XChat facts for kids
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Screenshot of XChat running on Ubuntu
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2.8.9 / August 28, 2010
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XChat was a computer program that let people chat online using something called IRC. Think of IRC as an old-school way to send instant messages in chat rooms. XChat was special because it was mostly open source, meaning its code was free for anyone to see and change. However, the version for Windows computers was shareware, which meant you could try it for free but had to pay to keep using it. XChat is no longer updated; a similar program called HexChat took its place in 2015.
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What Was XChat?
XChat was a very popular program for connecting to IRC networks. IRC networks are like big online communities where people can join different chat rooms, called "channels," to talk about all sorts of topics. XChat made it easy for users to join these channels, send messages, and even share files with others.
How Did XChat Work?
When you used XChat, you would connect to an IRC server. This server then connected you to different chat channels. You could type messages, and everyone else in that channel would see them instantly. It was a bit like a group chat app you might use today, but it was around much earlier!
Why Was XChat Popular?
XChat was liked by many because it was very flexible. Users could change how it looked and add special features using "plugins." This meant people could make XChat work exactly how they wanted it to. It also worked on many different types of computers, like Linux, Windows, and macOS.
XChat's History and End
XChat was first released a long time ago, in 1999. It was created by a developer named Peter Zelezny. For many years, it was one of the most used IRC programs.
When Did XChat Stop Being Updated?
The last official version of XChat, version 2.8.9, came out on August 28, 2010. After this, the original developers stopped working on it.
What Replaced XChat?
Because XChat was open source, other developers could take its code and continue to improve it. This led to the creation of HexChat. HexChat is very similar to XChat and is still updated today. It basically picked up where XChat left off, offering a modern version of the same kind of chat experience.
Related Chat Programs
There are many different programs that let people use IRC. XChat was one of the most well-known, but there are others. If you're interested in how people used to chat online, looking at a list of IRC clients can show you how many different options existed.
See also
In Spanish: HexChat para niños
