Smuxi is a

cross-platform In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software ...

IRC client Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called ''channels'', but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat an ...

for the GNOME desktop inspired by

Irssi Irssi ( ) is an IRC client program for Linux, FreeBSD, macOS and Microsoft Windows. It was originally written by Timo Sirainen, and released under the terms of the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later in January 1999. Features Irssi is written in the C progr ...

. 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 client–server model is a distributed application structure that partitions tasks or workloads between the providers of a resource or service, called servers, and service requesters, called clients. Often clients and servers communicate ove ...

: The core application exists in the Smuxi back-end server which is connected to the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

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

client Client(s) or The Client may refer to: * Client (business) * Client (computing), hardware or software that accesses a remote service on another computer * Customer or client, a recipient of goods or services in return for monetary or other valuabl ...

s which are connected to the Smuxi back-end server.Brockmeier, Joe (October 15, 2010)
"Advanced IRC with Smuxi - Smuxification"
. ''Tutorials''. LinuxPlanet.com. This way, the Smuxi back-end server can maintain connections to

IRC Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called '' channels'', but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat an ...

servers even when all Smuxi front-end clients have been closed."Smuxi 0.7.0 released – now with Twitter functionality"
. IRC-Junkie.org.^{( rationale)} January 14, 2010. The combination of

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

and

served as an example of this architecture. The Quassel IRC client has a similar design. 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, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements current ...

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

theming Theming refers to "the use of an overarching theme...to create a holistic and integrated spatial organization of a consumer venue.” A theme is “a unifying or dominant idea or motif”, so theming is the process of designing and constructing an ...

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

used with

irssi Irssi ( ) is an IRC client program for Linux, FreeBSD, macOS and Microsoft Windows. It was originally written by Timo Sirainen, and released under the terms of the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later in January 1999. Features Irssi is written in the C progr ...

). 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 (), also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version of Deb ...

(including Debian GNU/kFreeBSD),

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All ...

, Gentoo Linux,

Arch Linux Arch Linux () is an independently developed, x86-64 general-purpose Linux distribution that strives to provide the latest stable versions of most software by following a rolling-release model. The default installation is a minimal base system, ...

openSUSE openSUSE () is a free and open source RPM-based Linux distribution developed by the openSUSE project. The initial release of the community project was a beta version of SUSE Linux 10.0. Additionally the project creates a variety of tools, s ...

Community Repository, Frugalware Linux,

Slackware Slackware is a Linux distribution created by Patrick Volkerding in 1993. Originally based on Softlanding Linux System, Slackware has been the basis for many other Linux distributions, most notably the first versions of SUSE Linux distributio ...

, and FreeBSD. Smuxi is also available for Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.x and 10 ( 32-bit and

64-bit In computer architecture, 64-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are 64 bits wide. Also, 64-bit CPUs and ALUs are those that are based on processor registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. A compu ...

architectures Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

). Smuxi is available for

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...

starting with the 0.8.9 release.

Reception

Smuxi was selected in "Hot Picks" by ''

Linux Format ''Linux Format'' is the UK's first Linux-specific magazine, and as of 2013 was the best-selling Linux title in the UK. It is also exported to many countries worldwide. It is published by Future plc (which produces a number of other computer magazi ...

Magazine'' in March 2009. '' TuxRadar'' wrote: In

Tom's Hardware ''Tom's Hardware'' is an online publication owned by Future plc and focused on technology. It was founded in 1996 by Thomas Pabst. It provides articles, news, price comparisons, videos and reviews on computer hardware and high technology. The si ...

, Adam Overa wrote: In LinuxToday, Joe Brockmeier wrote:

References

External links