~buzz
Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (05:53)
seed
IRC has long been one of the Internet's most popular pastimes, but it's never
been as much fun to use as it is now. OrbitIRC is a new app that adds several
unique elements to the standard fare of features found in most IRC clients. The
result is an IRC experience that is more enjoyable than ever before. OrbitIRC's
most unique attribute and one of its best selling points is the use of themes to
give each IRC channel an individual look. The client offers several built-in
themes that you can customize yourself; additionally, the OrbitIRC web site
contains an extensive listing of themes in its Theme Gallery that you
can download and use. For even more customization, there's also a Poster Gallery
on the web site that allows you to add a background image to the menu pane on
the left side of OrbitIRC's screen.
The entire interface of OrbitIRC is clean and thoughtfully laid out, making for
an efficient and intuitive use of space. Unlike most IRC clients, Orbit IRC
uses an interface in which windows never hide other windows -- everything is
open and accessible from the main window so that you spend less time managing
the client and more time chatting. The client is easy to get up and running
with and yet still offers a multitude of configuration options for the control
freak in all of us. And for those of us who sometimes need a little extra help
in getting started, OrbitIRC provides extensive help documentation in web
format. The result is a more than competent client that will appeal to both
novice and intermediate IRC users.
Experts will be happy to know that OrbitIRC doesn't skimp when it comes to
advanced features either. Public, private, and DCC chatting are all supported,
as are object scripting, flood protection, auto-logging, and menu mod
capabilities (for customizing the chat menu). The client also offers a file
server for allowing users to download files from your computer, advanced sound
customization for playing WAV and MID files during different events, DCC file
transfers for sending and receiving files over IRC, automatic notification
capabilities for alerting you when one of your friends joins or leaves an IRC
channel, and real raw-protocol accessibility for those crazy enough to want to
see the arcane IRC RFC1459 commands being exchanged between OrbitIRC and the IRC
server. At only $9.95, OrbitIRC is an inexpensive client that excels at spicing
up your IRC chatting experiences.
Pros: Themes support, excellent customization capabilities, efficient and easy to use, inexpensive
Cons: Lacks real-time audio chat and other advanced features found in clients like ViRC and mIRC
For the latest information on OrbitIRC, check out:
http://cws.internet.com/32irc.html#orbitirc
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