Homer (software)
{{short description|Classic Mac OS IRC client}}
Homer, from Blue Cow Software, was an IRC client for Apple Macintosh computer systems during the 1990s,
{{cite book
| title= Internet After Hours
| first= Andy |last= Eddy
| publisher= Prima Publishing
| year= 1996
| edition= 2nd
| page= 217
| isbn=978-0-7615-0386-6
| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=F8dzvAh73D4C
| title=Homer
| publisher=Blue Cow Software
| url=http://www.pitt.edu/~bluecow/homer.html
| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816191633/http://www.pitt.edu/~bluecow/homer.html
| archivedate=2000-08-16
}} written by Tob Smith, and distributed as shareware.{{cite book
|title=Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh
|first=Adam C. |last=Engst
|publisher= Hayden Books
|year=1994
|page=315
|edition=2nd
|isbn=978-1-56830-064-1
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V8od2H3FrkUC&q=irc+homer
}}
System 7 or later of the classic Mac OS was required, as was MacTCP.Engst (1994), [https://books.google.com/books?id=V8od2H3FrkUC&q=homer+irc+screenshot+-mirc pg. 653.]{{cite web
| title=Macintosh IRC Software : Homer
| first=John |last= Staplehurst
| publisher=Exeter College, University of Cambridge
| url=http://people.exeter.ac.uk/jastaple/irc/homer.html
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081225232105/http://people.exeter.ac.uk/jastaple/irc/homer.html
| archivedate=2008-12-25
}}
It featured an icon view of users in a channel, which would animate when the user posted to the channel. It also provided notification of incoming CTCP Finger commands.
{{cite book
| title= The irc survival guide
| first= Stuart |last= Harris
| publisher= Addison-Wesley
| year= 1995
| page= 144
| isbn= 9780201410006 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7O1SAAAAMAAJ
}} Ircle included and extended this feature, "face files" to larger images.{{cite web
|title=Quickstart guide for those new to IRC
|publisher=OZmac.org, the OZ.org #macintosh IRC channel website
|url=http://www.ozmac.org/html/resources/irc.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031203141001/http://www.ozmac.org/html/resources/irc.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=2003-12-03
}} A late version of Homer reportedly allowed collaborative drawing across the network.{{cite book
| title=Computer-mediated communication: linguistic, social, and cross-cultural perspectives
| first=Susan C. |last=Herring
| publisher=John Benjamins Publishing
| year=1996
| page=63
| isbn=978-90-272-5054-4
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m8PzbUOIFswC&dq=homer+-iliad&pg=PA62}}
The Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh (1994) described it as "a great program if you're interested in IRC," and noted that "Homer has a colorful and unique interface that significantly eases using IRC, since it simplifies switching channels, keeping multiple discussions going, [and] giving and taking operator privileges".