• Frank
• Aug 21,2007
• In: Blog

Conversation (IRC) [Mac]

• Conversation
• Freeware; Phillipe Robin
• Version Reviewed: 2.14; reviewed on Mac OS X 10.4.7
• Platforms Supported: Mac OS X 10.3+
• Rating: 3.5/5

I reviewed Conversation, a Mac-only IRC client designed especially as introductory-level software. It is quite easy to install, even for a Mac program: it comes as a .zip file–no disk image mounting necessary–and neatly unpacks to an application. It comes with five major servers favorited, and makes it fairly easy to connect to each. However, user information–username and real name, mainly–are universal (although nicks can be changed via text commands per server).

I tested its capabilities on the DZone IRC channel. Setup was a tad confusing initially, because of the lack of clarity in directions, but very little configuration was in fact needed to connect to a server. To join the channel, text commands worked well, but the graphical commands seemed more labor-intensive than they should’ve been.

The actual channel view is comparable to most IRC clients; however, in default configuration, it timestamps messages poorly. Instead of stamping each message with the hh:mm:ss time, Conversation adds the time between messages every five minutes. The graphical commands for most actions are available as buttons along the window; they are quite convenient, and useful especially for those who are not well-versed in IRC commands.

The program has a few other features. Notable among them is the dock icon, which bounces with new messages in a channel the user is in and provides the number of new messages. However, in busy channels, the bouncing could be annoying.

Conversation also has a convenient organizational window (see above screenshot, left window) for servers, favorites, channels and private conversations. This can be much more convenient than, say, the XChat tabs approach or the mIRC window-inside-window approach.

In summary, the hindrances of this program are not enough to for me to discourage its use among IRC newbs; the program is not appropriate for IRC professionals and those used to certain features (such as timestamps and different usernames across servers), unless they would like AppleScript scripting or a few other arcane features. Then again, the Mac platform has few choices for free IRC clients.

Conversation is a good program for use by inexperienced IRC users; however, a few features more convenient and useful for the experienced are lacking. I give Conversation 3.5 stars.