Smuxi is a cross-platform

Cross-platform

In computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...

 IRC client for the GNOME

GNOME

GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...

 desktop inspired by Irssi

Irssi

Irssi is an IRC client program for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. It was originally written by Timo Sirainen, and released under the terms of the GNU General Public License in January 1999.-Features:...

. It pioneered the concept of separating the frontend client from the backend engine which manages connections to IRC servers inside a single graphical application.

Architecture

Smuxi is based on the client–server model: The core application exists in the Smuxi back-end server which is connected to the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 around-the-clock. The user interacts with one or more Smuxi front-end client

Client (computing)

A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....

s which are connected to the Smuxi back-end server. This way, the Smuxi back-end server can maintain connections to IRC

Internet Relay Chat

Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...

 servers even when all Smuxi front-end clients have been closed. This is similar design to the Quassel IRC

Quassel IRC

Quassel IRC is a graphical, distributed, cross-platform IRC client, introduced in 2008. It is released under the GNU General Public License for Linux and Unix-like operating systems, as well as Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. Since the release of Kubuntu 9.04 Quassel is Kubuntu's default IRC client...

 client.

The combination of screen

GNU Screen

GNU Screen is a software application that can be used to multiplex several virtual consoles, allowing a user to access multiple separate terminal sessions inside a single terminal window or remote terminal session...

 and Irssi

Irssi

Irssi is an IRC client program for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. It was originally written by Timo Sirainen, and released under the terms of the GNU General Public License in January 1999.-Features:...

 served as an example of this architecture.

Smuxi also supports the regular single application mode. This behaves like a typical IRC client with no separation of back-end and front-end. It utilizes a local IRC engine that is used by the local front-end client.

Features

Smuxi supports nick colors which are identical across channels and networks, a Caret Mode as seen in Firefox

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...

 that allows to navigate through the messages using the keyboard, theming

Theme (computing)

In computing, a theme is a preset package containing graphical appearance details, used to customize the look and feel of an operating system, widget set or window manager....

 with colors and fonts, configurable tray-icon support, optional stripping of colours and formattings and convenience features like CTCP

Client-To-Client Protocol

Client-To-Client Protocol is a special type of communication between Internet Relay Chat clients.CTCP is a common protocol implemented by most major IRC clients in use today. CTCP extends the original IRC protocol by allowing users to query other clients or channels, this causes all the clients...

 support, channel search and nickname completion. It has a tabbed document interface, tabbed user interface, and support for multiple servers. Smuxi can attach to a local backend engine or a remote engine utilizing the Engine drop down menu (similar to screen

GNU Screen

GNU Screen is a software application that can be used to multiplex several virtual consoles, allowing a user to access multiple separate terminal sessions inside a single terminal window or remote terminal session...

 used with irssi

Irssi

Irssi is an IRC client program for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. It was originally written by Timo Sirainen, and released under the terms of the GNU General Public License in January 1999.-Features:...

. It also includes, in client-server operation, a visual marker showing the user's last activity in an open session, and ignore filtering.

Distribution

Smuxi can be found in many major free operating systems such as:
Debian GNU/Linux

Debian

Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...

 (including Debian GNU/kFreeBSD

Debian GNU/kFreeBSD

Debian GNU/kFreeBSD is an operating system released by the Debian project. It uses the kernel of FreeBSD combined with a GNU based userland. The majority of software in Debian GNU/kFreeBSD is built from the same sources as Debian GNU/Linux. The k in kFreeBSD refers to the fact that only the kernel...

),
Ubuntu

Ubuntu (operating system)

Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...

,
Gentoo Linux

Gentoo Linux

Gentoo Linux is a computer operating system built on top of the Linux kernel and based on the Portage package management system. It is distributed as free and open source software. Unlike a conventional software distribution, the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen...

,
Arch Linux

Arch Linux

Arch Linux is an independently developed, Linux-based operating system for i686 and x86-64 computers. It is composed predominantly of free and open source software, and supports community involvement....

,
openSUSE

OpenSUSE

openSUSE is a general purpose operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported openSUSE Project and sponsored by SUSE...

 Community Repository,
Frugalware Linux,
Slackware

Slackware

Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...

, and
FreeBSD

FreeBSD

FreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...

.

Smuxi is also available for Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 2000 / XP / Vista / 7 (32-bit

IA-32

IA-32 , also known as x86-32, i386 or x86, is the CISC instruction-set architecture of Intel's most commercially successful microprocessors, and was first implemented in the Intel 80386 as a 32-bit extension of x86 architecture...

 and 64-bit

X86-64

x86-64 is an extension of the x86 instruction set. It supports vastly larger virtual and physical address spaces than are possible on x86, thereby allowing programmers to conveniently work with much larger data sets. x86-64 also provides 64-bit general purpose registers and numerous other...

 architectures

Microarchitecture

In computer engineering, microarchitecture , also called computer organization, is the way a given instruction set architecture is implemented on a processor. A given ISA may be implemented with different microarchitectures. Implementations might vary due to different goals of a given design or...

).

Smuxi is not yet available for Mac OS X

Mac OS X

Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

, but development is ongoing, and an experimental version is available.

Smuxi can be downloaded from known software distribution websites such as
Tucows

Tucows

Tucows was formed in Flint, Michigan, USA in 1993. It incorporated in Pennsylvania and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...

 and
Freshmeat

Freshmeat

Freecode, formerly Freshmeat, is a website owned by Geeknet that allows computer users to keep track of the latest software releases and updates as well as write/read reviews and articles, send or receive comments to or from the author, and many other features...

.

Reception

Smuxi was selected in "Hot Picks" by Linux Format

Linux Format

Linux Format was the UK's first Linux-specific magazine, and is currently the best-selling Linux title in the UK. It is also exported to many countries worldwide. It is published by Future Publishing...

 Magazine in March 2009.
TuxRadar wrote:

In Tom's Hardware, Adam Overa wrote: