QT-based IRC client with its own IRC framework. It supports the split-view feature that lets you see multiple channels side-by-side. Chat From the Terminal3. Irssi
If you’re serious about IRC and spend a lot of time in the Terminal, Irssi is the IRC client for you. It supports themes, advanced chat log management, keyboard shortcuts, and command aliases. There are also plugins and scripts, and Irssi-proxy is among the most useful. It helps you maintain multiple server connections and share them between clients or devices (e.g. your phone and your PC).
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4. WeechatBest Irc
WeeChat is all about extensibility. If you want to, you can add features via plugins, or write scripts in a number of languages (Python, Perl, Lua, Ruby…). If not, just keep it lightweight.
WeeChat can connect to multiple servers and encrypt your private information. Although it’s an ncurses-based application, WeeChat is quite colorful, and supports various appearance tweaks. You can also use a frontend – Glowing Bear is a popular recommendation.
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5. F-IRC
F-IRC is a command-line IRC client with a compact interface that you can navigate with cursor keys. It supports colors and allows connections to multiple IRC servers. You can define your favorite channels and customize F-IRC in detail by editing the configuration file.
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While BitchX is a fairly popular command-line IRC client, ii (irc it) is unlike anything else on this list. It’s a filesystem-based IRC client that creates directories and files for every server and channel you join. Try it and see if you can handle the geekiness. Don’t Miss A Thing6. Quassel
IRC is great, but it does have a major flaw: you can’t see the messages that were posted in a channel while you were offline. Quassel solves this problem with its client-server approach.
The “core” (server) component of the application is constantly online, even when you close the client. When the client reconnects, the server shows you new messages since the moment you disconnected. If you dislike this functionality, Quassel works just as well as a regular IRC client.
You can theme Quassel with stylesheets, and organize opened chats with Custom Chat Lists. This feature lets you group IRC channels, separate private messages from status messages, and hide some types of messages.
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7. Smuxi
Like Quassel, Smuxi relies on the client-server model to deliver messages you missed while offline. Apart from IRC, Smuxi can connect to Twitter, Facebook Chat, and Jabber/XMPP.
Two viewing modes help you manage multiple IRC channels. Caret Mode lets you navigate Smuxi’s interface with the keyboard, and Browse Mode lets you switch to other tabs in Smuxi without changing their state (for example, removing highlights or marking messages as read).
Smuxi is scriptable, so you can write hooks and plugins to expand shortened URLs in chats, print your currently playing song or your system information, and more.
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With adjustments and plugins, Irssi and WeeChat can also be used for permanent IRC connections. If you’d like to play with a self-hosted solution, try The Lounge or Convos. Both IRC clients can stay online and ensure you don’t miss anything. Tweak Every Detail8. Konversation
Like a true KDE app, Konversation is completely customizable, and it cooperates with other KDE applications. It can integrate with the Kontact Address Book to show your contacts who use IRC. You can define multiple nicknames and identification methods for each IRC network you add, and quickly switch between them from the dropdown menu in the main chat window.
Konversation has a tabbed interface, and you can get detailed notifications about activities in each tab. It’s also possible to receive channel messages as notifications on your KDE desktop while Konversation is minimized.
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![]() 9. Hexchat
A fork of the once-famous XChat, HexChat has everything you need without being too complicated. This is why many Linux distributions ship it as the default IRC client. You can set it to autojoin channels, and create aliases for IRC commands.
HexChat supports multiple authentication methods (SASL, NickServ…) and scripting with Perl and Python. The Preferences dialog offers plenty of interface-tweaking options, like custom colors and transparency. Extra tools for handling URLs and auto-replacing text snippets can be found in the Settings menu.
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10. Kvirc
At first glance, Kvirc might look dated, but it actually pays attention to appearance details. You can create a whole theme by tweaking input and output fonts, background and selection colors, and transparency. The window tiling option makes it possible to view multiple channels simultaneously. Cosmicpvp console client for mac..
With Kvirc, identity management is easy thanks to Network Profiles. This feature lets you create separate settings for each IRC network you wish to join.
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Other Cool Things To Do on IRC1. Use Your Browser as an IRC Client
If you already spend a lot of time in your web browser, and you don’t want to install a separate IRC client, the solution is obvious. Access IRC from the browser! Kiwi IRC is a popular web-based IRC client, and a good choice for beginners. Alternatively, take a look at Riot, which we covered while it was still called Vector.
2. Connect to Slack
Since Slack is so heavily inspired by IRC, it’s only fair that you can access it from your regular IRC client. True, most of the options won’t be available, but you’ll still be able to send and receive messages. You can follow the instructions from Slack, or set up one of the third-party helper apps and plugins (wee-slack, Slack IRC Client, or slack-irc).
3. Connect to Twitch
If you watch gaming streams on Twitch, you probably know it’s possible to chat with other users. Did you know you can do this from any IRC client? The setup is relatively straightforward and well-explained in the official documentation.
4. Create Your Own IRC Channel
The real fun starts with your own IRC channel. To create one, pick a name, join the channel, and register it. That’s all!
You should have a registered nickname on that network, and you can check if the channel name you want is already taken with
/msg ChanServ info ##channelname .
Now you can invite users, password-protect the channel to make it private, or add some bots to it. There are many uses for an IRC channel: from hosting group chats and Q&A sessions to organizing a study group with your friends or setting up a helpdesk service for your company.
5. Have Fun With IRC Bots
IRC bots can make your channel more interactive and assist you in administration. You can use them for anti-spam protection and automatic banning, or to get statistics about the channel and its visitors. Bots can show local time for a selected user, fetch weather information and word definitions, and relay entries from RSS feeds.
You can use bots to organize trivia games on your channel, or for more serious business, to notify users about GitHub repository activity and new bug reports in a software project. Some bots can post content from the channel to Twitter, while others can link to Linux man pages and software documentation. They are relatively easy to program, so if you’re not happy with the existing IRC bots, you can always make your own.
SEE ALSO: 15 Best Free Backup Software for Linux
Try these IRC Clients for Linux but be safe!
Whatever you do on IRC, remember to stay safe. As anywhere else on the Internet, malicious users and “wannabe hackers” can appear in IRC channels, too. Don’t accept files from unknown users. You can also set up an ignore list or disable private messages to protect yourself. Of course, be polite and respect channel rules, and you’ll surely have a great time.
Now we’re interested in your thoughts about IRC. Do you still use it? What is your favorite IRC client for Linux? Tell us in the comments section below!
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In the decades following the invention of the Internet, dozens of programs and protocols have been developed to facilitate communication between computers. For example, we have instant messaging protocols, email clients, chatroom networks, and more.
For most of us, chatrooms might seem like a relic of the past, but they’re still around. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, you’ll want to look into the IRC protocol. For those of you who are already familiar with IRC, you can jump past the next section to the list of awesome IRC clients for Windows 7. For those of you who have never heard of IRC, here’s a quick crash course.
What is IRC?
In the simplest of terms, IRC is a network of chatrooms where each individual chatroom is called a channel. Channels are hosted on servers, and each server maintains its own network of channels. Using an IRC client, you can connect to a server and join the channels on that server. By doing so, you’ll be able to chat with other users who have connected to the same channels on those same servers.
IRC first arrived on the scene in 1988 and experienced its peak popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Prior to the current prevalence of Internet forums and message boards, IRC was one of the best ways to foster community and chat with people of similar interests.
Today, IRC is still running strong, though it tends to be used as more of a supplement to web communities that have already been established through websites and forums.
mIRC
mIRC was once the best IRC client for Windows and still remains as one of the most downloaded and most used clients today. Having been in development for over a decade, this client is full of advanced features – like scripting – that outshine its competitors.
The downside to mIRC is that it is shareware – it comes with a 30-day free trial. When the trial runs out, you’ll still be able to use the program, but you’ll need to put up with an annoying splash screen that lasts for a few seconds every time you start up the program.
X-Chat
X-Chat was one of the first real contenders to mIRC. Today, it is one of the most well-known IRC clients on the web. The project is open source so not only can X-Chat be used on Windows, it can be used on Linux, too.
Like mIRC, the original X-Chat has since become shareware with a 30-day free trial. Unlike mIRC, X-Chat cannot be used past the initial 30 days. If you aren’t willing to shell out the one-time registration fee of $19.99, then you should look elsewhere.
If you like X-Chat and cannot afford to register it but wouldn’t mind using an older, stripped-down version, you may want to look into X-Chat 2. This is a free build of X-Chat for Windows meant to circumvent the shareware nature of its predecessor.
Mac Os Irc ClientHydraIRC
HydraIRC is an IRC client that was designed to make the whole IRC experience as easy and painless as possible. Whereas IRC was once usable only by the tech-literate, HydraIRC has constantly worked towards making IRC easy for the newest beginners while still retaining the advanced settings that power-users desire.
The client is free and open source and packed full of awesome features, like themes, plugins, notifications, and reg-ex highlighting.
KVIrc
One of the oldest IRC clients around, KVIrc has been in development for over 10 years – and its feature set reflects the time spent in development. In particular, this client has extensive scripting support that allows for user customization. Unlike most full-featured IRC clients, KVIrc is portable, meaning it can be used without first having to install it. Run it straight off of a thumb drive if you wish.
Since KVIrc is built on the Qt GUI toolkit, it is cross-platform. In addition to running on Windows, KVIrc has official binaries for Mac, FreeBSD, and certain flavors of Linux.
Nettalk
Coming out of Germany is Nettalk, a free and open source IRC client with a smart interface built on the Windows standards. The default layout is simple and intuitive, allowing beginner IRC users to grab hold of the reins quickly with ease.
One of the great things about Nettalk is its out-of-the-box support for multiple languages – English, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Hungarian and German. On top of that, it has many of the features that IRC clients are now expected to have – plugin support, scripting support, easy customization, and more.
Quassel
The developers describe Quassel as a modern, cross-platform, distributed IRC client: modern, meaning full of the features that you would expect from an IRC client today; cross-platform, meaning available on Windows, Mac, and Linux; distributed, meaning something that is uniquely awesome.
Quassel’s defining feature is its distributed nature. As a distributed client, Quassel attaches and detaches itself from a central core that runs permanently online. The core keeps track of your session, so you can detach when you need to leave and reattach when you’re available again – and you won’t have missed a single thing!
Quassel IRC is both free and open source.
ThrashIRC
Some might find ThrashIRC to be overly prideful because the development team has self-proclaimed their client to be the “best IRC client for Windows.” Whether or not that’s true is up to you to decide.
ThrashIRC comes equipped with all of the modern features expected of an IRC client with a few extra bonuses. The best thing it has going for itself is that it’s feature-filled while using very few system resources. No adware, no spyware, and lots of stability.
Best Irc Client Ios
But what’s their best feature? According to their website, ThrashIRC has the “best smileys.”
Conclusion
So there you have it. These are 7 of the best IRC clients for Windows 7. Each of them has its own community of fans and supporters, so it’s hard to say whether any of them are any better than the others. If nothing else, give them all a shot, see how they meet your requirements, and come to your own conclusions.
Do you know of any other IRC clients that deserve to be on this list? Feel free to share them in the comments.
Image Credit: Speech Bubble Via Shutterstock
What Is The Best Irc Client For Windows
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