IRC

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a system that facilitates transfer of messages in the form of text. The chat process works on a client/server model of networking. IRC clients are computer programs that a user can install on their system. These clients are able to communicate with chat servers to transfer messages to other clients. IRC originally was a fork of UNIX Talk, which was an older method of communicating between two UNIX machines (UNIX Talk itself was a modification of UNIX Wall). IRC was designed to allow multiple users to talk at the same time, which was a limitation of early UNIX Talk daemons. IRC has since become so much more. IRC remains the best way to yell at Serbians and Canadians.

A timeline of foolish anti-IRC rhetoric

• 1998: IRC? lol anon, why don't you use ICQ instead, it's much better.
• 2002: IRC? lol anon, just install MSN, stop being such a nerd.
• 2006: IRC? lol anon, with Skype you can make phone calls for free.
• 2010: IRC? lol anon, Chat is all you need, everybody is there already.
• 2014: IRC? lol anon, you should try WhatsApp, you can even send voice messages.
• 2018: IRC? lol anon, that's prehistoric! you should checkout Discord and Slack, so much better.
• 2024: IRC? lol anon, what's that? use Telegra- Durov did WHAT?!

Channels

List of IRC channels

Here's a regex that will find you a chan-related IRC channel name. Use it to search IRC logs or *chan board posts:

   #\/\w+\/[x21-x7E]*

For example,

   grep -iEoha '#\/\w+\/[x21-x7E]*' *rizon* | sort | uniq

will search a set of files with rizon in the name.

Graphical

• Hexchat - (Windows + Linux) Libre X-Chat
• Limechat - (Windows & OS X)
• Quassel - (Windows, Linux, OS X & Android) Client-Server based IRC client. Replaces the need for a bouncer.

Terminal

• [1] - (Linux/Unix Terminal Client) best for "Just Works"-ness
• weechat - (Linux/Unix Terminal Client) best for configurability
• BitchX - (Linux/Unix Terminal Client)

Emacs

• erc - Emacs IRC Client ( just use this one, trust me )
• circe - Another Emacs IRC Client
• riece - Another Another Emacs IRC Client

Bouncers

Bouncers? A bouncer is just a client that sits in a channel and watches for messages, and sends to you when you eventually connect to it. This is useful for logging and social status. You don't have to use a home server-based one if you don't wish, as some IRC services can do this for you (though you won't be able to connect to several services from one bouncer, then.)

• ZNC - (Linux/Unix, OS X, Windows under cygwin) defacto bouncer
• bip - (Linux/Unix IRC proxy/bouncer)
• soju - (UNIX) IRCv3 supporting bouncer written in Go

Tutorials

• IRC Help
• Rizon Info
• DareNet Info for New Users

Need to Know IRC Commands

These are some of the most fundamental commands of IRC, these will be the first commands you will run and will be running far into the future. Get one of the previous IRC clients and get going!

Weechat: /server add rizon irc.rizon.net
Irssi:  /connect irc.rizon.net
Others may vary, read the manual...

Connects to a service.

/join #channelname
Example:  /join #installgentoo

Enter a channel of your choice.

/part #channelname
Example:  /part #installgentoo

Leave a channel. :*(

/me (message)
Example:  /me is angry

An action message.

/msg nickname (message)
Example:  /msg foobar Hey tat, how are you?

Send a message to someone or somewhere.

/nick changes your nickname
Example:  type /nick newnickname

Set your nick. Depending on your service, the length may be limited.

/ping nickname
Example:  /ping luv2quilt

What this command does is give you the ping time, or lag time, between you and the person you pings. Nowadays, you don't have to worry about lag generally, unless you're over TOR, or running TOR over satellite.

/whois nickname
Example:  /whois bossmom

See a bit more information about another user.

/help
Example: /help Basic IRC Commands

There's one more very helpful command, and probably the one you'll use a lot when first starting out.

See Also

/g/'s unOfficial IRC List hottoysheadquarters.com/