[Maviarab]

So...there are so many different topics in here...as well as the tried and tested ones we all know and love.

So, my question is, from 2 different viewpoints,

Which is currently either the best or the hottest contender for a virtual bot for say 1. A beginner and 2. someone reigniting his interest?

Also...which would be considered the best for just chatting to, as apposed to the best for trying to implement as close to real Ai as we can at this moment in time?

[Freddy]

Missed this...but if you are still interested then i reckon any beginner can't go far wrong with an Alice bot, you can get some nice results in the initial phases and it isn't rocket science though some people do have a flare for it and do produce superior bots.

As for general chatting then I still think Jabberwacky throws out enough interesting topics to keep me entertained for a while.  I think Jabberwacky and Alan at www.a-i.com are a good place to see how well bots can chat today.