The advent of the personal computer has brought a moderate solution to this in the form of online chat programs.

Now, Google Talk 1.0 is probably the most stripped-down chat program on earth.

Others are integrated into traditional chat programs.

After switching to the talk radio format, the station ran a number of service-oriented and general chat programs during the day.

ICB does not support transferring files or multimedia via the chat program.

The Cafe is an Irish chat programme aimed at youthful persons.

He installed his chat program on a Web server, then sat back to watch, wondering what people would say to it.

Before using the chat program, consider reviewing the related links in the right column.

The following are common chat programs and protocols:

Skype is another free chat program (from the creators of the Kazaa file-swapping service).