isr.co.ro : glossary Chat A computer system or network that passes typed messages between two or more users in real time. The Internet supports a standard public chat system called Internet Relay Chat (IRC), plus many custom chat programs for public and private use. Chat mode allows users to have back-and-forth conversations through the network, instead of waiting for electronic mail to be sent and received. Many systems offer options for anonymity or pseudonymity--which at its best allows for creative fantasy and its worst for the enticement of children. To use such a computer-based system. While most chat conversations are informal and recreational, people can and do "chat" as a means of serious business and academic communication as well.