All about Internet Relay Chat(IRC)

IRC basically is a group chat or we can say more like a conference.It has many facilities like we can also have personal chats and send files option.

Installing an IRC client.

There are many IRC clients to opt for like chatzilla,mirc and many more.Here I am using chatzilla as IRC client and will show how to install and use it.

Note:Chatzilla is just an Add-on,it mainly works on web browsers.I am using mozilla firefox here as web browser.For those who use chrome chatzilla Add-on is also available.

Step 1: Download Chatzilla(345 KB Only)- A Firefox Add-On from The Link Below:
Chatzilla

Step 2: Now Open Chatzilla.If ur using latest Version of Mozilla then Go to Options->Check Mark On Menubar.

Step 3: Go to Tools->Chatzilla
Step4: Give any Unique Nickname.

So this is it for now,we will come to chatzilla again after going through some basic IRC commands.

Basic IRC Commands

These are some basic IRC commands you should know to keep you from wondering while chatting with other users in IRC channels.

• /HELP [optional command name] : This command is used to know how a particular command works. e.g. /help whois and these information will be displayed.
  Displays information about the user , including 'real name', server connected to, idle time, and signon time. Note that some servers will lie about the idle time. The correct idle time can usually be obtained by using |wii| instead of |whois|.If you don't know any particular command or forgot just type the initial letter. e.g /help w and you will see all the commands which starts with 'w'
• /SERVER new-server-hostname : It is used to join a particular server. e.g /server irc.lightirc.com and these will be displayed indicating that you are connected successfully to that particular server.
  *** Please wait while we scan your connection for open proxies...
  === *** Looking up your hostname...
  === *** Checking ident...
  === *** Couldn't resolve your hostname; using your IP address instead
  === *** No ident response; username prefixed with ~
  === Welcome to the GeekShed IRC Network gamer!~chatzilla@149.204.223.19
• /NICK new-nickname :It is used to change your nickname in instant. e.g /nick acegamer YOU are now known as acegamer.
• /LIST : Lists IRC channels, number of users, and topic for each. This is how you find places to go meet people and chat. e.g /list This server has 1238 channels. Listing them all will probably take a long time, and may lead to ChatZilla becoming unresponsive or being disconnected by the server.[List Channels]. This happens because there are lots of channels,i suggest just note some of the channels which you find useful on this server.
• /NAMES #channel-name : It lists all the nicks who are online in that particular channel. e.g /names #friendz it didn't worked for me though,try it and let me know if you come up with anything.
• /WHOIS nickname : It displays the complete info of the nick. e.g /whois acegamer === acegamer <~chatzilla@E7FE9BE1.770A8BA.C8CB93DB.IP> "Mohan- Assistant System Engineer"
  === acegamer is connecting from *@149.203.24.29 49.203.24.29
  === acegamer: member of #friendz
  === acegamer: attached to Boomer.GeekShed.net "Sponsored by Phil"
  === acegamer: idle for 27 seconds (on since 23 October 2011 12:21:32)
  --- End of WHOIS information for acegamer.
• /AWAY away-message-here : It means that you are away for some work and presently not here right now. e.g /away I'm not here right now.You are now marked as away (I'm not here right now.). Click the nickname button or use the |/back| command to return from being away.
• /QUIT [optional farewell message] : Quits the channel,server and closes the chatzilla client. e.g /quit byee catch you guys later. The message is displayed to your friends.

Chatting on IRC

As we have an overall idea of all the basic commands,now its time to join a channel and start chatting.
I have created my own channel #friendz on the server irc.lightirc.com and you all may join.

• Connecting to the server: /server irc.lightirc.com
• Joining the channel : /join #friendz
• Now you can see all the users are currently online and you will also see the operators and owner of the channel in different colour dots.Start chatting by typing.

Some commands and tips to improve your chatting in IRC channels

• /is : This is used to refer you as a 3rd person. e.g /me is listening to The Rembrandts-I will be there for you. acegamer is listening to The Rembrandts-I will be there for you.
• If you want to mention a particular person then just type the initials then press TAB. e.g Ja press TAB JamesBond:
• /leave : It is used to leave a particular channel e.g /leave #friendz

So these are some basic things for you to remember and do have fun in IRC's.
I have not mentioned some other commands like private conversation,operator commands,etc. In my next post i will discuss more about IRC like how to register your nickname,create a channel,add a bot and much more.

These are some of the channels worth joining:
server: irc.freenode.net
channel: #backtrack-linux

server: irc.hak5.org
channel: #hak5
and you may also join my channel:
server: irc.lightirc.com
channel: #friendz

WARNING:Though IRC is informative and fun,but please be careful and respect others in the channels or else you will be kicked or banned from that server.Dont' chat irrelevant topics. e.g on that backtrack-linux channel is only meant for backtrack related stuffs. Please go through all the server rules before joining to a particular channel.

Good Luck And Have Fun.

For more details, visit www.irchelp.org/irchelp/irctutorial.html