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mIRC is a shareware Internet Relay Chat client for Windows, created in 1995 and developed by Khaled Mardam-Bey. This was originally its only use, but it has evolved into a highly configurable tool that can be used for many purposes due to its integrated scripting language. Other uses include:
- Automated IRC channel manager
- Multiplayer game server
- MP3 player
- Web page parser (usually for retrieving search results or headlines)
- DCC, HTTP, and IRC server
- Game platform (these games are called mIRC games)
A highly popular program, it has been downloaded more than seven million times from CNET's download.com service as of 2004. Neilsen Net Rankings also rated mIRC as among one of the top 10 most popular internet applications in 2003. Its popularity may explain why many mIRC users mistakenly believe that the name of their client is also the name of the protocol it uses, thinking they are "connecting to an mIRC server" or "joining an mIRC channel".
The latest version of mIRC is 6.16 and was released in July 7, 2004.
Main features
- Connection to multiple servers simultaneously (added from version 6.0)
- Advanced integrated event-based and command-based scripting language
- Basic CTCP support
- CTCP SOUND support (can play MP3, WAV, and MIDI)
- DCC chat and send support
- Attempts to stop inadvertent Trojan horse downloads
- File server (operating over DCC chat) that allows a user to browse a specified folder and download files
- ANSI-style and mIRC-style text decoration support
- Speech recognition and synthesis via 3rd party products
Common criticisms
- mIRC scripting allows troublemakers to dupe naïve users into entering dangerous commands
- Khaled Mardam-Bey did not consult others when developing mIRC-style text decoration like colors; this may be why some IRC client authors have not included support for it
- Exploits causing mIRC to crash remotely via sending an unexpected command have been discovered forcing users to upgrade. This is merely a minor annoyance as these have been fixed promptly.
- mIRC does not support Unicode.
- Although it is said to only have a 30 day trial, the client does not expire, but just asks you to register.
External links
Scripting, addons, and similar resources
