mIRC has been the only IRC client I've used for the Windows platform, and it probably will be the only Windows IRC client I'll ever use. Indeed, it has rightly deserved such special treatment: its wealth of features, intuitive interface, and small file size make me feel that this is surely the best Windows IRC client.

I'll avoid mentioning the benefits of chatting on IRC. This review is supposed to focus on the product, and not the network. However, for those we have never used IRC before, I suggest that you install mIRC and connect to an Undernet server (now that EFnet is under continous attack).

Notable Features

What I like about mIRC is the amount of features that the author has been able to fit within such a simple interface. Configuration of the client can easily be done by a computer newbie, and even then, almost the entire configuration is optional (with the exception of network selection and personal information). Therefore, after the brief installation, it’s just a few keystrokes and clicks before one is able to get on IRC.

What I particularly like is the time stamping features. A person can go so far has to have messages time-stamped by hour, minute, and second, or any combination of the three. I find this useful because I am prone to leave the chat client running while away, and if someone messages me while I am gone, I am able to determine how long it has been since the person messaged me.

Another important feature to me is the text-highlighting and sound alerts. Again, sometimes I leave mIRC running while I am using the computer, to say, type a document. Normally, if someone asks me a question, unless it is in a private message, they would be stuck, because I wouldn't see their message. With mIRC, I can tell the client to make a beep when my name is mentioned, and also highlight the message with my name. That way, I can switch back to the client and respond to their message. This is a great feature that I probably couldn't live without in a client.

Sometimes I meet people on IRC that refer back to some previous chat I had with them. Usually, I don't remember chats very well. To save the day, mIRC provides chat logging, which is a nifty feature. mIRC can log all my chats, and organize them by channel, network, and date. That way, when someone refers to a previous chat, I can search my logs, quickly refresh my memory, and amaze them with my apparently super human long-term memory! I have to admit that this is a standard feature among clients, but it is included with mIRC and therefore should be mentioned.

Finally, mIRC allows create customization. Many of the popup dialogs can be customized with simple commands. For example, I have created my own popup window for the nicklist, so I can bind the commands for X, the channel bot on Undernet. That way, I wont have to repeatedly type commands such as op user and voice user. Furthermore, one can make command alias and have selected ones run at startup. I have written my own mini-alias, very similar to a macro. It is written to automatically join the channels I usually chat in. Writing the alias itself was easy, and setting it to run upon connection was a breeze, because of the thought put into the design of mIRC.

What's Missing

For starters, portability. mIRC, to my knowledge, it limited to the Windows platform. I wish the author would port it to Linux/Unix, because that is an operating system that I regulary spent time in.

Also, mIRC is shareware. I understand that programmers have to make money, but this is a dieing idea, especially in the chat client world. X-Chat and B|tchX are free chat clients, which serve the purpose pretty darn well. mIRC would do itself a great favor by going the way of WinAMP, which recently became freeware.

Scripting support is great for newbies, but I want to see more complete TCL support and the introduction of Perl support. While these two are not exactly popular languages in the world of Windows, they are popular languages in the realm of IRC. Most free chat clients already support them, so why not mIRC?

One last thing. mIRC is shareware as mentioned earlier, and it apparently has a 30 day timer. While users can use the software beyond the 30-day limit, it has been brought to my attention that a secret backdoor opens when such the trial limit is exceeded and the user has not registered. If this is in fact true, it should be something looked down upon. The author has no right to trojan a user's computer if they use his program beyond his allocated trial - if he wants to restrict trial usage, he should lock out the program when the trial expires.

Comparison

Since I have not used other Windows clients, I cannot compare mIRC to polaris or pirch. However, I can compare it to the two most commonly used clients for Unix (which right now do have Windows ports; get them if you want).

First, I will discuss X-Chat. Probably the most popular GUI client for the Unix platform, X-Chat excels in that it is open-source and free. I can never decide which is better though, X-Chat or mIRC. The mIRC interface is more intuitive and less cumbersome, but hides some of the more advanced features. The X-Chat GUI puts all the features within a click, but as a result, makes the interface more crowded and harder to use. The Windows port of X-Chat, I hear, is supposedly unstable and not yet ready. Prospective users should consider it a beta product. Overall, however, one will find the same features in X-Chat as mIRC. Get X-Chat at www.xchat.org.

Second, I'll compare B|tchX. Probably the most popular text client for the Unix platform, B|tchX is usually skipped by most users because it lacks a GUI. All commands are text, and the entire program is designed for console use. While this seems a great disadvantage, it also proves to be a great plus. B|tchX is my favorite (and probably the only one I can use) when I'm in a remote telnet session that only supports text. Feature wise, B|tchX beats mIRC, but to use the features, one must be able to type them out (aka memorize hundreds of commands). Therefore, unless you really want a load of features or telnet support, use mIRC.
Oh, and by the way, B|tchX is open source and free too, get it at www.b(put an i here)tchx.org.

Conclusion

I recommend mIRC because the client is very easy to use, but has advanced features that can be unlocked with relatively simple steps. It allows newbies to use, but also is able to satisfy most power users. The only downfalls to mIRC are that is a shareware program in a freeware world, and that it lacks portability and support of common scripting languages. While the last faults should be ok with the typical user, they do exist and should be noted. Overall, though, I suggest mIRC for anyone wanting to access IRC from the Windows platform.


Recommended: Yes