NetChat 2.7

The simple truth of the matter is that people love to chat and socialize online – we are after all, social creatures. Proof of how much people love to chat online is the fact that Skype has more than 500 million registered users (according to figures from September ’09). Of the fact that popular social networking site Facebook has more than 400 million registered users (according to figures from February ’10). A staggering 100 million people cannot even let go of Facebook when they are on the go and use it on their mobile devices.

Socializing with people is quite easy – assuming of course you have access to the internet. But what if you have an old Windows XP-powered computer and access to a network of computer, with no access to the internet? You could socialize with the people on your network if you get the right piece of software – and this is where NetChat comes in.

Weighing in at little over 1MB, this Barefoot Productions-developed piece of software, is a peer-to-peer local network instant messaging and communications system. The only time you need access to the internet is when you download the software. Once you have it, you can use it to send instant messages to all the people on your local network. There is no need for an internet connection or a server.

There is at least one situation where using could prove to be handy - for example in a work environment. You have a company and several employees working for you. You’d like them to be able to easily talk to one another, but you’d rather they did not spend all day long checking their Facebook profile. You can block access to the internet, get NetChat and let your employees communicate amongst each other. It is all done in real-time, just like using an internet enabled instant messaging application (something like Yahoo! Messenger for example).

NetChat – a simple, instant messaging application to be used on a local network. No internet and no server required.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Doesn’t need an internet connection or servers to work
• Message logging
• Emoticons

Cons

• Provides support for older Windows versions, from 98 up to XP; no support for Vista or Windows 7
• Free to use only during the 30-day trial period

NetChat has been reviewed by George Norman on 04 Mar 2010. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated NetChat 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent