This text is too short to be rewritten as a software summary in 50 words. Please provide a longer text for me to summarize.
One of the main benefits of using sirc is that you can get a reasonable ircII-like interface on an account with a properly installed perl interpreter. The perl client takes about 60k and is usable on its own if you don't have access to a C compiler, while the interface, once compiled, takes just another 30 or 40k. The two together, while lacking the huge complexity of ircII, still make for a very usable client.
sirc offers many key features, including an ircII-like user interface with command-line editing and history, built-in "tabkey" handling, arrow keys, message redirection, and highlighting of private messages. It also has all the usual IRC features, including /notify, /ignore, a hold mode, /server, /help, /set, and more.
One cool thing about sirc is that it includes a number of functions that are usually defined as aliases. For example, /o can be used to give ops or /w to do a /whois. It also supports connections through SOCKS proxies, including initiating DCC connections, and is compatible with all nets, including Undernet's, extensions like /map.
Full DCC (Direct Client-to-client Connections) support is included in sirc, allowing users to chat without going through the servers (DCC CHAT) and transmit files (DCC SEND and GET). DCC SEND is now 3x faster, and you can even rename DCC CHATs.
If you want to get more advanced with sirc, you can make custom scripts in perl, adding commands and their help, using hooks, userhost queries and timers, and adding new /set variables. An example script is even included, which adds message logging, userhost-on-notify, delayed auto-ops, and time-saving aliases.
sirc also offers the possibility of making bots with sirc and includes a small included example. The whole distribution takes just 170k, including the docs, and takes about 110k of disk space once installed.
One interesting feature is that all the full-screen handling and command-line editing is done by a front-end in C which can be used with other programs than sirc, so you can (for example) read your mail with an IRC-like interface.
Lastly, sirc is compatible with perl versions 4 and 5, and offers a quick and easy installation process: simply gunzip sirc-2.211.tar.gz ; tar -xvf sirc-2.211.tar ; cd sirc-2.211 ; ./install.
The latest release includes a fix for compatibility with IRCnet. Overall, sirc offers a robust and customizable IRC client option for Unix users.
Version 2.211: N/A