mIRC is number two on our foray through the world of IRC clients. This is the client I cut my teeth on about 10 years ago when I was first introduced to IRC. mIRC has come a loooong way since then, friends and neighbors. Looking at screenshot of version 2 and looking at it now, it’s tough to tell they’re related.
Acquisition and Installation
mIRC is currently in version 6.31, and is a 1.6 meg download in EXE installer form, a continuation of this clients trend over the years to get larger as features and capabilities were added. It was at one time less than half a meg with version 2, and a damn good thing, since I was on AOL dialup at them time. (I know, much I have learned) The license agreement is the first bit you see, so I must mention here, that unlike AdiIRC, mIRC is not free. It’s 30-day shareware, but full-function. You have to endure a nag screen at startup, and after the 30 days, if you’re too cheap to scratch up the $20.00usd, the nag screen gets more annoying, but no features are disabled. Your registration fee is for life, and good for any and all future versions.
Features and Use
Upon opening mIRC for the first time, you have a tiny bit of setup to do, not unlike AdiIRC. Real name and email address, (I recommend fakes for both) and Nickname with alternate. This is where things can start to get confusing if you’re an IRC newbie. You can click ‘connect’ to connect to the Webchat server if you like, or click the servers tab and choose another server, or enter your own server info.
There are literally thousands of servers available, some are on the same network, some are on different networks. Picture a giant hotel, with 50 rooms on each floor, the rooms on each floor can talk to each other, but not with rooms on other floors. Oh, and some of the rooms are totally cut off from the others, these are semi-private networks, with only one server. These private servers are VERY common, but you’d never know they existed unless someone gave you the information you needed to connect.
mIRC is PACKED with features. Perhaps too packed. The User Interface can be personalized to a huge degree, including window transparency for desktop windows, colors and fonts either globally or on a per-window basis, and any window can be set to open outside the main client, I found this useful when chatting with someone who’s talking me through a problem. Make the window small at the bottom of the screen, and the program they’re helping me with over the rest of the screen. You can do a large amount of automation such as connection on open, autojoining of multiple channels, on multiple servers. You can set notifications when you receive messages of someone types your name, or any other phrase. There is a detailed logging panel, for recording the contents of all chat windows. There is the new addition of support for Microsoft Agent if you have it installed. Detailed handling of files transferred via DCC including ignoring certain file types, and specified locations for the files received depending on what type of files they are. The possibilities are almost endless. Perhaps TOO endless. As I said, I’ve been using mIRC since v2, and there are some things in here that I….just don’t grok.
Which…..brings me to my next point. mIRC is, without doubt, a very powerful client. The large part of mIRC’s bulk is the advanced “scripting” (a type of programming) capability. Anything that mIRC doesn’t do, someone has probably written a script that makes it do so.
Scripts are short programs (sets of instructions) that can be used to automate tasks in mIRC. mIRC has its own scripting language which can be used to perform many different types of tasks, from managing your IRC channels to playing multi-user online games.
mIRC scripts can also be used to perform tasks that are not IRC-related, such as managing files on your computer, sending emails, or backing up your web server.
The second half of the quote there is significant. Since the scripting capability of mIRC is so powerful at automating tasks, many people have written all-inclusive scripts and add-ons that can often be downloaded from various websites. These scripts sometimes change the look, layout, and function of mIRC so drastically that it’s indistinguishable as mIRC at all. These scripts can also harbor viruses, Trojans, and backdoors that function totally invisible, while you chat merrily away. You’ve already given mIRC permission to access the Internet, and since the nasties are now “one” with mIRC, your malware scanners may not even notice any problems. My recommendation is to never install any add-on or script unless you:
A: Know and trust the person who wrote it.
-OR-
B: Know and trust someone who has used the script long enough to determine that it’s safe.
mIRC does it’s best to protect you, but since the creators of mIRC have no control over what the scripts do, it’s best to be on your guard at all times.
I did miss decent media player integration. It’s rather trendy, albeit occasionally obtrusive, to display messages in the channel announcing the music you’re playing, something AdiIRC does very well, but mIRC requires 3rd party scripts. Also irritating was the lack of window transparency for windows within mIRC. Sure, you can set a background image, but what’s the point if the chat windows are in front of it? Yeah, you could set the image to EVERY FREAKIN WINDOW, but what if you’re a channel-hopper?
If you’re audacious enough, there is info aplenty on the mIRC site if you want to try your hand at writing scripts on your own. However, many things are quite simple, (such as binding oft-used commands to the function keys) and can be accomplished by simply spending a couple minutes with the mIRC help tab.
If you’re in a semi-public place with nosy co-workers, or a parent concerned about with whom your child is chatting, mIRC includes provisions to specify or limit access, and can be password protected.
System Friendliness
mIRC can be unobtrusively minimized to the tray and forgotten. You can set up options to notify you if someone says your name, so it’s natural that you might leave this running for long stretches. 22,000k was the average memory bite, and this increased for each background image I added. Interesting, since I have a slightly older version of mIRC running 24/7 on another machine that takes up less than half that. Interesting, indeed.
mIRC uninstalled cleanly except a few stray registry entries. Keep in mind, any folders that you created from within mIRC will not be deleted, and remember those prefab scripts I spoke about? You never know what they will do…or what they’ll leave behind once mIRC is gone.
Wrap up
Pros: Feature-rich client, powerful proprietary scripting tool, limitless potential for personalizing your chat experience.
Cons: Plethora of features may be intimidating for IRC newbies. Needs media player integration and window transparency.
Screenshots
Just for laughs, a screenshot of mIRC 2.1, then below it, a screenshot of mIRC 6.31. Quite a change in 10 years. 
