11.   Real-time chat

11.5   How can I chat "one-to-one" with friends?

Although you can communicate privately with someone on IRC, the medium is essentially a public forum. If you want to exchange messages in real time with a single person who can arrange to be on-line at the same time as you, then you can use a talk program that employs the popular Unix ntalk and talk protocols. What you type appears in one half of the window, while what the other person types appears in the other half.

Compatible "talk" programs are available for various systems.

A freeware talk program for the Mac is at:

http://www.umich.edu/~archive/mac/util/comm/talk1.11.sit.hqx

Back Menu Next