Next to email, the most popular activity on the
net is chatting.
And if you ask someone what they enjoy
most about the internet, chances are they will
answer that they like to chat. This seems especially true of
the younger generation. I know that kids spend
hours and hours just yacking and yacking.
It's great for us that chatting is available on
the internet, because otherwise our phone bill might be
thousands of dollars a month. But chatting is
free to everyone and available to anyone with an internet
connection.
There seem to be three major chat engines, and
lots of smaller ones. The major chat clients are AOL Instant Messenger,
IRC and ICQ.
Each has it's own distinct advantages and disadvantages,
and each does a pretty good job of fulfilling
it's basic mission.
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