IRC client recommendations?

[Stephen Ward]

obviously they aren't all IRC clients but several are:

me at myhost:~ $ apt-cache search irc | grep client
irssi-text - text-mode version of the irssi IRC client
bitchx - Advanced Internet Relay Chat client
hx - The Unix client for Hotline
ircd-irc2-client - small irc client for debugging only
ircii - Internet Relay Chat client
irssi-snapshot - The irssi IRC client (Development version)
irssi-snapshot-dev - Development files of the irssi IRC client
libpoe-component-irc-perl - a fully event-driven IRC client module.
lopster - A Napster client using the GTK UI
scrollz - An advanced ircII-based IRC client
sirc - The full-featured Perl IRC client
talksoup - IRC client for GNUstep
tirc - token's irc client
tkirc - Tcl/Tk based client to the Internet Relay Chat
xpilot-client-common - Common files for XPilot clients
xpilot-client-nas - Client (with nas sound support) for XPilot
xpilot-client-nosound - Client (without sound support) for XPilot
xpilot-client-rplay - Client (with rplay sound support) for XPilot
zircon - Powerful X Internet Relay Chat client
gaim - multi-protocol instant messaging client
liblircclient-dev - Development files for LIRC client library
liblircclient0 - LIRC client library
xchat - IRC client for X similar to AmIRC
centericq - A text-mode multi-protocol instant messenger client
centericq-common - A text-mode multi-protocol instant messenger client 
(data files)
centericq-fribidi - A text-mode multi-protocol instant messenger client 
(Hebrew)
centericq-utf8 - A text-mode multi-protocol instant messenger client
cgiirc - web based irc client
epic4 - epic irc client, version 4
epic4-help - help files for epic4 IRC client
erc - an Emacs IRC client
konversation - user friendly Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client for KDE
ksirc - KDE IRC client
kvirc - Fully scriptable graphical IRC client with plugin support
liece - IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client for Emacs
lostirc - Simple IRC client for X11
mozilla-chatzilla - Mozilla Web Browser - irc client
naim - A console client for AOL Instant Messenger and IRC
pork - Console-based AOL Instant Messenger & IRC client
python-irclib - IRC client library for Python
python2.3-irclib - IRC client library for Python
riece - an IRC client for Emacs
talksoup.app - IRC client for GNUstep
tinyirc - a tiny IRC client
xchat-text - IRC client for console similar to AmIRC


Kevin O'Gorman wrote:

>I'd like to start using IRC under ubuntu.  When I asked synaptic
>to look for irc in names, I saw only kvirc.  Is that the only choice?
>Is it a good one?
>
>What else is there, and how would I find it?
>
>++ kevin
>
>  
>