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How to get on IRC(LongPost)
Hello everyone,
My name is Jeff and I go by the nicknames JS-WHO and THE_KINKS on channel
#THE_WHO on IRC. Me and and a group of friends some on this list and some
not hang out on here all the time and talk about THE WHO and related music
topics. We are usually on between 11:30PM and 1:30AM EST...but you may see
us on at other times throughout the day. Included in this letter I have put
in instructions for how to join up on IRC and what it's really all about
for those that are interested in checking it out. For those of you not
interested...I'm sorry for the long post.
Internet Relay Chat FAQ
What is IRC?
IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". It was originally written by Jarkko
Oikarinen
(jto@tolsun.oulu.fi) in 1988. Since starting in Finland, it has been used
in over 60 countries
around the world. It was designed as a replacement for the "talk" program
but has become much
much more than that. IRC is a multi-user chat system, where people convene
on "channels" (a
virtual place, usually with a topic of conversation) to talk in groups, or
privately. IRC is constantly
evolving, so the way things to work one week may not be the way they work
the next. Read the
MOTD (message of the day) every time you use IRC to keep up on any new
happenings or server
updates. IRC gained international fame during the 1991 Persian Gulf War,
where updates from
around the world came accross the wire, and most irc users who were online
at the time gathered
on a single channel to hear these reports. IRC had similar uses during the
coup against Boris
Yeltsin in September 1993, where IRC users from Moscow were giving live
reports about the
unstable situation there.
How is IRC set up?
The user runs a "client" program (usually called 'irc') which connects to
the irc network via another
program called a "server". Servers exist to pass messages from user to user
over the irc network.
How do I use a client?
First, check to see if irc is installed on your system. Type "irc" from
your prompt. If this doesn't
work, ask your local systems people if irc is already installed. This will
save you the work of
installing it yourself. If an IRC client isn't already on your system, you
either compile the source
yourself, have someone else on your machine compile the source for you.
Where can I get source for the irc client?
You can anonymous ftp to any of the following sites (use the one closest to
you): If you don't
know what anonymous ftp is, ask your local systems people to show you
UNIX client
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients
ftp.acsu.buffalo.edu /pub/irc
ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc
coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/clients
EMACS elisp
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/elisp
ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/Emacs
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/clients
cs.hut.fi /pub/irchat
X11 client
catless.ncl.ac.uk /pub
ftp.aud.alcatel.com /tcl/code
VMS client
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/vms
coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc/vms
ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/vms
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/net/irc
REXX client for VM
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/rxirc
ftp.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de /pub/irc/rxirc
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/net/irc/VM
coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc/rxirc
ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/rxirc
MSDOS
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/pc/msdos
ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/msdos
Microsoft Windows
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/pc/windows
ftp.demon.co.uk
/pub/ibmpc/winsock/apps/wsirc (for WSIRC)
ftp.demon.co.uk
/pub/ibmpc/winsock/apps/mirc (for MIRC)
OS/2
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/pc/os2
hobbes.nmsu.edu /os2/2_x/network
Macintosh
cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/macintosh
mirrors.aol.com
/info-mac/comm (info-mac mirror)/A>
ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/mac
ftp.ira.uka.de /pub/systems/mac
Which server do I connect my client to?
It's usually best to try and connect to one geographically close, even
though that may not be the
best. You can always ask when you get on irc. Here's a list of servers
avaliable for connection:
USA:
irc.bu.edu
irc.colorado.edu
irc.uiuc.edu
Canada:
irc.mcgill.ca
Europe:
irc.funet.fi
cismhp.univ-lyon1.fr
irc.ethz.ch
irc.nada.kth.se
sokrates.informatik.uni-kl.de
bim.itc.univie.ac.at
Australia:
jello.qabc.uq.oz.au
Japan:
endo.wide.ad.jp
This is, by no means, a comprehensive list, but merely a start. Connect to
the closest of these
servers and join the channel #irchelp
OK, I've got a client and I'm connected to a server?
Now what?
It's probably best to take a look around and see what you want to do first.
All irc commands start
with a "/", and most are one word. Typing /help will get you help
information. /names will get you
a list of names, etc. The output is typically something like this-> (Note
there are more channels
than this, this is just sample output).
Pub: #hack zorgo eiji Patrick fup htoaster
Pub: #Nippon @jircc @miyu_d
Pub: #nicole MountainD
Pub: #hottub omar liron beer Deadog moh pfloyd Dode joek
(Note there are LOTS more channels than this, this is just sample output --
one way to stop /names
from being too large is doing /names -min 20 which will only list channels
with 20 or more people
on it, but you can only do this with the ircII client). "Pub" means public
(or "visible") channel.
"hack" is the channel name. "#" is the prefix. A "@" before someone's
nickname indicates he/she
is the "Channel operator" (see #7) of that channel. A Channel Operator is
someone who has control
over a specific channel. It can be shared or not as the first Channel
Operator sees fit. The first
person to join the channel automatically receives Channel Operator status,
and can share it with
anyone he/she chooses (or not). Another thing you might see is "Prv" which
means private. You
will only see this if you are on that private channel. No one can see
Private channels except those
who are on that particular private channel.
What is a channel operator? What is an irc operator?
A channel operator is someone with a "@" by their nickname in a /names
list, or a "@" by the
channel name in /whois output. Channel operators are kings/queens of their
channel. This means
they can kick you out of their channel for no reason. If you don't like
this, you can start your own
channel and become a channel operator there. An IRC operator is someone who
maintains the IRC
network. They cannot fix channel problems. They cannot kick someone out of
a channel for you.
They cannot /kill (kick someone out of IRC temporarily) someone just
because you gave the
offender channel operator privileges and said offender kicked *you* off.
What is a "bot"? How can I get one?
"bot" is short for "robot". It is a script run from an ircII client or a
seperate program (in perl, C,
and sometimes more obscure languages). StarOwl@uiuc.edu (Michael Adams)
defined bots very
well: "A bot is a vile creation of /lusers to make up for lack of penis
length". IRC bots are generally
not needed. See below about "ownership" of nicknames and channels. It
should be noted that
many servers (especially in the USA) have started to ban ALL bots. Some ban
bots so much that if
you run a bot on their server, you will be banned from using that server
(see segment below on K:
lines).
What are good channels to try while using irc?
#hottub and #jeopardy are almost always teeming with people. #hottub is
meant to simulate a hot
tub, and #jeopardy is non-stop game of the popular television series
"Jeopardy". To get a list of
channels with their names and topics, do /list -min 20 (on ircII) which
will show you channels with
20 or more members. You can also do this for smaller numbers. Many IRC
operators are in
#Twilight_Zone ... so if you join that channel and don't hear much talking,
don't worry, it's not
because you joined, operators don't talk much on that channel anyways!
What are some of the foreign language channels on
IRC? What do they mean?
Some of the most popular foreign language channels include #42 (which is a
Finnish channel),
#warung (which is a Malaysian channel. The word "warung" means
"coffeehouse" or "small
restaurant"), #polska (a Polish channel), #nippon (a Japanese channel, note
that "funny" characters
are often seen here -- this is Kanji. You will need a Kanji-compatible
terminal program and
Kanji-compatible irc client to converse in Kanji), #espanol (a Spanish
channel), #russian (a
Russian channel). These are just examples -- a large percentage of
languages in the world is spoken
on irc *somewhere*. If your language/country isn't listed above, ask on
#irchelp to see if there is a
channel for it.
Someone is using my nickname, can anyone do anything
about it? Someone is using my channel, can anyone do
anything about it?
Even while NickServ registered nicknames, there are not enough nicknames to
have nickname
ownership. If someone takes your nickname while you are not on irc, you can
ask for them to give
it back, but you can not demand it, nor will irc operators /kill for
nickname ownership. There are,
literally, millions of possible channel names, so if someone is on your
usual channel, just go to
another. You can /msg them and ask for them to leave, but you can't *force*
them to leave.
There aren't any channel operators on my channel, now
what?
Channel operators are the owner(s) of their respective channels. Keep this
in mind when giving out
channel operator powers (make sure to give them to enough people so that
all of the channel
operators don't unexpectedly leave and the channel is stuck without a
channel operator). On the
other hand, do not give out channel operator to *everyone*. This causes the
possibility of
mass-kicking, where the channel would be stuck without any channel
operators. You have one
option. You can ask everyone to leave and rejoin the channel. This is a
good way to get channel
operator back. It doesn't work on large channels or ones with bots, for
obvious reasons.
What if someone tells me to type something cryptic?
Never type anything anyone tells you to without knowing what it is. There
is a problem with
typing a certain command with the ircII client that gives anyone immediate
control of your client
(and thus can alter your account environment also).
What was NickServ? Is NickServ ever coming back?
NickServ was a nickname registration service run in Germany. It was a bot
that told people who
used a registered nickname to stop using that nickname. NickServ has been
down since the Spring
of 1994. It is not likely that NickServ will be back. Remember, nicknames
aren't owned.
What does "*** Ghosts are not allowed on IRC." mean?
What does "*** You are not welcome on this server."
mean?
On IRC, you cannot be banned from every single server. Server-banning
exists only on a
per-server basis (being banned on one server does not mean you are
automatically banned from
another). "Ghosts are not allowed on IRC" means that you are banned from
using that server. The
banning is in one of three forms:
You are banned specifically, you yourself. Only you can be
responsible for this (if you
are using a shared account, this obviously does not apply). Thus the
responsibility lies
completely with you and you have noone to complain to.
Your machine is banned. Chances are it wasn't you who committed the
wrongdoing. Try
using another machine on campus and seeing if you can use that
particular irc server then.
Your whole site is banned (where "site" == "school", "company",
"country"). This
almost certainly wasn't your fault. And chances are you won't be
able to get the server-ban
lifted. Try using another server.
The most general answer is "use another server", but if it bothers you, try
writing to the irc
administrator of that site --> /admin server.name.here -- plead your case.
It might even get
somewhere!
What does "You have new email." mean? What does it
mean when I see "[Mail: 5]" in my status bar?
IRC does not have its own mail. However, if your client tells you that you
have new email, it
simply means that you have received mail in your account. Leave irc (either
by suspending it or
quitting it), and read the mail. You might also see "You have new email."
when you start irc. IRC
does not keep track of email between sessions, so when you start irc and
have something in your
mailbox, irc will tell you you have new email. The "[Mail: 5]" in your
status bar tells you how
many email messages you have in your mailbox. Again, to access them, leave
irc and read them
using your normal mail reader.
I've just tried typing /list but it scrolls by so fast! How
can I slow it down to something more my pace?
The standard ircII client (for UNIX) has an option called "hold mode". To
activate it, type: /set
hold_mode on -- then you will be able to hit return after each screen's
worth of data.
I've done a /whois on myself and other people, but I
notice that my real name shows up in parentheses -- I
don't like this! It doesn't show up in other people's
parentheses. How can I change it?
In UNIX, there are two way of changing your IRCNAME and it depends on which
shell you are
using. If you are using csh or tcsh (the more popular UNIX shells, when in
doubt, try this first),
type this before you start irc: setenv IRCNAME "what you would like to
appear" If you don't want
to type that every time you log in, put the line exactly as it appears
above into your .cshrc file. If
you are using sh, ksh, or bash, type this before you start irc:
IRCNAME="what you would like to
appear";export IRCNAME Or insert that line into your .profile In VMS, you
must put this line in
your login.com file: DEFINE IRCNAME "what you would like to appear"
Where can I find GIF archives of irc people?
GIF archives of irc people are available:
ftp.funet.fi:/pub/pics/gif/pics/people/misc/irc -- NORDUnet Only!
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/RP
Where can I learn more?
The best, basic, irc user's manual is the IRC Primer, available in plain
text, PostScript, and
LaTeX. You can also join various IRC related mailing lists.
operlist
"operlist" is a list that discusses current (and past) server code,
routing, and protocol. You can join
by mailing operlist-request@kei.com.
ircd-three
ircd-three@kei.com, exists to discuss protocol revisions for the 3.0
release of the ircd, currently in
planning. Mail ircd-three-request@kei.com to be added to that.
Those looking for more technical information can get the IRC RFC (rfc1459)
available at all RFC
ftp sites, as well as cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/support/rfc1459.txt
Where can I get an updated copy of this FAQ?
this FAQ is available from several sources:
cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/support/alt-irc-faq
ftp.kei.com:/pub/irc/alt-irc-faq
You can also look at this FAQ on the web, at: http://www.kei.com/irc.html
What do I do if I'm still confused or have additions to
this posting?
email hrose@kei.com or ask for help (in #irchelp) on irc.