So - how can we make people realise this more quickly?

It won't happen, regardless of what people try to do. What you are discussing is a valid point but it's called human nature. It brings me back about ten years to when Australia started adopting 8 digit phone numbers. Here in Sydney some had a 9 added to the front and others had an 8 added. Once when giving out my work number which started with an 8 the chap asked me if the number needed the 9 added as well for it to work, despite me giving him all 8 digits and the fact that he seems to be an intelligent person. Debate that last point as you will but at the end of the day some people just can't be told anything.

Getting back to IRC the phrase "mIRC != IRC" has been quoted 10,000 times and people still ask "Why can't I connect to mIRC?"

There are some things to remember:

1. Some people are intelligent and may even know a bit about computers. Most of the world's population hasn't even heard of IRC though. As people find out about chat rooms they may hear of "IRC" and later on about "mIRC". The names are too closely spelt for some to differentiate until both names are explained to them.

2. Some people are stubborn and call the lot mIRC even though they know it's not, regardless of how many times they are corrected they either won't listen or don't really care.

3. Some people will never understand about computers and therefore will never understand the difference between server and client. They will simply accept that the two go hand in hand providing they are correctly configured and take advantage of point-click user-friendliness. To me this is fine - no-one is good at everything.

4. People's ability to understand English varies. To Anglo-Saxons, Europeans who learned English at school and most who have shifted to English-Speaking nations this isn't a problem. To the rest it will be a problem even though a fair chunk of English actually comprises words, phrases and acronyms based on other languages.

5. Like it or not - in most cases, people do not read tutorials or help files unless expressly YELLED AT to do it and even then they will only read what is absolutely necessary.

Will changing mIRC's name fix things? No. Instead of the current confusion you would have "Why isn't mIRC made anymore?"