Mozilla's ChatZilla -- The Lizard Speaks:

by Mike Angelo

ChatZilla is a neat, exciting, TCP/IP visual IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client built on top of Mozilla. It now comes with the Mozilla Browser Suite, which also includes the browser (Navigator), composer (Editor), and E-Mail/News clients.

Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when one hears or reads the word Internet is the World Wide Web and Web surfing or perhaps E-Mail. However, using the Internet to communicate in real time is a major use of the Internet today. Real-time Internet communicating includes stuff such as AIM (America Online Instant Messenger), chat rooms, computer telephony, ICQ (pronounced `'I Seek You`'), and IRC.

Computer-wise these days, which tasks people chose to do on their computers depend not only on their needs to do various tasks, but also on how easily they can do those tasks on their computers. Perhaps even more importantly, which particular software people select to do a particular task, depends on how easily they can do that task with a particular application/program -- the quality of the user experience if you like.

That ease-of-use factor includes how easy it is to obtain and install a computer program. Easy includes price and free is best.

Part of the popularity of AOL's chat rooms likely is that when one installs AOL and connects to AOL, all it takes is a few mouse clicks to start chatting away. Likewise when one installs Netscape, all it takes is a few mouse clicks to start chatting over AIM.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a great way to communicate over the Internet. The reasons for that are another story. But one reason some Internet communications conduits such as AIM seem to be growing faster than IRC is that they come with and install with Netscape or some other program.

The ChatZilla IRC client now is included with the Mozilla browser suite. So if you have the latest Mozilla installed on your computer, chatting on the Internet with ChatZilla takes only a few mouse clicks. That makes using ChatZilla for Internet chatting as easy as using AIM or ICQ