I am a chataholic. I have been one for more than ten years. I have had mIRC registered since version 2.something, and I could write a book about the differences between mIRC and pIRCh, and how to use IRC "/" commands. Yes, I am hardcore.
I have met all my best friends on IRC, and lest you think online friends are not real, I have visited them from California to Arizona to Texas to Florida to New York. Some of them are just friends I don't get to see often enough. But I talk to them all every night and every weekend, so it's no wonder I went looking for an alternative IRC client for those times I am away from my pc.
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Enter IRCy, an IRC client for Windows Mobile that is a pretty darn good substitute for the big boys. Just like with mIRC, it has full color support, multiple windows for multiple rooms, pm/whispers, and even dcc transfers! The only real negative is that it does not process all "/" commands, but this isn't a big issue unless you are as big an IRC geek as I am. Most of the "/" commands are included as context menus or shortcuts, so there is very little missing from a full pc IRC experience.
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I tested IRCy by logging onto my regular IRC server. I couldn't simply /server, I had to enter the server to the server list, but I was also able to use its irregular port, so it worked well. Once you have entered your server, the left menu option (left soft menu on the Treo 800w), allows you to quick connect. Once you have connected, the same left menu option becomes a /join shortcut that leads to a box in which you can enter a channel name. You can also use the /join command.
One of the "/" commands that must be used from a context menu on IRCy is the /notify command. Unfortunately, due to issues that are probably related to my Treo's 320x320 screen, the Option page with the Notify menu is hidden and difficult to get to (although somehow I did manage to do it). This is the same page as Highlight and Ignore, and while once my Highlights are set up I don't generally change or add to them, my Notify and Ignore lists are constantly changing. I'm hoping Pontisoftware will make a few slight revisions to clear this up.
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If they are inclined to make revisions to support 320x320 I am hoping they will also add in scroll bars to the context menus so that you can view the options at the bottom of the screens. Right now the onscreen keyboard button is in the way, and it's not like anyone needs an onscreen keyboard when using a Treo!
Speed is good. I can use SOTI Pocket Controller to display my Treo on my pc desktop next to my mIRC window, and they both scroll at a speed close enough to not notice any discernable difference. Notifies seem to be a bit laggy. You get notifications and pm's as bubbles at the top of the IRCy screen, but if you're not watching when they appear, there doesn't seem to be a backup. In mIRC, the tab on your pm window blinks until you acknowledge it, and friends from your notify list register in the active channel so that you don't miss it. While these are minor inconveniences, they are still inconveniences to the hardcore IRC addict.
The major benefits, of course, are that you can access any IRC server, and you stay connected as long as you are in an active session. This may vary depending on your connection. I have not tried it on WiFi, but on Sprint's data connection, an inactive session times out somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes. An active IRC session, like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps going and going. It almost makes me wish for a good hurricane so I can test it out in the field!
Download your trial from Mobility Today, and if you have any questions about IRCy, or IRC in general (or would like to come hang out with me and 182 of my closest friends online), visit me in the MT forums. Don't forget you can also join Mobility Today's chatroom via IRC on ustream at 216.52.240.155 and still join the podcast live even when you're mobile!
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