insomnia is a frontend for the hii IRC client.
insomnia is just a collection of small programs and scripts which are connected using tmux to create a simple irssi-like text-based user interface for hii. As you might expected it’s pretty hacky but mostly works.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Support for readline-like key bindings and tab completions for nicks.
- Support for highlight “notification” through bell characters.
- Use this in combination with tmux’s monitor-bell feature.
- Support for tracking topic changes through tmux pane titles.
- Support for colorful output.
Website: github.com/nmeum/insomnia
Support:
Developer: Sören Tempel
License: GNU General Public License v3.0

insomnia is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Console IRC Clients | |
|---|---|
| WeeChat | Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat; very light and extensible |
| Irssi | Console based client supporting SILC and ICB protocols |
| glirc | Advanced client maintaining a model of the IRC connection state |
| tiny | Rust based IRC client |
| ERC | Powerful, modular, and extensible IRC client for Emacs |
| ScrollZ | Advanced ircII-based IRC client |
| ircc | A single C file which implements a usable IRC client |
| senpai | IRC client that works best with bouncers |
| EPIC | Based on ircII, EPIC excels at scripting |
| catgirl | Targets FreeBSD, OpenBSD, macOS and Linux |
| zuse | Sleek, minimal IRC client for your terminal. |
| rirc | Minimalistic IRC client |
| kirc | Tiny IRC client |
| Swirc | Console based ICB and IRC client |
| Xaric | irc client similar to (and forked from) BitchX and ircII |
| insomnia | Frontend for the hii IRC client |
| ii | Minimalist FIFO and filesystem-based IRC client |
| hii | File-based IRC client |
| Circada | Comes with two modes, normal chat mode and the navigation mode |
| BarnOwl | Forked from the ktools owl project |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Discovered a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |

