LAN-based (not internet) chat software ??

[welshTerrier2]

i have a home network that runs a combination of XP and Windows 2000 ...

does anyone know of a reliable way to communicate (hopefully real time) from one node on a LAN to another without using an internet connection ?? fwiw, everything is connected via a wi-fi router ...

i know Windows provides "net send" from the "Command Prompt" but it's not very secure and it's very cumbersome (i.e. one line at a time) ...

any alternatives?

[landdaddy]

1. Many free apps to choose from

here:http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/network/fwnetworkmessage.html
Hope that helps.

[welshTerrier2]

2. fantastic !! i installed interChat3 ..

the program takes 2 seconds to install and works great ...

the only problem i had was it didn't seem to work when AOL IM was open ...

i also had to ensure that all computers on the LAN were in the same workgroup ...

i'll be using the software tonight at a fundraiser wine auction i wrote customized software for ... it will be great to have real-time communication with the other node on the LAN ... we used to wave our hands wildly when we wanted to get someone's attention and we had "runners" to convey information around the room .. somehow, this seems a little more efficient ...

thanks so much for providing the link !!