MATTHEW GREEN  there's a slightly updated build for xchat aqua available at:

http://raim.codingfarm.de/blog/2009/01/21/x-chat-aqua-for-mac-os-x/

thankfully it implements a tabs column on the left of the window now too  
(Version 0.16)

CBX322  Thanks a lot and thank you so much for implementing auto-away! I like that feature very much.  
(Version 0.16)

BEDOUIN  Thanks. I've been waiting for a UB version of this ever since I got a MacBook.  
(Version 0.16)

MAXIMILLIAN  Why can't I change the left / right tab shortcuts using the Keyboard preference pane of OSX 10.3.9? This means the tabbed browsing uses different shortcuts and I can't change them.. effectively rendering my tab buttons on the mouse useless for this one app. It sounds minor but it is the most obnoxious and irritating thing ever!  
(Version 0.15.2)

PROMETHEAS  I have loads of work to do, and no time to do it all, so I'm going to have to keep this rather short. X-Chat Aqua is *the best* IRC applicaton for OS X... one might even be tempted to argue that it's the best in the world.

While I wouldn't call it your grandmother's IRC client -- haha... sorry, funny image -- however, if you actually know IRC, you'll need less than a day with this program to arrive at this conclusion for yourself.

The bottom line is that, as of Jan 2006, there is simply no better IRC client available for OS X than this one.  
(Version 0.15.1)

BEDOUIN  I don't like how they've made the tabs blue now, disregarding whether or not your color theme is set to aqua or silver. Is there some way to change this that I don't know about?  
(Version 0.15.1)

JETSGO  The true "Whats new" list doesn't show what is new from 0.14, only 0.15.0.

Lots of changes have been made, and a list is on the Sourceforge website.  
(Version 0.15.1)

ANONYMOUS  great app easy to use, stable and feature rich BEST IRC client for mac  
(Version 0.14.0)

LEGACYTYPHOON  Its a great program and its easy to use, I can't compare it to other IRC programs because I haven't used them, however, I seem to get this weird problem. I have high-speed cable and I for some reason get chat lag. Now, I know this isn't unheard of, but it just seems really, really, weird. When I use programs like iChat or AdiumX I get no lag at all. Any tips or anyone with problems like this?  
(Version 0.14.0)

LEWIS  X-Chat Aqua is a faithful reproducition of Xchat for X11. This means its UI is rather clunky, but the functionality is top-notch. the scripting interfaces allow endless customization, and the client itself is stable and fast. It has a few OS X specific extras, like dragging files into the nick list to do a dcc send and an optional 'metal' Interface.

Version 0.14.0 adds working support for nickservs and a UTF-8 mode that has proved to be fully compatible. In short, this is the best mac IRC client, though if you are a casual user, the extended features may not be useful. However, it is free, while Snak and Ircle are not (albeit, they are cheap and I own both, but I USE X-Chat Aqua).

NB: Older versions of X-Chat Aqua for OS X 10.2 no longer appear to be available, but in fact are; they are just hidden rather well. This link should take you to the full list of past releases.

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=62257  
(Version 0.14.0)