Freeware/Internet Chatting

Name	Description
Pidgin	recommended - Pidgin is an instant messaging program for Windows, Linux, BSD, and other Unixes. You can talk to your friends using AIM, ICQ, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, QQ, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, and Zephyr. Pidgin can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AIM, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting in an IRC channel all at the same time. Pidgin supports many features of the various networks, such as file transfer, away messages, and typing notification. It also goes beyond that and provides many unique features. A few popular features are Buddy Pounces, which give the ability to notify you, send a message, play a sound, or run a program when a specific buddy goes away, signs online, or returns from idle; and plugins, consisting of text replacement, a buddy ticker, extended message notification, iconify on away, spell checking, tabbed conversations, and more.
AIM	AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is the best way to talk to friends over the Internet, you don't have to be an AOL member - AIM is a free service. Join 100 million AIM users worldwide enjoying real-time chats, pictures and more. AIM 5.5.3598 (Mirror) with AIM Ad-Hack for AIM 5.5.3599.
Windows Live Messenger	With MSN Messenger you can chat online via text, voice, mobile phone or even video conversation -- in real time -- with your friends, family, or colleagues. Express yourself with winks and dynamic display pictures or share photos, files, searches, and more instantly. You can also chat with your contacts to and from a mobile device.
HydraIRC	HydraIRC is an open-source IRC client with an attractive and easy to use interface. It supports DCC Chat and File transfers, connecting to multiple servers, Dockable Floating Tabbed Windows, Autohiding Windows, DLL Plugins, Channel Monitoring, Message Logs, Event Viewer, Themes, Color schemes, Buddy groups, Audible and Visual Notifications, Reg-Exp Highlighting, Favorites and much more.
X-Chat 2 for Windows	X-Chat 2 for Windows is an open-source IRC client. This X-Chat for Windows version features 42 language translations, encrypted connections using OpenSSL 0.9.8j, native IPv6 support on Windows with IPv6 stack, Perl, Ruby and Tcl language interface plugins for scripting, Winamp, DNS and EXEC binary plugins, various themes with graphical theme and font utility.
Trillian	Trillian is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings. Without stealing your home page and with no other included software, pop-ups, or spyware, Trillian provides unique functionality such as contact message history, a powerful skinning language, tabbed messaging, global status changes (set all networks away at once), Instant Lookup (automatic Wikipedia integration), contact alerts, an advanced automation system to trigger events based on anything happening in the client, docking, hundreds of emoticons, emotisounds, shell extensions for file transfers, and systray notifications.
Miranda IM	Miranda IM is a multi protocol instant messenger client. Miranda IM is designed to be resource efficient and easy to use. It uses very little memory and requires no installation. Just unzip and run! This also makes it ideal for users that want to run their messenger client from a removable storage such as an USB memory stick. It can even be stored on a floppy disc if not too many plugins are used.
A-Patch	Featuring a massive 71 options! A-Patch boasts a tremendous amount of customization to better your Windows Live/MSN Messenger experience, with even more planned! Remove advertisements and buttons you don't need, cut down on wasted space, sign-in to more than one e-mail address at the same time and even more features just waiting for you to take advantage of!
Mess.be Patch	The resource for MSN Messenger addons, skins, tricks & secrets (inc. Windows Live Messenger)