From Yuri, I learned about the Friday Chat...and heard about the problems some people are having with mIRC.
There is an alternative for those who do not like or are having trouble with mIRC: Pidgin (formerly known as GAIM) It is a multi-platform instant messaging program, freely available under the GNU General Public License.
Background info at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgin_(software)
Comparison of IRC programs at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...saging_clients
Pidgin home page at:
http://pidgin.im/
(also available as a "portable" program, for USB keys/thumb drives)
I have no affiliation with the program...but have used it in the past and found it met my needs - to chat with family/friends subscribed to different IM networks (AOL, Yahoo!, etc.) It supports IRC, so should work for the Friday Chat. (Setup information can be found on the website FAQ.)
Another alternative for Windows users is Trillian. Unfortunately, it is not available to anyone using Linux, a MAC or other operating system.
Trillian home page:
http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/
MAC users might want to look into Adium. Basically it's Pidgin for the MAC OS X platform.
Adium home page:
http://www.adiumx.com/
For those using Firefox, there is an extension, Chatzilla, which is supposed to work, but neither Yuri nor I have been able to get it to work properly.
As a "newbie" to the forum, but not to the original Lightfoot Internet Group, I hope I'm not offending anyone. I wanted to offer my "expertise" in the hope that it will help someone. I know how much Yuri looks forward to the Friday Chat. By offering alternatives and solving the connection problems, hopefully, more people will join in!