<doctitle>Introduction to IRC</doctitle>
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<docsubtitle>What is IRC ?</docsutitle>

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) was written by a Finnish programmer , Jarkko Oikarinen, in 1988.<br>
Since it was first introduced, it has become one of the most popular things to do since the big boom of the internet itself.<br>
IRC is a multi-user chat system where people from all around the globe can get together and share ideas, meet other
people, there is really no limit as to what you can find when it comes to IRC.<br>
IRC is usually composed of channels or places (known by some people) where there are different topics of interest.<br>
While most of these topics generally don't interest you, you can always find SOMETHING you like on IRC.<br>
There are no restrictions in IRC, there can be 100 channels on some networks, to 10,000 channels on another.<br>




As a person that uses IRC, you use a 'client' program to connect to an IRC 'server'. There are many, many
clients out there... available for windows, dos, linux, unix, among others.  Servers in IRC are usually connected
to one another to form 'networks'.  This makes it easier for "Joe" in Sweden to talk to "Tami" in Canada, without 
much lagtime at all between their conversation. The Server is responsible for sending the text between users 
accross the IRC Network.  While this doesn't sound like it is that difficult, when you're talking about 20,000
people... even the best of servers can get lagged. :P  While using IRC, you are bound to meet a ton of people... 
from all across the world.  It's a lot of fun, and in some cases, extremely addictive!

	Before starting to use IRC, there is a little reading that you SHOULD do beforehand... this is mainly so 
you can learn how to 'Navigate' the IRC Networks, get Channel Lists from Servers, etc.  Many great things have 
come from IRC... from long-term relationships, friends, even marriages in some cases have all come from IRC.  
Obviouslly, IRC is not without it's shortcomings... to be completely honest, there is a ton of 'garbage' on IRC...
From pornography, sleeze, pirated programs, etc.  This is not to scare you away, it is merely here for your
information... Parents should be aware that this kind of activity is on IRC, and like any other part of the world,
IRC has bad stuff associated with it too...

	There are many different ways for you to get connected to an IRC Network, and many Networks to choose from.
The largest network, last I had heard, was EFNET, followed by Undernet, DALNet, and even smaller networks.  A 
network's size is not what is overly important, by the thinking that bigger is better... for this is not always the
case... a lot of times, your smaller and medium sized networks will be more stable then some of the larger ones.
This is simply because that when you have 30+ servers linked together, something is bound to fail somewhere on
their connection with each other.  While this is a problem for smaller networks, it does not happen on nearly as
large of scale.

	No matter what IRC Network you decide to make your home, or decide to freely float between them all, there
are some things that never seem to change.  For starters, all channel names begin with the '#' character.  There 
are many, many channels on every IRC Network, and a lot of these generally stay the same... #help, #teen, etc.
Even between IRC Networks, the basic commands never seem to change at all... some of these are:
		/LIST - List channels on the IRC Network
		/JOIN - Join a channel on the IRC Network
		/NICK - Used to change your nickname on the IRC Network

	There are also no limits as to what can go on behind the channels doors... some of you may be like, "What
is he talking about?". This is very simple.. :)  There are many, many private conversations that go on behind
channels between individuals. Obviously I have no idea to what is being said, that's why they're called "Private
Conversations" :P

	Now I will answer some questions that always seemed to be asked by 'Newbies' (people new to IRC) in the
#help channels on the IRC Networks.

Q: How can i change my nickname?
A: To change, simply type: '/NICK <newnick>' where <newnick> is replaced with the nickname that you want.  An 
   example would be this:  /NICK FiZbO  - this would change my nickname to FiZbO  

Q: What does the @ in channels mean?
A: The @ stands for 'Channel Operator' These are people that usually regulate the channel, kick people who do not 
   obey the rules, etc

Q: How can i start my own channel?
A: Usually, you can simply type: /JOIN <#channel> where <#channel> is the name of the channel you wish to create.
   This will automatically give you 'OP' (@) status in the channel, where you can enforce your own rules. :)

Q: I keep seeing this thing, :)  and  :P , what in the hell are those?
A: Turn your head a little bit to the left. :P  see it now?  It's simply a text expression indicating that someone
   is smiling. 

Q: How can i find someone that I know on IRC?
A: Very simple! :) Simply type: /WHOIS <nickname> where <nickname> is the person you're looking for.  If they 
   are found, it will tell you, as well as what channels they are on!

Q: What if i know the person is on IRC, i just don't see any channels that he's on?
A: If you are positive the person is on IRC, you can type: /MSG <nickname> <message> to send the person a personal
   message.

Q: How can i get a list of channels?
A: Easy!  Simply type the command:  /LIST

Q: I try to get a list of channels, and the server disconnects me... is this normal?
A: While this is usually not normal for most servers out there, some of them do what is called a 'buffer overflow'.
   Anytime you are requesting information from the server, it puts the information in a 'buffer'. While some servers
   don't have a problem at all with this, some actually do, and if the buffer overflows, it will disconnect you. 
   This is not something intended to make users mad, it is to protect the server from crashing.

Q: What is Lag?
A: Lag is the 'lagtime' it takes for information to travel between you, and another user.  When servers are running
   properly, there is hardly any 'lag' at all. A lot of times though, an IRC Network could be experiancing problems
   and cause the 'lag' for everyone connected to that entire Network.

Q: What are all the symbols next to the channel window? +tn, etc.
A: These are channel modes. These help the Channel Operators (@) to regulate a channel, a rundown of the modes is 
   listed here:
		+t - Only an OP (@) many change the topic
		+n - No external messages (useful for cutting down on the amount of 'SPAM' recieved in a channel
		+i - Invite Only - You must be invited to the channel in order to chat
		+m - Moderated - Only 'voiced' users may talk, voiced users have a '+' usually in front of thier 
       		         	 name.
		+k - Key - This means that the channel is protected with a key (password) and you must know it
			   in order to join the channel.
		+s - Secret - This means that the channel is Secret, and will not let /WHO commands be passed to it
		+p - Private - This means the channel is Private, and will not show up in a /LIST command

Q: What is a BOT?
A: BOT is short for ROBOT, they are usually used to help Channel Operators regulate channels when they are not
   there, as well as provide them a means to get OPs back on their channel. Some networks actually have their own
   Network Bots.  Where you can register channels, nicknames, even send notes to each other to view at a later
   date.

Q: What is a Netsplit?
A: A Netsplit occurs when either a server that's connected to the IRC Network drops, or if it partially, or fully 
   crashes.  What this means is that the servers 'live' independantly of each other, until they are re-joined.  
   This is usually done automatically, but sometimes requires the help of IRC Adminitrators or IRCOPS.

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	I hope that this has helped alot of you IRC Newbies out there. Below is a list of things that you can do
to protect yourself, and your identity on IRC:

1) Use KvIRC as your IRC Program. - It is very easy to be anonymous with this client...

2) NEVER use/give your real name, address, phone number, or other personal information to anyone that you do not
   know on IRC.

3) Set your personal mode to invisible (+i) - To do this in kvirc, simply type this after you are connected to an
   IRC network:  /MODE $_mynick +i

4) NEVER accept files, programs, etc from anyone that you do not know... who knows how many times someone has sent
   me something that turned out to be a nasty shell script... just be careful out there...

5) NEVER do anything someone else asks you to do if you are suspicious of them.

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FiZbO
Author of Disillusion
fizbo@k4cybertech.net˙

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