| LeafChat | |
|---|---|
 LeafChat 2.41 connected to an IRC network | |
| Original author | Samuel Marshall |
| Developer | leafdigital |
| Stable release | 2.5 / July 29, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-07-29) |
| Written in | Java[1] |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows,OS X,Linux |
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Size | 5.5 MB |
| Available in | English Japanese |
| Type | IRC client |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Website | leafdigital.com (English) leafdigital.com (Japanese) |
LeafChat is a freeIRC client forMicrosoft Windows andUnix-like operating systems, licensed under theGNU GPL-3.0-or-later. A donation is requested.[2]
Each channel is inside atab which can be easily selected between while chatting. Most networks' servers are supported for connection; multiple networks can be connected to simultaneously.[3] Users can add their own scripts andcommand shortcuts, and the software detects net splits.[2]
TUCOWS circa 2004 showed LeafChat with a popularity of about 1/4, but a rating of four (of five) stars.[4] Beginning in 2004, IRCReviews gave the software five stars (of five), as an Editors's Choice, describing it as "powerful, good looking, and scriptable."[2][5]In a 2010 review of version 2, LeafChat was described as "very well done", with a "killer" scripting API which was "convenient and easy", though the reviewer found some user-interface defaults "annoying", and ruled out using LeafChat due to perceived variable count limitations.[1] In a 2011 summary of four popular IRC clients, Techbuzz India described LeafChat as "one of the best" open-source clients with a "clean and simple" interface, and noted its ability to connect to multiple servers simultaneously.[6] The Simple Genetic Algorithm project atSourceForge suggested LeafChat (due to its zero cost) for its online IRC live developer support, and thoroughly outlined its setup.[7]
