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IRC Help (chat.radio-freedom.co.uk)
Topic Index
IRC
IRC is the most commonly used method of real-time communication on the
Internet. It was around before ICQ was a gleam in somebody's eye. Admittedly it
is somewhat difficult to manage from a user standpoint. This is primarily because
IRC was developed way back in the early days of the Internet and programmers didn't have a
real common set of commands established so they sort of designed it in pieces as they went
along. One advantage of IRC's age is that it has become stable and secure.
Etiquette
There are no really hard and fast rules when it comes to IRC but over the years some
things have emerged as being annoyances and certain behavior is not taken very well.
- DON'T TYPE WITH YOUR CAPS LOCK ON
- Don't ask to be an operator in a channel, if you are consistently present helping others
you will be asked.
- Flooding (repeatedly entering the same text line over and over) will most probably get
you kicked out of a room if done enough times. Some channels have automatic kicks on
floods.
Other things about IRC chatting have emerged that are either commonly used terms or
mannerisms that might be a bit foreign to you.
- Most people type in all lower case letters, even at the beginning of sentences, on
proper nouns, etc. It's just easier over time.
- Shortcuts have become easier to type too, like tho, cud, wut, howz - it doesn't
necessarily mean the other person is illiterate.
- Don't be too impatient. Many people (like me) will type something in a chat window and
go to another application to do something. You can type a reply and sometimes sit there
for awhile waiting for a reply to your reply. It's not that you're being ignored. It's
just the nature of chat. Some people sit on the channel and type away without leaving to
do other tasks. The beauty of chat is just that, you can multitask and go back and
forth. If you need to leave, no problem. Type a simple bye bye and drop the
connection. The other person will see what you typed when they come back.
Commonly used terms:
- afk = away from keyboard
- lol = laughing out loud
- rotfl = rolling on the floor laughing
- rotflmfao = rolling on the floor laughing my f***** ass off
- brb = be right back
- l8r = later
- cul = see you later
- :) = a smile (smiley), gotta look at it sideways
- ;) = a wink
- :( = denotes sadness
- nick = user name (nickname)
- op, ircop = channel operator - a person with the ability to manage a channel by removing
intolerable people or answering questions - in a perfect world ops are there to help you
- kick, k-lined = kicked out of a channel
- banned = being temporarily or permanently banned from entering a server or channel
- admin = the person who owns the server, or one of his/her representatives (you can find
out if there are any admins anywhere currently on the server by using the /admin
command.) If you have a problem with an op, this is the person to contact.
- dcc = direct client to client - opening up a private chat with another party
- address mask = This isn't really a term used in conversation but it is an IRC
term. It stands for the unique username, IP address and host information that is
tied to your Internet connection. It is used to verify your identity to NickServ and
used to identify people who have been put on a ban list. For example, if you ban the
nick Fred, what will stop that person from logging in as Joe?
Nothing. If you ban the address mask it doesn't matter how many times that person
logs into their AOL account (or any other ISP or any permanent connection), they will
still be unable to join the IRC server.
- voice = somebody with usually helpful information but isn't a channel op
You can identify a voiced user by a + sign in their nick in the nick list.
Services
NickServ
NickServ is a service available to reserve your nickname and password protect it.
NickServ is not always available on large networks because people constantly battle for
control of a nick. I use it on my IRC server because I don't have that much traffic.
In order to do just about anything on an IRC server where there are restrictions,
automatic user modes or invitations involved, you have to be registered with
NickServ. I recommend that everyone register. There's no personal information
necessary.
For more information type /ns help register on a command line. For a
convenient web interface to NickServ, check out the Helpful
Interfaces section. If you are using Java chat there is a NickServ panel
available under the commands drop-down list.
One more thing. To be on the safe side your reserved nick is protected
with a password. In order to tell the server you are who you are, you need to submit
your password to it whenever you log into the server. The easiest way is to send a
message to NickServ identifying yourself. You will usually want to do this before
you start joining channels although you can do it anytime. The only problem is that
if you are going to join a restricted channel you have to be identified first because
restricted channels have a list of users allowed in and just because you entered the
server with a nick that's on the list you still haven't submitted your password yet.
The format is:
/ns identify password
where password is the password you used to register the nick.
NickServ and ChanServ are always talking with each other keeping things running
securely. NickServ handles the nick registrations and ChanServ enforces the policies
associated with a particular channel.
ChanServ
Channel Services is what manages who has control over what channels. Generally if
you create a channel (join a channel that doesn't exist) you have control over it.
If ChanServ is available on a server you can reserve the channel name just like you use
NickServ to reserve a nick. ChanServ isn't always available on all IRC servers for
the same reason NickServ isn't always available. ChanServ also reserves system-wide
channels for the administrator so they are always available and can't be "taken
over" by some idiot with too much time on their hands.
I have rooms restricted so that only ops can create a room. If you need one, tell
an op and they'll set it up for you. If you want a permanent one, catch me on
channel somewhere.
Operations
Channel Operators
Operators (ops for short) are primarily in a channel to keep things running smoothly,
answer questions, be helpful - that sort of thing. Over the years operators have
become a bit troublesome. Ops can kick people out of a channel, assign other
operators, pretty much anything they want to do limited only by the privileges given by
the administrator (admin). Some ops have a tendency to let things go to their heads
and become little Caesars. I don't like that.
To me an op is somebody a newbie can turn to for help. Somebody with lots of
patience and compassion. I only assign ops once I get a feel for somebody's
personality. I like liberal-minded people who lend a helping hand. I feel
kicking somebody out of a channel is a last resort - to me banning is permanent because if
somebody causes enough problems to be banned once, they'll do it again. If you would
like to be an op, don't worry, somebody will notice you. Almost everywhere you look
on the Internet regarding rules of conduct the second rule is to not ask if you can be an
operator. They even have a term for it: BegOps
You can tell who's an op in a channel by the @ sign next to their nick in the nick
list. Don't ever hesitate to ask an op for help on my server. Initiate a
private chat with them if you are too embarrassed to talk on channel. IRC should be
fun, I want it to stay that way. If an op does exhibit unprofessional behavior be
sure to let me know. I'll keep your communication confidential.
If I'm ever on channel and you need a hand don't hesitate to give me a ring. My
nick is Barefoot. You can usually find where I am by using the /whois Barefoot
command. If I am there it will list what rooms I'm in. If you can't get to any
of the rooms for some reason send me a /msg (see commands
below).
Note: If my nick has been changed to BarefootAFK that means I am away from my keyboard
and you can leave a message in my answering machine - use
/ctcp barefootafk page message
to send a message to my answering machine. At this time the Java client
does not support ctcp but most all irc client programs do (see this section for other client program available).
Bots
Bots, or Channel Robots, are server-generated meta-users who sit in a channel to keep
things running smoothly like an op during times when the channel has no human
participants. On my server you will see them listed as @ChanBot (the @ sign
denotes that they are indeed a channel operator). You can talk to them but they
won't usually talk back. Operators use them for certain tasks but don't try sending
anything to them unless you know what you're doing. If one of my bots detects
somebody trying to mess around they will ban the address mask until I can get around to
resetting it. And since I don't normally ban people I may not even know about it
because I never check the ban lists.
The main reason for this explanation is to save you from trying to hold a conversation
with a machine- language subroutine.
Commands
All IRC commands start with a slash character /. This is so you can type
commands right in your chat window and they won't be interpreted as text going out to the
channel. Beware though, if you accidentally forget the slash your command will go
out on channel - very embarrassing when you're sending a password to the system.
This is why it's a good idea to use an interface available in your chat client program to
handle the major commands requiring passwords.
All channels (rooms) on an IRC server are prefixed with the pound sign #.
This is so that when you are setting parameters for certain actions that could either be a
channel or a user it can distinguish which is which. That is also why user names
can't begin with a pound sign.
Most commands, nicks and channel names are case-insignificant. In other words
Bill, bill and biLL are all treated the same.
/join #channel
To participate in a discussion in the specified #channel
Example: /join #barkdoofle
will either take you to the #barkdoofle channel or create a new channel named #barkdoofle.
- Note that you must use this command to join a channel that doesn't show up in a
channel list (i.e. a hidden or private channel).
- Note also that some IRC client programs add the # for you. If you get an
error, and you know the channel exists, try removing the prepended # sign.
i.e. /join barkdoofle
- If you are still having trouble joining a channel it may be restricted and you
haven't identified with NickServ yet. For more information on identifying yourself
see the Services section.
/part
To depart a #channel
/msg user message
To send a private one-line message to user
Example: /msg gomer how are you today?
would send a private message to gomer asking him how he is
/help
/hs
Used to get an idea of the format of help commands from the HelpServ.
/hs help
List the commands there is help available for
/hs help command
List help for command
Example: /hs help join
/ns help register
Ask the NickServ how to register your nick. (Note that is NS, not HS)
All services have their own help systems. (HelpServ, ChanServ, NickServ, etc.)
/ns identify password
Identify yourself with NickServ using your password so it knows you are the real
owner of the nick. You must register your nick before you can use this
command. The registration of your nick is a one-time procedure. Identifying
yourself is something you have to do each time you connect to the server. Usually
people have their IRC client program rigged to automatically do this part.
/whois user
Get more information about a particular user's connection or service
status. If a nick comes back with a line saying Fred is very helpful, then Fred has
registered as a helpop, someone who is there specifically to help you out.
/me action
Sends an action message to a channel. Action messages are simply messages
that have an action tag in front of them. It is usually used to denote some sort of
feeling, emotion - well, action.
Example: /me I'm hungry
would send an action message expressing your need for pizza.
/clear
Clears your chat window of all text.
Commonly Used Methods to connect to IRC
Most people use an IRC client program. The two most popular are mIRC and Pirch.
Pirch hasn't been updated in ages but still shines as one of the most programmable clients
for those who like customization. mIRC is the most popular now because it is being
actively developed and it's real easy to use. If you are considering Pirch I would
suggest installing the add-on package called CatNinja.
Pirch and Ninja together can't be beat for customization but it can be a bit overwhelming.
Another common method beginning to emerge is Java chat. The nice part about Java
chat is you don't have to install anything and it's point-and-click. Java chat runs
right inside a web browser and takes a lot of the dirty work out of your hands. See
the Helpful Interfaces section.
Helpful Interfaces
Using the various services on an IRC server can be a painful process due to the various
commands needed to truly accomplish the process properly. Here you'll find access to
easy-to-use interfaces that will make the process less intimidating.
Java Chat
Convenient Java chat interface into the IRC server
Configuration
Server address: chat.radio-freedom.co.uk
Server ports: 6667, 6668, 6669
Static channel: #freedom
Conclusion
There's plenty more. Many commands are specific to a particular flavor of IRC
server but everything above should work anywhere. Some servers are linked whereby
you can join the server at different points in the world and still chat with others on
other servers. The channels are linked together within the network.
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