XChat is an IRC (chat) program for Windows and UNIX (Linux/BSD) operating systems. I.R.C. is Internet Relay Chat, see http://irchelp.org for more information about IRC in general. XChat runs on most BSD and POSIX compliant operating systems and this version supplied here is for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP.
You can choose your nickname, a second choice (in case it is already taken), username and realname. The username can generally be anything you like, just make it up.
The next step is to choose a network to join. This is a matter of personal taste, I cannot really recommend one! Some are better than others, you will have to experiment. In this example, I will join OzNet, an Australian network. Just select the row and click Connect. This dialog will pop-up so that you may join some channels (chat rooms).