LiveUniverse
Chat - Create your
own dynamic multiuser "world" at this
impressive Java-based chat service for free. Worlds here
are made up of customized chat rooms, games (such as
WordBash and Bingo), messages boards and more. You may
customize your world, so that it'll appear to be an
extension of your Web site. You also get to set the rules
(i.e.: kicking out unwanted visitors). (LiveUniverse is
ad-supported and each world displays a pop-up banner ad).
CrZyChat - This is a
nice IRC-style, Java-based chat service that you can add
to your own Web site. The free version offers
personalized chat rooms that give you administrative
control over them.Planet K - A new free service that allows you
to easily add a Java-based chat server to your Web page.
You can also customize it to make it consistent with your
site. All you have to do is cut and paste a script that
they provide. No adult sites. Linkback required. Works
with WebTV.
AbbottChat: chat program - Here's a cool free chat program for PCs and
Macs that informs you when your friends are online and
allows you to send "alerts" (instant messages
that you can send to selected folks or your entire list).
AbbottChat supports private chat, instant messaging and
file transfers. It's fast and requires no cumbersome
log-on or registration. (For Win 95/98/NT and PowerMac with
Sys 7.5 or later). The file is 866 kilobytes. Channel Z - If you're new to the Web and
haven't tried chat yet, then Channel Z is a good place to
try it out for the first time. It's very easy to get
connected here. No complicated software to install. Just
sign up and you can start chatting through your browser. ICQ 99a beta
- An incredible instant
messaging program from Israel that ranks as one of the
Web's coolest (and most useful) freeware programs. ICQ's
features could fill a book but the most important
innovation it offers is "awareness" (the
ability to determine whether other people are online at a
given moment). ICQ also allows you to transfer files;
travel in groups to different Web pages; play sound
effects and much more. The program is very easy to use
and has a very attractive and useful interface that
allows you to keep track of several simultaneous
conversations. - The newest version (99a beta) adds helpful features, such as message archiving, which gives you a complete record of every communication you've sent or received. There's also an easy-to-use organizer functions, as well as a "Whitepages" feature which acts as an ICQ search engine for finding ICQ users according to a wide variety of search criterium.
- There's an entire galaxy of add-ons to enhance ICQ. But one of the most useful we've found is the freeware program called ICQ Rescue. This handy little program makes it easy for you to create a backup of your ICQ contact list, your bookmarks and your message history, so they can be easily restored.
Chat
Town U.S.A. - A free
service that offers chat rooms for all ages. Visitors
here can choose from over 380 chat rooms. Setting up an
account is easy and should take around two minutes. Note:
"inappropriate language" not allowed. irc.ramlink.com
- Here's a promising,
fast-growing free IRC server that offers access via
either the Web or an IRC client (such as mIRC) They also offer a free service
that lets Webmasters easily set up a chat room on their
own page. Note: they do not allow porn or warez
(illegally pirated software). Palace Chat
- Palace is a easy-to-use
major chat service, with regularly scheduled live events
and hundreds of virtual graphical environments to roam
around. You can access this innovative chat community for
free as a "guest" for as long as you like. Just
download the software client to get started. You can also
experience "InstantPalace," which lets you
check out the service without the hassle of a download
(but your browser needs to support Java). If you become a
"member," (which costs $39.95), you get extra
bells and whistles. (For Windows and Macs). Membership (which
gets you extra features) here once cost $39.95, but it's
now free.
PeopleLink - This
excellent free software service enables you to
communicate instantly with people online. PeopleLink
gives you "interactive messaging", a new medium
that combines the best features of E-mail (ease-of-use,
safety and selectivity) with the one major advantage of
chat, interactivity. (For Windows and Macs). MaxiChat - A French-based free chat service
that allows you to create your own chat rooms. Features
include "whispering," one-on-one chat and a
"buddy list" (an address book to help you find
chatters). MaxiChat services are also available for Australia, Britain, France, Quebec, Belgium, and Switzerland. Note: MaxiChat tends to be busier
at night, when you can encounter 25 to 50 people
chatting. mIRC &
Eggdrop Archives - An
essential site for users of mIRC, the Web's top chat program. This
informative site will help you get the most out of mIRC
and offers many scripts, bots and add-ons for this chat
client. There's also assistance here for using Eggdrop,
the popular advanced IRC robot. XiRCON free chat client
- This is a new free beta
program that is highly configurable and easy to use. Many
features, including an excellent interface and the
ability to instantly minimize itself to the Windows tray.
It also automatically remembers your favorite servers,
channels and chat buddies. Also supports connection to
many servers at once, without launching a separate copy
of the program. Screenshot here.
MultiChat
- This site offering free
Java-based chat room software for Web sites. Easy to set
up. You can link your site's chat room to thousands of
others. Nice interface and very speedy.
Chat Alert Service - This
unique free service is designed to help you find
interesting chat rooms and chat events across the Net. By
signing up for this service, you'll receive announcements
from chat hosts and moderators who would like to invite
you to visit their chat rooms and/or attend their chat
events. Chatterbox -
This new site offers a
roundup of 11 free Java chat networks. You may either
chat here, or, if you have a Web site of your own, you
may place one of these chat networks on your page. Microsoft
NetMeeting - With
this cool program, you can hold "virtual
meetings." NetMeeting offers various tools to
communicate and collaborate with others on the Web. It
lets you hold voice and video conferences, share software
applications, chat, and share a whiteboard. OzChat - This free service lets you chat in
"public rooms" and gives you the ability to
create your own private room. Just click on "Create
Room," and follow the instructions. Once a week,
each room created will have its contents cleared and
after 7 days of inactivity, these rooms will
automatically be erased. This is a good chat service from
Australia (although the site loads quickly for those in
the U.S.)
PowWow - PowWow is a
popular free communications program for the Internet that
allows up to nine users to chat via text or voice; send
files; view personal home pages and JPEG images; build
bulletin boards, and cruise the Web together. It's ideal
for setting up virtual communities, in which you can control the
actions of your visitors. PowWow also has a cool feature
called "InstaVoice," that allows users to
record and send messages of up to one minute in length
(15 kilobytes) with automatic 50:1 compression. (For Windows
95/98/NT).
Kids PowWow - This is
a version of PowWow for children up to age 13. It creates
a fun, but protective environment for kids who want to
use PowWow. Kids PowWow alerts children when an adult
pages them, or when they page an adult. The PowWow for
Kids home page provides conferences (which have profanity
filters) and other features. Visual IRC
- Powerful freeware chat
client that features an Office 97-like user interface,
voice chat and video conferencing. Visual IRC also offers
an object-oriented scripting language (ViRCScript) and
support for Active Scripting. Suitable for newbies and
experiences users alike. The Web's top IRC client.
Beseen.com - This
service is offering free chat rooms. Adding a chat room
to your Web site is free and simple. There's nothing to
download and there are no CGI programs to configure. To
create your free chat room, visit their site and answer a
few questions, and your chat room will be ready to go
within minutes.
Microsoft V-Chat - With
this awesome client, you start by selecting an
"avatar," (a graphical representation for
yourself.) With your avatar you can chat, gesture, or
explore 2D or 3D environments. Choose from a wide
selection of avatars or make your own. Active Worlds
Browser -This is one
of the all-around coolest freebies on the Web. It's a
browser that lets you access AlphaWorld, a unique, 3D
virtual community populated by real people. The Active
Worlds universe boasts hundreds of thousands of users and
thousands of kilometers of virtual territory. You can
explore over 100 worlds in real-time, 3D, high-color
graphics. You can even "own" land and build
anything you'd like on your property, from a simple house
to an elaborate palace (a process that is quite easy).
Active Worlds is more than a piece of software; it's a
way of life! (Note: you need a Pentium with Win 95/NT and
24 megs of hard drive space.) AOL Instant
Messenger - This
excellent program, once available only to AOL users, is
now available to the entire online community. It offers
many cool features. It allows you to see who's currently
online and lets you send quick and private instant
messages. It's "faster than E-mail and more fun than
the phone."( Back to Computronics UK - Main Page ) ( Back to Computronics UK - Free Stuff )