|
 Internet
Relay Chat is realtime chat using a client
application or telnet which sends data through
linked servers to other computers linked to those
servers all over the world. There are several nets
of servers you can connect to, the most popular
being UnderNet, EFNet, and DALNet. The advantage to
IRC chat over browser based chat is that you don't
have to wait for your browser to refresh or pull
each message and IRC clients are generally smaller
applications than browsers, plus direct client
connection, or dcc, enables you to send files, and
have private chat conversations and
client-to-client protocol (ctcp) allows a great
many fun things, such as playing sounds in wav
format (be careful with this, sounds can annoy
other users and some channels do not permit them).
The small disadvantage of occasional lag-time as
individual servers and hubs become bogged down is
easily overcome by choosing the same server as the
people you are talking to. To chat on IRC you will
need to download a client
application and follow the configuration
instructions included with the application, then
follow the simple connect
instructions to get to the net and channel
you want to visit. Make your experience a fun one
by avoiding IRC problems.
Once online you can do more than just talk by using
simple text commands or
those provided in your client by point-and-click or
menu command.
Windows
users can download mIRC, the most popular Windows
based IRC client, from the mIRC
homepage, shareware, $20. In addition, mIRC and
other PC IRC clients, scripts (configurable
background instructions that enable your client to
perform special commands, protect you from attacks
such as nukes, or filter incoming commands), and
applications are available at download.com
and a great many other download websites and ftp
sites.
Macintosh
users can download Ircle, the most popular MacOS
based IRC client, from the Official
Ircle Homepage, shareware, $15. Other Mac IRC
clients, scripts (configurable background
instructions that enable your client to perform
special commands, protect you from attacks such as
nukes, or filter incoming commands), and
applications are available at download.com
and a great many other download websites and ftp
sites.
Other
platform users can find IRC clients at the
UnderNet
Client Archive, download websites, and ftp
sites. Telnet may also be used for connecting to
IRC, but it is more restrictive and requires more
configuration than IRC specific applications. Note
that some of the commands listed below will not
work on Telnet.
Once
you have downloaded your client and installed it
according to the instructions, you may have to
configure it slightly before you can connect. Each
application will have instructions included with it
or a help file which should walk you through this
step.
Okay,
you have your client installed and configured, now
how do you talk to someone? Please don't get
discouraged at this point, it may seem like this is
a lot of work and confusing, but it's actually
quite simple, takes only a couple of minutes, and
with most IRC clients should only have to be set up
once, then will automatically connect in the same
way every time you pull up the application. There
are three basic pieces of data you must provide
before you can join a channel: the server and port
you wish to connect through, your username, and
your nick.
Since
nets are made up of servers that relay information
between each other, you have to tell the client
what server you want to log onto before it will do
it. You can choose from the servers preconfigured
into your client if they are available. The server
list will generally tell you which net that server
is in. Most of the larger nets have a generic
server name that will connect you to the closest
available server, so it's a good idea to try that
one first if you're nervous. For US users of
UnderNet, for example, the generic server is
US.UnderNet.org. Server names are not case
sensitive. For Canada use CA instead of US, for
Europe, EU, and for Australia and New Zealand try
AU. You do not have to respect national borders
when connecting, but fastest connection times
generally come from the server closest to you. Peak
usage may mean all the servers are busy, in which
case you may want to try a server in a time zone
that is not in peak hours. The other part of the
server is specifying which port you wish to connect
through. Default is 6667, but this is also the
busiest port and the hardest to connect to during
peak hours. Other common ports range from 6660 to
6670, so you may get better luck just by typing in
a new port number in that range. If you get an odd
message that the server is refusing you, don't feel
discouraged, try another server or port. In the
rare event that you are told you cannot connect
because you are G-lined, it may be that your ISP
has been banned from that net because someone on it
was doing something very naughty, like hacking into
other peoples computers or sending virus-ridden
files to other users. Contact your webmaster and
see if they can look into the situation for you if
you are still G-lined after trying again in about
30 minutes.
Other
information that will be needed before a server
will accept your connection is your identifying
username and nick. Your hostmask is automatically
generated from your username and your IP address.
Your username will be visible, so if you don't want
your real name to be known by everyone who checks
your ident, use an alias here. Your nick is what
will be seen in the channel and must be unique at
the time you connect to that net or you will be
prompted for a new nick or modifiers may be added
at the end to make it unique. Don't expect to be
able to log on as John, you will probably come up
as John67891 or something. The number of letters
and numbers you can use to create your username and
nick vary from net to net, so if part of it gets
cut off try something shorter. Nicks are registered
on nets which offer Nickserve, such as EFNet and
DALNet, so if you want to connect to them you will
be prompted to register your unique nick and
password. UnderNet does not use Nickserve, so nicks
are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Note this well. There are boneheaded assinine
idiots (and yes, that's about as kind as I can get
about them) who aren't smart enough to see this and
message you saying "Hey, you have my nick!" There
-is- no nick ownership on UnderNet. However,
presumably you are smarter than they are and know
modifier characters (or are willing to learn).
These characters are `, ^, {, }, and |. By adding
these to your nick you can create a unique nick if
you feel like being above the lamers. Oftentimes
there are polite people who will share a popular
nick with no hassles. Sometimes there are insecure
twits who will attack your connection to overcome
personal inability to handle social situations like
abiding by UnderNet's nick rules. If you're going
to be one of these people, by the way, save us all
the trouble of being disgusted by your ineptitude
and go to a nickserve net to begin with. You can
change your nick once you are online on UnderNet by
typing "/nick whatever" in the input window of your
client.
Now
you are ready to connect to an IRC net. Click the
OK button or it's equivalent on your client. Your
client should now connect and you should get a
screen which gives you that server's MOTD (message
of the day). The MOTD contains useful information
such as the server administrators nicks and e-mail
addresses, port ranges accepted by that server, and
rules for server use. Okay, get ready for one of
the most exciting ways to use the internet, real
time chat and communication forums with people all
over the world on a wide variety of topics, instant
file transfer, and roleplay channels where you can
slip into being someone completely different.
In
order to meet people and chat in forum you will
have to join a channel. Most IRC clients come
preconfigured with a channel list of suggested
channels for beginners. Channels are available for
almost any interest or topic. If there is one not
represented, consider creating one of your own and
see who shows up to talk. To join a channel all you
have to do is click on it's name in the channel
list and then OK or the equivalent command in your
client, or type /join #channelname in the input
window. All channels are specified by the #
modifier in front of their names. Do not use spaces
in the channel name as only the first word
following the command will be read by the server
and interpreted. Typing in the name of a channel
that has other users in it will open a window where
you can talk to them, typing in the name of a
channel that is not currently in use will create a
new channel.
Some
channels are password protected and you will be
prompted to enter a password or 'key' before you
are allowed to join. Other channels are invite only
and cannot be joined unless someone already in the
channel invites you. There are also moderated
channels, where you can read what ops and those who
have been given voice-status say and do, but until
you are given voice-status by an op you cannot post
to the channel. This is most common in channels
where a class is being taught or an interview is
being conducted where the other users are simply an
audience. However, the vast majority of channels
are completely open to the public, and all you have
to do to join and start chatting is type in the
join command and the channel name.
In
channel you will find users, ops, and bots. Users
are other people who have joined the channel. Ops
are people who are in charge of the channel, and
are the ones who set bans or kick those who are
disrupting channel activity or doing anything else
against the channel rules. It is a good idea to ask
if there are specific channel rules you should
refer to (general courtesy, avoiding shouting by
not using all caps, and refraining from foul or
inappropriate language is a good place to start,
although each channel has its own language and
content standards). Bots are not human beings, they
are applications with scripts that allow them to
perform a wide variety of tasks in a channel, which
may include such things as registering channel
users, setting automatic bans, or running a bar
service where you can order a virtual drink and
snacks. Nets and their administrating organizations
also provide security bots to registered channels,
such as X and W on UnderNet, the bots of cservice.
Channel bots are occassionally actively run by an
op who has access to the bot, so if it's acting
impossibly human, there may be someone 'in' the
bot. Harassing a bot is a surefire ticket to a ban.
Expect that channel bots are logging all activity
in the channel and messages to the bot.
You
can join as many channels as memory and bandwidth
permit on your client. Most people on IRC are
friendly and will help you out if you ask politely.
After all, they were once beginners as well. If you
don't want to interrupt the entire channel, try
messaging an op, designated by @ in front of their
name in the userlist. Bots are often given op
status, so wait to see if the person is real or not
or go ahead and ask in channel if someone can show
you around the channel. Be patient and consider the
possibility of lag or ops being busy, they will get
to you when they can.
Lags,
Splits and Frags. Some servers are less stable
than others and on occasion the server becomes so
bogged down in lag that it seems to be in its own
time zone. When this happens the server may split,
or drop out of the network until it can reconnect
with the hub servers properly. When this happens
you will see one or more, or maybe all of the other
nicks in the channel leave, followed by a leave
message of two server names. Don't panic, things
should sort themselves out in a few minutes, but
lag time may still continue for a while after the
server rejoins. To avoid this lag simply switch
servers using the command /server
<serveraddress> <port>. There are split
sniffing scripts available for many IRC clients to
warn you when your server is about to go down or
you can predict a split by doing a channel ping
(/cping #<channelname>) occasionally if
things get slow. Every once in a great while the
entire net gets confused and you get a net frag
rather than a split. This happens when one or more
hub servers (the servers that link other smaller
servers in a region) crash. Reconnecting during a
frag may take a while since the hubs may not be
able relay you to working servers. The best way to
avoid problems with splits and frags is to be
connected to the same server as the people you are
talking to. You can get this information by typing
/whois <nick> in your entry window.
Nukes,
ICMPs, Hacks, and other attacks. Although most
people on IRC are friendly, there are a few
adolescent-minded people who take their aggressions
out in the protective anonymity of the internet.
Many of the nets offer regular classes on
protecting yourself from nukes, which are war
scripts used on IRC to knock you offline,
occasionally even dropping your connection to your
ISP or causing problems with your hard drive. Nukes
are used against Windows IRC applications most
commonly. Nukes do not affect Mac clients. Windows
users can protect themselves with nuke protection
scripts and nuke detectors. ICMP attacks on the
other hand will effect any platform and cause
reconnection problems and recurring drop-offs.
There is no defense against an ICMP attack, but
there are small background applications called ICMP
detectors which will give you the information
necessary to report any such attacks. Hacks are
done by sending an application file via dcc which
will then infiltrate the hard drive when run,
giving your computer a virus or creating a backdoor
for the hacker to gain access to your hard drive.
It is a wise precaution to never accept dcc
files from unknown nicks and to run all received
files through a virus checker before opening
them. If you are the victim of any attack,
report it immediately upon reconnection to an
IRCop. You can get a list of IRCops currently on
your net by typing '/who 0 o' in your entry window.
Message any of the nicks in the list and be
prepared to send them a log of the attack from IRC,
any detector logs you may have, and the file if it
was a hack. You may also wish to report the attack
to the server administrators (their e-mail
addresses will be listed on the server MOTD) and to
the webmaster of the ISP of the attacker.
Retaliation against nukers and hackers only
encourages them, so the best thing to do is to
protect yourself and to report them so that their
IRC or internet access is denied.
The
following is a short list of the most commonly used
text commands on IRC. You may also have these and
other commands configured into the point-and-click
or menu commands of your IRC client, but typing
these in the input window of your client will work
on any client. All text commands are indicated by
placing a / in front of the command. Words in
<> indicate that you should replace that word
with the appropriate title. Follow spacing
indications as they are shown below. For simple
talking no text command is required, just type what
you wish to say and hit enter. Text commands are
not case sensitive.
|
Command
|
Result
|
|
/join #<channelname>
|
Joins that channel or creates a new
channel with that name.
|
|
/nick <newnick>
|
Changes your nick.
|
|
/msg <nick> <message>
|
Sends a private message to that
nick.
|
|
/me <action>
|
Performs an action in channel. Your
nick will replace the /me. for example, if
I am using the nick Vixos and type "/me
juggles three red balls." it will come out
in channel as "Vixos juggles three red
balls."
|
|
/cping <nick>
|
Sends a signal to that nicks source
connection and measures the relay time
required to return to your computer.
Measures lag time. In general you are not
lagged if you are under 10 seconds from
the person you are talking to, although
how much lag time is enough of an
annoyance that you need to change to
another server is up to you.
|
|
/cping #<channelname>
|
Sends a ping signal to all nicks in the
channel.
|
|
/server <serveraddress>
<port>
|
Disconnects you from your current
server and reconnects you to the specified
one at the selected port. If no port is
specified will connect at default port of
6667.
|
|
/whois <nick>
|
Provides identifying information on
that nick, including username and
hostmask, away status, server they are
connected to, and idle time.
|
|
/dcc chat <nick>
|
Creates a direct client connection chat
to that nick. Only you and that person
will be able to speak through this
connection. Eliminates all lag. Must be
accepted on the other end before you can
post. Also used to accept dcc chat
requests.
|
|
/dcc send <nick>
<filename>
|
Allows you to request that nick to
accept a file from your computer.
|
|
/dcc get <nick>
<filename>
|
Accepts an incoming file request from
that nick.
|
|
/who 0 o
|
Provides a list of all IRCops currently
online on your net.
|
|
/leave #<channelname>
|
Leaves that channel.
|
|
/quit <message>
|
Quits IRC with the message sent to the
channel.
|
|
As
a bit of a bonus, here are some common
shorthand terms you might see on IRC and
their meanings. This is certainly not an
exhaustive list and users commonly make up
their own terms in the global melting pot
of free speech. If you find any
particularly fun ones email
them to me and I'll consider adding them
in.
|
|
IRC Term
|
Translation
|
|
lol
|
Laughing out loud.
|
|
rofl
|
Rolling on the floor laughing. Many
variations on this. They can take up
several lines if someone is really dying
of laughter.
|
|
brb
|
Be right back.
|
|
bbl (also bbs, bbiab)
|
Be back later (be back soon, be back in
a bit).
|
|
wb (also wibs, wibbies)
|
Welcome back. Standard reply to a
return of a user from being away or
offline.
|
|
thx
|
Thanks. Standard reply to a wb.
|
|
afk (also afc)
|
Away from keyboard (or computer). User
is still online but off wandering around
someplace else, either because their snack
supply ran out, they have to go to the
bathroom, or something else came up.
|
|
afirc
|
Away from IRC. User is still on their
computer but they're in another
application.
|
|
rl
|
Real life. That mythical thing that
happens outside of IRC.
|
|
bf, gf, so
|
Boyfriend, girlfriend, significant
other.
|
|
cya l8r
|
See you later.
|
|
wth (also wtf in less polite
channels)
|
What the heck (hell, 'f' I think you
can figure out on your own).
|
|
:)
|
Smiling. Lots
of variations on the ASCII faces, with
big eyes, nose, hair, hats, and whatever
else can be represented with characters
from your keyboard you can imagine.
|
|
;)
|
Smiling and winking.
|
|
:D
|
Grinning or laughing.
|
|
:P
|
Sticking your tongue out.
|
|
>:(
|
Angry.
|
|
:(
|
Frowning.
|
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:~(
|
Crying.
|
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:P~
|
Drooling.
|
|
:*
|
Kissing.
|
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Want more fun Net
Language?
|
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