XiRCON

XiRCON is a discontinued freeware IRC client for Microsoft Windows.^[1] After TCP/IP was added to Windows, XiRCON was one of the most popular IRC clients on the platform.^[3] The XiRCON client was used for a number of fields, such as library helpdesk,^[4] genealogy,^[5] and US Naval command.^[6] Author Mark Hanson ceased development in 1997.^[7]

XiRCON
XiRCON 1.0B4 running Kano 15b8 w/ conio theme loaded on Windows XP.
Original author(s)	Mark Hanson
Initial release	1996 (1996)
Final release	1.0B4 (August 10, 1997; 28 years ago (1997-08-10)) [±]
Written in	Borland C++/Object Windows Library, scripted with Tcl[1]
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Platform	x86
Available in	English
Type	IRC client
License	Freeware[2]

Adoption

Due to its graphical user interface and ease of use, XiRCON is a suggested client in Learn Internet Relay Chat, Volume 1 (Toyer, 1998).^[8] The client received a four-star rating "(better than most, very solid)" from IRCReviews.com, which summarized, "An IRC client that appeals to users of all skill levels."^[9] With the proliferation of mIRC computer worms, Steal this Computer Book 4.0 recommended switching to competing IRC clients like XiRCON.^[10]

U.S. Navy

XiRCON was approved for military use, and in the US Navy it was more popular than mIRC.^[6] In an effort to evaluate how real-time communications boost productivity in US Military command, a 2004 paper by Pacific Science & Engineering Group estimated that 28-50% of command groups used XiRCON.^[6]

Post-discontinuation

After its discontinuation, XiRCON fielded a steadily growing community based around the Kano script, among others. As mIRC progressed it started to include XiRCON features such as multi-server support and visual themes. XiRCON's remaining userbase began to dwindle as mIRC became more stable and popular scripts comparable to Kano were released. A very small community still keeps the program alive via moderating the official IRC channel, #XiRCON on EFnet.

An attempt was made to clone XiRCON^[11] by David Gravereaux, who was also the author of the Falcon extension^[12] for XiRCON, but has yet to complete it. Gravereaux also wrote a "hack" for XiRCON that allowed it to use any Tcl core v8.1 or higher.^[13]