According to my definition, a bot is any irc client connected to an irc server
and programmed or configured to perform channel or message related tasks
by itself, without human intervention.

A silent and peaceful eggdrop only giving channel ops upon request (triggered
by a human user) is not necessarily a bot. Instead, it could be considered a
remote controlled client that we're quite comfortable with. However, as soon
as the same eggdrop starts auto-kicking clients (triggered by a channel event)
or insists on deoping clients upon netsplits and following netjoins (triggered by
a mode event) it's become an IRC automaton, a ro(bot) abusing the server.

Almost any irc client can be programmed to perform the same automated tasks
in similar fashion. Upon personal or site wide k-line your average kid
will protest for "justice":

"I've never run bots! I use screen + ircii, BitchX or [insert your favourite
abusive mirc script here]. Therefore I'm not running a bot!!"

She/he couldn't be more wrong.

It's more fruitful to look at the purpose and actual real life function of a
client-to-be-regarded-as-a-bot, rather than it's version.

In the context, one or more of the following almost always applies as well:

keep
own
control
guard
protect
take
take back
regain (whatever)
annoy
spam
advertise
get even
revenge
fight
war
gang up (in botnets)
flood
dos

There really isn't anything intrinsicly bad or good about bots per ce.
Their owners, however, are too often abusive individuals trying to make life
harder for others or control queen kids who've missed the non-ownership
philosophy (on channels and nicks) of the IRCnet.

Have an enjoyable stay on IRC. It's perfectly possible without increasing
the useless white bot noise.

/Karzan