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How To Install HexChat IRC Client On Ubuntu 16.04/16.10

By Sourabh /  Category: How To, Ubuntu

HexChat IRC Client for Ubuntu 16.04. How to install HexChat IRC Client on Ubuntu 16.04/16.10. Learn how to use HexChat IRC Client on Ubuntu Linux Systems. HexChat is an IRC client based on XChat. HexChat was originally called XChat-WDK which in turn was a successor of freakschat.

hexchat-linux-3

Some of the prime features of HexChat IRC client are:

  • Easy to use and customizable interface
  • Cross-platform on Windows, OS X, and Unix-like OSes
  • Highly scriptable with Python and Perl
  • Translated in multiple languages
  • Fully open source and actively developed
  • Multi-network with auto-connect, join, and identify
  • Spellcheck, Proxies, SASL, DCC support and more

HexChat ChangeLog

2.12.1-2 (2016-05-06)

  • fix crash in dependencies on Windows (no HexChat changes)

2.12.1 (2016-05-01)

  • add lua plugin
  • change desktop file to open urls in existing instance on Unix
  • misc chanopt fixes
    • fix not being saved properly
    • fix values other than 0/1/2 being set
    • fix flags in plugin API
  • misc identd fixes
    • fix ipv6 support on Windows
    • fix respecting USE_GLOBAL network flag
    • fix connections not always closed
    • add responses for INVALID-PORT and NO-USER
  • misc challengeauth fixes
    • fix lower casing username
    • don’t respond to challenge notices when disabled
  • re-add support for old versions of libnotify
  • bundle luajit and lgi on Windows
  • update network list

Install HexChat

HexChat can be installed on Ubuntu Systems, via PPA. Run the following commands in Terminal to install HexChat:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/hexchat-stable
sudo apt update
sudo apt install hexchat

Use HexChat

 

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Once installed, open HexChat from Ubuntu Dash or Terminal. Upon first launch, you will have to select a nickname and a list of IRC network. Please select Freenode (Ubuntu Server). When you are done with it click the Connect button. Once when you are connected to the server, join a channel.

  • If you aren’t sure about the channel, select the 3rd option to see the classic view list of all the available channels.
  • Now here you can see the channel list – channel name, total users, and the topic of each channel.
  • Click Join Channel button to join any preferred channel.

You can also select a different channel. Go to Server menu and select List of Channels option. Here you can search the channel and join it.