Snak
Current Version: 5.3.3 (November 16, 2007)
Snak is a spectacular (and actively updated) IRC client that shares top billing with Ircle as the most preferred IRC client for the Mac. Snak author Kent Sorensen has worked very hard in the last few years at making Snak into the finest experience possible. It is fairly simple (during the first run, a setup assistant walks you through the setup process), yet it's customizable, and it has a guardian feature that lets parents limit what channels a child can use. It's also powerfully scriptable.
Version 5.3.3, available (and optimized for) Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later, makes the following improvements:
- [Chg] OS X 10.5 contains a memory leak in two particular functions that Snak, and many other applications, use to clear the window background before drawing. This bug has been confirmad by Apple and a fix may be present in the upcoming 10.5.1. Snak no longer uses those functions to erase the background.
- [Chg] AppleScript 2.0 in OS X 10.5 contains a bug in the handling of the unique ID parameter. Snak works around this issue.
- [Chg] Messages typed into the inputfield while a DCC panel is active are now forwarded to the associated IRC connection.
- [Fix] DCC resume of files over 2GB was not working.
- [Fix] Incorrect filesize displayed in the information message when receiveing a file larger than 2GB.
- [Fix] Highlight style in the tables, such as the command reference was incorrect.
User Reviews
"I've used "Ircle" and "Homer," and "Snak" seems much better to me. I've been using Kent Sorensen's "Snak" (Danish for Chat) version 4.5.2 for a little while now. "Snak" has a very easy interface. I like that everything is in the same window, but I've read where you can change this to your liking. It offers a lot of features that I haven't even used yet, and has some great documentation. "Snak" handles various IRC scripts (even from "Ircle"). I like using the PowerMac's built-in speech with it, but what I really like is that "Snak" is just a good, solid IRC client program that won't crash or freeze up like the other IRC clients. Give it a try."
—Rick Rudge
"Without a doubt, Snak should be added to your Essential list. It is by far the BEST IRC client for the Mac, in feature set, and well as ease of use. Nothing even comes close to providing as stable and reliable of an IRC experience as Snak does. It also has all the power tools you might need as an admin to manage your channels. I strongly feel that this program is not getting the recognition that it deserves. I have used Ircle, I have used Snak . . . after a while, you will be using Snak only as well. Give this program the credit it deserves!! It is the best Mac IRC client there is; actually [it's] one of the best IRC clients of ANY platform. (No, I don't work for the guy who makes Snak, this program is just that good!)"
—Jorge Salas
"Snak has emerged as the main competitor for Ircle. It is the only other full-featured, user-friendly IRC client for Mac OS. If you're not happy with Ircle, you must try out Snak. Although not as well established as Ircle, Snak has now been under very heavy development for many years, and has caught up to (and overtaken) Ircle in the feature race. Its interface is somewhat more streamlined, with more things contained in a single window per channel. It supports scripting using the classic ircII language as well as AppleScript such as for Ircle. There are many other smart features such as multiple servers per network so that if one server doesn't work, it automatically tries the next in a list. The help is excellent (both built in and separately in the user manual), which is more than you can say for Ircle."
—Joseph Lo, Ph.D., webmaster of http://www.irchelp.org/
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the Carbon / Universal version for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later.Also See . . .
Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:
Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.
Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.
Also Consider . . .
These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!