HydraIRC is an open-source IRC client with an attractive and easy to use interface. It supports DCC Chat and File transfers, Connecting to Multiple IRC Servers, Docking/Floating Windows, DLL Plugins, Channel Monitoring, Message Logs, Logging, Output Themes, Color Schemes, Buddy Groups, Auto-Connect, One-Click Favorites and more. You can also set up audible notifications for chat events (e.g. when your buddies type something in a channel) and maintain multiple user identities.

HydraIRC is written in C++ using Microsoft Visual Studio .net, for it's GUI it uses Windows Template Library (WTL - which for the techbods out there, is basically just a C++ class wrapper of the Platform SDK). WTL is not bloated and slow like MFC is and requires no external DLL files. WTL is the best way to create lightning fast GUIs in C++. Other IRC clients out there have mainly been written using the ancient Platform SDK (mIRC), with Delphi and MFC which is slow (Bersirc, Klient), with horrible looking cross-platform GUI toolkits or skinning frameworks (savIRC, xChat, roxIRC, Trillian, etc) or look just downright UGLY (TurboIRC, Chocoa, Circle, Leafchat, etc). If you like how Windows looks and like your apps to look like all your other apps, then HydraIRC is for you!

HydraIRC was primarily written to fulfill my IRC client and finicky GUI style preferences, but it just became so good so quick everyone else wanted it too.

Related keywords: