You can script in Perl in some Windows chat programmes too so what is your point? Does Perl support more functions that mIRC does as far as IRC is concerned? I am inclined to believe it doesn't.
mIRC contains several hundred IRC-specific identifiers, commands and events. While Perl could probably match that I doubt that significantly beating it is possible. I can install Win 2000 Server on a machine (which I have) and then mIRC with a bot I wrote for it (which I have) and then run it on an indefinite basis (which I have). I don't consider myself to be a super genious with computers so if I can run a stable install I can't see why other people can't, the Windows/Unix stability yarn is boring, useless and irrelevant since the demise of Win 9X.
