INTERNET RELAY CHAT Author: Robert D. Blais Email: Revised: 27 February 1993 Version: 1.10 PURPOSE: This document attempts to explain, in simple terms, what IRC is and in general, how it is used. It is intended to supply information for new users not familiar with IRC and to serve as a reference for experienced users. Since there are many different programs on several different operating systems, client-specific information has been left out. Users should refer to the documentation that came with their IRC program for information specific to using that client. Users may also wish to read the author's document "Standard IRC Commands" for information about the commands mentioned in this document. CREDITS: The information contained in this document has been culled several sources, including the alt.irc group in Usenet news and from the author's own experience using IRC. In addition, the following documents proved invaluable in the making of this document: "Alt.irc.faq" by Helen Rose , "Internet Relay Chat, a real-time conversational system" by Karl Kleinpaste , and "How To Behave on IRC" by Lea Viljanen and Ari Husa . Thanks to Kelly Derek Deyoe for providing a list of countries and their domain extensions. Special thanks to Carl "LynX" von Loesch for his help and suggestions. I. HISTORY Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988 as a replacement for the Unix "Talk" program. It's purpose is to allow multiple users to converse in real-time over the collection of networks known as Internet. It is based on the functionality of the Bitnet Relay system but that functionality has been greatly expanded. From it's humble beginnings in Finland, IRC grew to become the largest international, relayed conferencing system in the world. It is available in over 20 countries around the world and has been host to over 1000 users at one time! Countless thousands of people, from college students to business executives have used IRC and new users sign-on every day. The Internet is primarily for academic use. IRC is a communications layer of internet, and as such, it's main purpose is academic use. Many people depend on it as a tool for exchanging information with colleagues, business associates and fellow researchers. II. CHANNELS IRC is divided up into virtual spaces called channels. A channel is a gathering place where people with a common interest can get together and discuss whatever that interest may be. A channel does not exist until someone joins it and ceases to exist when the last person leaves it. A. Channel Names All channels on IRC have names. A channel name can be just about any single "word" of text preceded by a pound sign (#). For example, #123, #My_channel, and #$$$ are all valid channel names. Examples of popular channels on IRC include #hottub, #initgame, and #hotsex. B. Creating A Channel To create a channel, simply join it either with the /join or /channel command. For example, to create the channel #Test you would type /join #Test. C. Leaving A Channel To leave a channel, issue the /part command. For example, to leave #Test you would type /part #Test. Some clients will automatically issue /part for you if you use the /channel command, so check your program's documentation. D. Multiple Channels Most IRC client programs allow you to be on several channels at once. Check your client's documentation for specific information on using multiple channels. Also, look for information on the /, /msg, and /query commands. E. Channel Operators The first person to join a channel is known as the Channel Operator (ChanOp) and can determine certain aspects of the channel, such as the number of people allowed on the channel and whether the channel is public, private, secret, or invite-only. A ChanOp can also delegate ChanOp privileges to other users on the channel. Look for information on the /mode command for specifics about channel modes and ChanOp powers. III. NICKNAMES All IRC users are identified by unique nicknames. Duplicate nicknames are not allowed by the IRC servers. A. Changing Nicknames By default your nickname is your userid, but may be changed with the /nick command. Many clients also allow you to specify a default nickname that will be used whenever you sign-on to IRC. Check your client's documentation for specifics about setting a default nickname. B. Nickserv Many people register their nicknames with an on-line service called Nickserv. If you choose a nickname that is registered to someone else, you will get a message from Nickserv telling you who it is registered to. If you get such a message, pick a new nickname. It is considered very rude to use someone else's nickname and may cause confusion when other users mistake you for their friend. For nickname registration information type the command /msg nickserv@service.de help. When you register a nickname, Nickserv will ask you for a password. DO NOT USE YOUR LOGIN PASSWORD. IRC protocols are not completely secure and other users may be able to get your Nickserv password. Also, REMEMBER YOUR NICKSERV PASSWORD. You may need it if you ever want to change your registered nickname or add a new host site to your access list. IV. IRC OPERATORS The IRC Operators (IRCOps) are the people who maintain IRC. They keep the servers running and up to date, keep the links connected and routed properly, they answer questions from the users, and they remove offensive users by way of the /kill command. IRCOps are indicated by an asterisk (*) next to their nickname in /who and by the line " has a connection to the Twilight Zone." in /whois. The best way to get help or information from IRCOps is to join the IRCOp channel #Twilight_zone. Once you are on the channel, state your problem or question in a brief, specific, polite manner and wait for a reply. Usually you'll get a response within a few minutes, but since many of the IRCOps have responsibilities apart from IRC, they aren't always immediately available. If you don't get a reply in a reasonable amount of time, try again later. V. MESSAGES There are generally four types of messages you will see while using IRC. The four types are informational messages, public messages, private messages, and notices. Some clients may also have a fifth type that gives information about things happening within the program, such as when you add a user to the /ignore list, but these messages are not normally sent over IRC. A. Informational messages. Informational messages let you know something in the IRC environment has changed. When someone joins or leaves your channel, changes the channel mode or topic, changes their nickname, or makes some other such change you will see a message informing you of the change. The format of the message may vary depending on what client you are running, but in general it will look something like the following: *** Bub joins channel #hottub *** Mode change: Hoser sets #hottub +o Bub B. Public Messages. Public messages are seen by everyone on the channel. Everything you type to a channel shows up as a public message with your nickname and the channel name displayed in angle brackets before the message. A public message looks like the following: Hello world! or Hello world! C. Private Messages. Private messages are generally only seen by the person who they are sent to. The /msg and /query commands are used to send private messages. Private messages are displayed with the sender's nickname between asterisks. A private message would look like the following: *Bub* Thanks for Opping me, Hoser. D. Notices Any automatic response, such as server messages, CTCP (client to client protocol) replies, and robot replies MUST be in the form of a notice. Users can also send notices with the /notice command, but this is not generally necessary. A notice will generally be shown with the sender's nickname and channel between dashes and might look like the following: -Bubserv:#hottub- Bub sends a beer to Hoser. -Bubserv:#hottub- /msg Bubserv help for help on using Bubserv. VI. SERVERS IRC servers are programs that relay the messages and commands that you type to other servers and users on the network. When you first compile or use an IRC program, you will probably have to give it a server to use. You should normally use the closest (network-wise) server to you. However, some servers limit what hosts are allowed to connect to them. Lists of servers are frequently posted in the Usenet news group alt.irc. If you don't have access to that group and can't find a server, try one of the following servers and once you get on, ask an IRCOp which server in your area you should use. Open servers by country: Australia: coombs.anu.edu.au Canada: ug.cs.dal.ca Finland: nic.funet.fi Germany: irc.informatik.tu-muenchen.de Netherlands: fysak.fys.ruu.nl U.S.A.: csd.bu.edu ucsu.colorado.edu Information about a specific server can be obtained by using the /admin, /info, /motd, and /version commands. If you have a problem with a particular server the /admin command will give you the email address of the person(s) in charge of it. The other commands give you information about the server itself, such as the software version and the MOTD (Message of the Day). VII. BEHAVIOR AND ETIQUETTE IRC is a good place to learn about other people, places, and cultures, to exchange information and ideas, and to meet people. If everyone follows some basic, common-sense rules of behavior and etiquette, IRC can be an enjoyable and informative way to use some of your free time. A. Language English is the most widely spoken language on IRC but it is not the only language. Often the channel name or topic will give you some idea of the language spoken on that channel but this is not always the case. A user's hostname extension usually gives an indication of where that user is from and thus, the language he or she is likely to speak. For example, someone whose user@host name ends in .jp is most likely speaks Japanese, whereas someone whose user@host name ends in .fi most likely speaks Finnish. A list of common domain extensions, by country, is shown below. Country Domain Extension Austria: .at Australia: .au Belgium: .be Canada: .ca Switzerland: .ch Chile: .cl Czechoslovakia: .cs Germany: .de Denmark: .dk Spain: .es Finland: .fi France: .fr Ireland: .ie Israel: .il Iceland: .is Italy: .it Japan: .jp Korea: .kr Mexico: .mx Netherlands: .nl Norway: .no New Zealand: .nz Poland: .pl Sweeden: .se Singapore: .sg Taiwan: .tw United Kingdom: .uk United States: .us South Africa: .za Other: .com (Commercial business) .edu (Educational institution) .gov (Government organization) .mil (Military installation) .org (Non-profit organization) .net (Network administration) It is a good idea to do a /who on a channel before you join so you can get an idea of what language might be spoken on that channel. If the channel consists mostly of people from Finland and you don't speak Finnish, you probably won't find the channel very interesting. Also, your own channel name or topic should indicate what language is spoken on your channel, especially if it is not English. B. Dumping and Flooding Dumping large amounts of text or graphics to a channel or a user is considered rude and is not allowed. It is a waste of bandwidth and can cause anyone on a slow modem connection to be jammed for several minutes. Also, the text or graphics that you find amusing is likely to be quite annoying to other users who are trying to carry on a conversation. C. Morality Since IRC is composed of users from all over the world, with many different backgrounds, different levels of maturity, and different religious and moral standards, a good rule of thumb is think before you type. If you wouldn't say something in front of your boss, teachers, parents, or in other social situations, you shouldn't say it on IRC. By the same token, be tolerant of other users. Not all of them have the same views and morals as you and what is offensive to you might not be to them. D. General Behavior People on IRC have no other way of judging you than by your actions and messages. Rude, obnoxious, and offensive behavior is not tolerated and may get you banned from a channel or /killed from IRC altogether. If your offenses are great enough, your local system administrators may be notified and you may lose your computer account or face other disciplinary actions. Not everyone using IRC is interested in chatting. More specifically, not everyone on IRC is interested in chatting with YOU. Some people use IRC as part of their normal work to be available to colleagues who might need to reach them quickly. Other people use IRC for discussion of certain topics of interest to them. If you don't have anything to contribute to the topic on a particular channel, don't interrupt and try to start a new topic. Start a new channel to discuss your topic. If you send a message to someone or invite them to your channel, don't assume they are interested in talking to you. If someone doesn't respond, they may be away from their terminal or may be too busy to reply. If someone indicates that they aren't interested in talking to you, leave them alone. Badgering someone or sending them unwanted messages wastes their time and yours. You're better off finding someone else to chat with. -- NOTE: This document is hereby placed in the public domain. If you copy it, please attribute the source. If you modify it, please note who you are, what changes you made and the date of those changes in the document header. Take the credit you deserve, but give credit where it is due. Thanks.