373 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
373 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
Subject: IRC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Date: 15 Jan 1996 16:06:21 GMT
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Expires: 31 Jan 1996 23:55:00 GMT
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Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions
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(and their answers) about IRC, Internet Relay Chat. Please read
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this before posting to the alt.irc, alt.irc.ircii, or
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alt.irc.questions newsgroups.
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Archive-name: irc-faq
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Version: 1.53
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(1) What is IRC?
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.IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". It was originally
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written by Jarkko Oikarinen (jto@tolsun.oulu.fi) in 1988. Since starting
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in Finland, it has been used in over 60 countries around the world. It
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was designed as a replacement for the "talk" program but has become much
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much more than that. IRC is a multi-user chat system, where people convene
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on "channels" (a virtual place, usually with a topic of conversation) to
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talk in groups, or privately. IRC is constantly evolving, so the way
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things to work one week may not be the way they work the next. Read the
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MOTD (message of the day) every time you use IRC to keep up on any new
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happenings or server updates.
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.IRC gained international fame during the 1991 Persian Gulf War,
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where updates from around the world came accross the wire, and most irc
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users who were online at the time gathered on a single channel to hear
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these reports. IRC had similar uses during the coup against Boris Yeltsin
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in September 1993, where IRC users from Moscow were giving live reports
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about the unstable situation there.
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(2) How is IRC set up?
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.The user runs a "client" program (usually called 'irc') which
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connects to the IRC network via another program called a "server".
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Servers exist to pass messages from user to user over the IRC network.
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(3) How do I use a client?
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.First, check to see if irc is installed on your system. Type
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"irc" from your prompt. If this doesn't work, ask your local systems
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people if irc is already installed. This will save you the work of
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installing it yourself.
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.If an IRC client isn't already on your system, you either
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compile the source yourself, have someone else on your machine compile
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the source for you.
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(4) Where can I get source for an IRC client?
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.You can anonymous ftp to any of the following sites (use the
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one closest to you): *** If you don't know what anonymous ftp is, ask
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your local systems people to show you ***
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UNIX client-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients
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. ftp.acsu.buffalo.edu /pub/irc
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. ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc
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coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc
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. ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/clients
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EMACS elisp-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/elisp
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. ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/Emacs
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ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/clients
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cs.hut.fi /pub/irchat
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X11 client-> catless.ncl.ac.uk /pub
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(Zircon) ftp.aud.alcatel.com /tcl/code
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VMS -> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/vms
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. coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc/vmsirc
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ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/vms
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ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/net/irc
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REXX client for VM-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/rxirc
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ftp.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de /pub/irc/rxirc
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ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/net/irc/VM
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coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc/rxirc
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ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/rxirc
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MSDOS-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/pc/msdos
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ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/msdos
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MSWindows->.cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/clients/pc/windows
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..ftp.demon.co.uk:/pub/ibmpc/win3/winsock/apps/wsirc
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..ftp.demon.co.uk:/pub/ibmpc/win3/winsock/apps/mirc
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OS/2->..cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/clients/pc/os2
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..hobbes.nmsu.edu:/os2/network/tcpip
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Macintosh-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/macintosh
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("Homer" and mirrors.aol.com /pub/info-mac/comm/tcp
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"ircle") ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/mac
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ftp.ira.uka.de /pub/systems/mac
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ircle only:.http://www.omroep.nl/~onno
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Amiga->..gv.warped.com /pub/amiga/grapevine
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..ftp.wustl.edu /pub/aminet/comm/net
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..ftp.luth.se /pub/aminet/comm/net
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..cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/amiga
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(5) Which server do I connect my client to?
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.It's usually best to try and connect to one geographically
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close, even though that may not be the best. You can always ask when you
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get on IRC. Here's a list of servers avaliable for connection:
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USA:
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..irc.bu.edu
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..irc.colorado.edu
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..mickey.cc.utexas.edu..
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Canada:
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..irc.mcgill.ca
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Europe:
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..irc.funet.fi
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..cismhp.univ-lyon1.fr
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..irc.ethz.ch
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irc.nada.kth.se
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..sokrates.informatik.uni-kl.de
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bim.itc.univie.ac.at
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Australia:
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..jello.qabc.uq.oz.au
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Japan:
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..endo.wide.ad.jp
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This is, by no means, a comprehensive list, but merely a start. Connect
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to the closest of these servers and join the channel #irchelp
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(6) What is the port to use to connect to IRC?
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.In general, the port to use is 6667. Some servers listen to
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other ports (most commonly in the 6660-6670 range), but *not* all. When in
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doubt, use 6667.
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(7) What's the username and password to connect to irc? I'm prompted for
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login: and I don't know what to type! Sometimes when I try to connect
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to IRC it just says "connection closed by foreign host. What gives?
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.If you see "login:" then you are trying to use telnet to connect
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to IRC. You should go back up and read (3) and (4). Nowhere in this FAQ
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does it say you should use telnet to connect to an IRC server. You *must*
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use a client. Read (4) to find out where to get a client, and (5) to find
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out which server to connect to.
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."connection closed by foreign host" indicates that you're trying
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to telnet to irc, just as in the paragraph above. Again, you HAVE to use
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a client!
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(8) OK, I've got a client and I'm connected to a server, now what?
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.It's probably best to take a look around and see what you want
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to do first. All IRC commands start with a "/", and most are one word.
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Typing /help will get you help information. /names will get you a list
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of names, etc.
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The output of /names is typically something like this->
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Pub: #hack zorgo eiji Patrick fup htoaster
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Pub: #Nippon @jircc @miyu_d
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Pub: #nicole MountainD
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Pub: #hottub omar liron beer Deadog moh pfloyd Dode greywolf SAMANTHA
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(Note there are LOTS more channels than this, this is just sample
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output -- one way to stop /names from being too large is doing /names
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-min 20 which will only list channels with 20 or more people on it,
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but you can only do this with the ircII client).
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"Pub" means public (or "visible") channel. "hack" is the channel name.
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"#" is the prefix. A "@" before someone's nickname indicates he/she is the
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"Channel operator" (see (10)) of that channel. A Channel Operator is someone
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who has control over a specific channel. It can be shared or not as the
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first Channel Operator sees fit. The first person to join the channel
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automatically receives Channel Operator status, and can share it with
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anyone he/she chooses (or not). Another thing you might see is "Prv"
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which means private. You will only see this if you are on that private
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channel. No one can see Private channels except those who are on that
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particular private channel.
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(9) Now I've picked out a nice channel. How do I join that channel? And
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what do I type once I get there? And when I'm done, how do I leave a
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channel?
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.To join a channel, type /join #channelname. That's it! Once you
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get to the channel, you will see people talking. It will probably look
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like this:
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<Avalon> AUUG is on at the same time as LISA this year and is cheaper.
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<Barron> backhaul those DS3s to Virginia ;)
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<Barron> buy a farm
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<FlashPYR> so is .us going to start charging $50/domain, too?
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<Barron> or something
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<Tolim> oops
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Note that you will often come in in the *middle* of a conversation. Unless
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you're familiar with the channel you may want to sit and watch it for a
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minute or two to see what the conversation is about. Often the channel
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name (for instance, #Twilight_Zone) has nothing to do with what
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conversation goes on on the channel (#Twilight_Zone does *not* have
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discussion about the TV show "Twilight Zone"). So if you join #baseball,
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don't be surprised if you hear about the SuperBowl picks or even the
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Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame Museum!
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To start talking, just type! And when you're done saying what you have to
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say, just hit the [return] key. You can start with something simple like
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"hello!". You don't have to type <nickname> hello! because IRC will
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insert <nickname> before all of your channel messages.
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When you choose to leave a channel, just type /part #channelname
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(10) What is a channel operator? What is an IRC operator?
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.A channel operator is someone with a "@" by their nickname in
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a /names list, or a "@" by the channel name in /whois output. Channel
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operators are kings/queens of their channel. This means they can kick
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you out of their channel for no reason. If you don't like this, you
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can start your own channel and become a channel operator there.
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.An IRC operator is someone who maintains the IRC network. They
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cannot fix channel problems. They cannot kick someone out of a channel
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for you. They cannot /kill (kick someone out of IRC temporarily)
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someone just because you gave the offender channel operator privileges
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and said offender kicked *you* off.
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(11) What is a "bot"?
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"bot" is short for "robot". It is a script run from an ircII
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client or a separate program (in perl, C, and sometimes more obscure
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languages). StarOwl@uiuc.edu (Michael Adams) defined bots very well: "A
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bot is a vile creation of /lusers to make up for lack of penis length".
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IRC bots are generally not needed. See (14) below about "ownership" of
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nicknames and channels. A bot generally tries to "protect" a channel (it
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should be noted that all bots will fail at some point, so relying on them
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to keep a channel is not a good idea) from takeovers.
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.It should be noted that many servers (especially in the USA)
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ban ALL bots. Some ban bots so much that if you run a bot on their server,
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you will be banned from using that server (see segment below on K: lines).
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(12) What are good channels to try while using IRC?
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.#hottub and #riskybus are almost always teeming with people.
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#hottub is meant to simulate a hot tub, and #riskybus is a non-stop
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game. Just join to find out!
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.To get a list of channels with their names and topics, do
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/list -min 30 (on ircII) which will show you channels with 30 or more
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members. You can also do this for smaller numbers.
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.Many IRC operators are in #Twilight_Zone ... so if you join
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that channel and don't hear much talking, don't worry, it's not because
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you joined, operators don't talk much on that channel anyways!
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(13) What are some of the foreign language channels on IRC? What do they
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mean?
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.Some of the most popular foreign language channels include #42
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(which is a Finnish channel), #warung (which is a Malaysian channel. The
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word "warung" means "coffeehouse" or "small restaurant"), #polska (a
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Polish channel), #nippon (a Japanese channel, note that "funny" characters
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are often seen here -- this is Kanji. You will need a Kanji-compatible
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terminal program and Kanji-compatible irc client to converse in Kanji),
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#espanol (a Spanish channel), #russian (a Russian channel).
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.These are just examples -- a large percentage of languages in the
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world is spoken on irc *somewhere*. If your language/country isn't listed
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above, ask on #irchelp to see if there is a channel for it.
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(14) Someone is using my nickname, can anyone do anything about it?
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Someone is using my channel, can anyone do anything about it?
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Even while NickServ (see (17) below) registered nicknames, there
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are not enough nicknames to have nickname ownership. If someone takes
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your nickname while you are not on IRC, you can ask for them to give it
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back, but you can not *demand* it, nor will IRC operators /kill for
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nickname ownership.
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There are, literally, millions of possible channel names, so if
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someone is on your usual channel, just go to another. You can /msg them
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and ask for them to leave, but you can't *force* them to leave.
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(15) There aren't any channel operators on my channel, now what?
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Channel operators are the owner(s) of their respective channels.
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Keep this in mind when giving out channel operator powers (make sure to
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give them to enough people so that all of the channel operators don't
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unexpectedly leave and the channel is stuck without a channel operator).
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On the other hand, do not give out channel operator to
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*everyone*. This causes the possibility of mass-kicking, where the
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channel would be stuck without any channel operators.
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.You have one option. You can ask everyone to leave and rejoin
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the channel. This is a good way to get channel operator back. It
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doesn't work on large channels or ones with bots, for obvious reasons.
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(16) What if someone tells me to type something cryptic?
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.Never type anything anyone tells you to without knowing what it
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is. There is a problem with typing certain commands with the ircII
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client that give anyone immediate control of your client (and thus can
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gain access to your account).
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(17) What was NickServ? Is NickServ ever coming back?
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.NickServ was a nickname registration service run in Germany. It
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was a bot that told people who used a registered nickname to stop using
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that nickname. NickServ has been down since the Spring of 1994.
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.It is not likely that NickServ will be back.
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.Remember, nicknames aren't owned.
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(18) What does "*** Ghosts are not allowed on IRC." mean?
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What does "*** You are not welcome on this server." mean?
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.On IRC, you cannot be banned from every single server.
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Server-banning exists only on a per-server basis (being banned on one
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server does not mean you are automatically banned from another). "Ghosts
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are not allowed on IRC" means that you are banned from using that server.
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The banning is in one of three forms:
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* You are banned specifically, you yourself. Only you can be responsible
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for this (if you are using a shared account, this obviously does not
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apply). Thus the responsibility lies completely with you and you have
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no one to complain to.
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* Your machine is banned. Chances are it wasn't you who committed the
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wrongdoing. Try using another machine on campus and seeing if you can
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use that particular irc server then.
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* Your whole site is banned (where "site" == "school", "company",
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"country"). This almost certainly wasn't your fault. And chances are
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you won't be able to get the server-ban lifted. Try using another
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server.
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.The most general answer is "use another server", but if it bothers
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you, try writing to the irc administrator of that site -->
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/admin server.name.here -- plead your case. It might even get somewhere!
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(19) What does "You have new email." mean? What does it mean when I see
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"[Mail: 5]" in my status bar?
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.IRC does not have its own mail. However, if your client tells you
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that you have new email, it simply means that you have received mail in
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your account. Leave irc (either by suspending it or quitting it), and read
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the mail.
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.You might also see "You have new email." when you start irc. IRC
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does not keep track of email between sessions, so when you start irc and
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have something in your mailbox, irc will tell you you have new email.
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.The "[Mail: 5]" in your status bar tells you how many email
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messages you have in your mailbox. Again, to access them, leave irc and
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read them using your normal mail reader.
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(20) I've just tried typing /list but it scrolls by so fast! How can I
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slow it down to something more my pace?
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.The standard ircII client (for UNIX) has an option called "hold
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mode". To activate it, type: /set hold_mode on -- then you will be able
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to hit return after each screen's worth of data.
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(21) I've done a /whois on myself and other people, but I notice that my
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real name shows up in parentheses -- I don't like this! It doesn't
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show up in other people's parentheses. How can I change it?
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.In UNIX, there are two way of changing your IRCNAME and it depends
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on which shell you are using. If you are using csh or tcsh (the more
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popular UNIX shells, when in doubt, try this first), type this before you
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start irc:
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setenv IRCNAME "what you would like to appear"
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If you don't want to type that every time you log in, put the line exactly
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as it appears above into your .cshrc file.
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If you are using sh, ksh, or bash, type this before you start irc:
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IRCNAM
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