Internet Relay Chat a.k.a. IRC lets you talk to and interact with other Internet users through a variety of different chat software packages.
How IRC works
The entity that is Internet Relay Chat can be decomposed into many smaller pieces:
IRC → Networks → Servers → Channels → users.
IRC users find each other by connecting to the same network. Any two users connected to the same network may chat with each other. Since many thousands of people can connect to a single network, networks are made up of servers. The servers that make up a network are all interconnected, and relay messages back and forth between all of the users on the network, regardless of what server they are connected to.
The most common way for IRC users to chat with each other is by connecting to the same channel. An IRC channel is akin to a chat room. Many people can connect to the same channel, and messages from each person on the channel can be seen by everyone else.
IRC users can also chat one-on-one through private messages, much in the same way that people chat one-on-one via Instant Messenger.
Nicknames on IRC
IRC users are identified by nicknames (”nicks”). Each message that you send to an IRC channel or private message is accompanied by your nickname. Some IRC networks provide services that allow you to reserve a nickname for your own private use and protect it with a password. This service is often referred to as “Nickserv” and is implemented as a “robot” that has the ability to change your nickname at will. Often times, Nickserv will request a password from someone attempting using a registered nickname, and change their nick to a generic “Guest” nickname if they do not respond correctly.
Nickserv is a convenient feature of many IRC networks, but not a rule. There are some networks that do not allow nickname registration, and nicks go on a first come, first serve basis. If you disconnect, your nickname is available to anyone who wants to use it. On these types of networks, you’ll find a fair amount of people who stay connected 24/7 in order to keep their nicknames.
IRC Channels
IRC channels are governed in a manner very similar to nicknames. Some networks have a “Chanserv” service that allows a user to “register” a channel. This user becomes known as the founder of the channel, and can deputize others to maintain order in the channel by ejecting and banning troublemakers. When the founder and operators are not present, Chanserv keeps the channel registered to the founder.
Networks that do not employ a channel registration service give founder status to the first person to join a channel, resulting in people keeping “robots” or “bots” online 24/7 to maintain ownership of popular channels.
Who owns and operates Internet Relay Chat?
No one owns Internet Relay Chat as a whole. The software required to run and IRC network is freely available. Dedicated users, Internet Service Providers, and other organizations use this free software to set up their own IRC networks and allow others to connect.
When you connect to an IRC server, the first thing you’ll usually see is a Message of the Day, which typically contains information about the persons or organization who operating the network/server you’re about to chat on.
The hierarchy of an IRC network is very similar to that of an IRC channel. The owners of an IRC server have the power to maintain order by disconnecting and banning users from the service, and can also deputize others as “IRC Ops” to do the same.
What kind of people will you encounter on IRC?
The short answer is that you will encounter all kinds of people on IRC. Internet Relay Chat allows anyone to connect, and therefore you never know who you’ll run into. For the most part, you’ll meet normal people like yourself on these networks, but even so, you should always be aware of how much personal information you’re divulging online. If you have children who wish to use IRC, you should educate them about protecting their personal privacy. You should also be aware that some IRC channels contain adult conversation and material — there are even entire IRC networks that are of an adult nature.
So how can I start chatting on IRC?
To connect to IRC, you must know which network you’re going to connect to, and have special software called an IRC Client that will connect you to that server. There are many different IRC networks, both general and specific. IRCHelp.org hosts a list of many of these servers.
Once you have chosen an IRC network to chat on, you must choose your IRC Client. There are many IRC clients of varying qualities; Of Zen and Computing recommends the following IRC clients:
- Windows: mIRC
- Mac OS X: X-Chat Aqua
For a more complete list and comparison of IRC clients, Wikipedia has a tabular comparison of the available software.
Common IRC commands
Once you’re connected to IRC, you must use different “commands” to navigate yourself around. When you type something into the text box and hit enter, it will get sent to the IRC channel that you are looking at (and seen by all the other people connected to that channel). The exception is when you type something prefaced by a special character (usually a “/”), which turns what you’re typing into an IRC command. Try typing the following IRC commands to see what they do:
- /connect irc.dal.net – Connect to the “irc.dal.net” server.
- /join #help – Join the channel named “help”. You can change “help” to the name of any channel you wish to connect to.
- /part #help – Leave the channel “help”.
- /nick johndoe – Change your nickname to “johndoe”.
- /quit – disconnect from IRC.
For a more complete guide to IRC commands, check out the guide at IRCHelp.org:
[tags]IRC,Internet Relay Chat[/tags]
