How do irc

Each network has one or more servers around the world that work together to relay messages. Each network also has many channels , sometimes called rooms , where users can gather.

You can also start your own channel. You can also privately message other users in most cases. IRC has many options available, but this article will only cover a few simple ones. There are several useful IRC client apps available on Fedora. To install it, open the Software application, type hexchat into the search bar, and select the Install button for the app.

Or at the terminal, use this command:. Once the app is installed, select it from the application menu for your desktop environment, or run hexchat at the terminal.

Other clients include:. On the network, you are permitted to use an IRC nickname, or nick , to identify yourself. Common names may be in use since some IRC networks have thousands of users.

The nick paul in this example screen is probably already in use. The second or third choices will be used in the event of a collision. For example, pwf16 is probably not in use. Then select the appropriate network for IRC. Each different group or project on the internet will use a specific network. For example, many free software projects use the Freenode network. Your group or project of interest should provide you either the name or connection details for the right IRC network.

Often the address will be written in the form server. The network or server address is server. Port is used by most IRC servers. You can often leave it out in clients, since may be assumed if not provided.

In many cases, the network will display information in your client as it connects. At least the first few times you use a network, check the notices to see if you are expected to do anything else.

For example, some networks require you to register your nick with a real email address. First, however, you might need to find a channel to join; and this can be accomplished by using a common function of your client that lists all of the channels on the server. To do this varies from client-to-client. When you have chosen a room to join for example, wikihow on irc. If you truly can't find one, most servers have a help channel help where you can, of course, ask.

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. IRC is great for problem solving and troubleshooting! For example, most pieces of computer software have support groups of who at least some are continually on IRC. You're more than welcome to pop in and query them about anything.

Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Most people on IRC are nice, but it is best not to annoy them. If you have a question or comment to make, quickly check the channel topic first and see if it has any recommendations.

Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 2. IRC Search-engine. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. As in any section of society, there are always some immoral and dangerous people. Naturally, never reveal your credit card number, but also it is best not to reveal any personal details about yourself, especially if you consider yourself to be "vulnerable" a minor.

There are people on IRC who may pose as other people and try to gain your confidence. Helpful 11 Not Helpful 3. Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1. Following the channel name you will see the number of people on it as well as its topic. Most channel names start with a but there are other special channel prefixes. A channel is a room on IRC where group conversations occur. People can join the same channel and see each other.

Depending on its topic and time of the day a channel can be VERY crowded. Channels can also be quite chaotic, or calm. Channels can be open to everyone but also closed and private and only open to friends. On the large IRC networks there might be tens of thousands of channels. On smaller networks, there may be a handful.

Channels on IRC are dynamic in the sense that anyone can create a new channel, and a channel disappears when the last person on it leaves. Once you get to the channel, you will see people talking. It will probably look like this:. You will often come in during the middle of a conversation. Unless you're familiar with the channel you may want to sit and watch it for a minute or two to see what the conversation is about.

Nnote that often the channel name has nothing to do with the conversation that goes on on the channel. In the channel window that opens when you join a channel you'll see an alphabetical list of people that are on the channel on the right side of the window. Some of them have a in front of their name to point out they are the channel operators. A Channel Operator is someone who has control over a specific channel.

A Channel Operator can also decide if control is shared or not. The first person to join the channel automatically receives Channel Operator status. The forward slash is the default command character.

Commands on IRC are not case sensitive. Most IRC clients come with an extensive help file that describes the commands it supports. In the list you will see all channels see below , except for those that are secret, with their number of users and the topic.

The displayed list may be quite long, so you can limit it using flags. Upon entering a channel, you are given useful details about it: a list of users talking in that channel, channel mode settings and the topic. Joining a channel does not cause you to leave your previous channel and you can normally join as many channels as your connection can handle or that the IRC server allows.

Everyone who wants to talk to you sees this name. Nicknames are limited to 9 characters max. If your intended nickname clashes with someone else's as you enter IRC, you will not be able to enter until you change it to something else. Duplicate nicknames are not allowed; this is enforced by the IRC servers.

Under some circumstances, two individuals may temporarily have the same nick but once discovered, both of them will be killed; a nick collision kill. Sets a message explaining that you are not currently paying attention to IRC. Using AWAY with no parameters marks you as no longer being away. If you want a friend to join your channel you can invite them. This is required if your channel is 'invite only'. Well, you guessed it, if there is a way to invite someone on a channel, there is also the ability to KICK someone out of it.

For example ,if a person is behaving in an offensive manner by annoying people or flooding the channel with unwanted information, they can be forced out of the channel. Only 'channel operators' are privileged to use this command. Channels have topics, that indicate the current topic of conversation. At times, you may want to send a description of what you are doing or how you are feeling or just anything concerning you on the current channel or in a query.

On most clients these conversations will be handled by separate window. If somebody else sends you a message or that person replies to your message a query window icon will pop up informing you somebody wants to talk to you personally. In Kreet's screen an icon will pop up with the message you typed; "This message can be read by you only. If you cannot wait for a reply for someone to message you to open a private window you can use the query command to force your client to open a private conversation window.

This command differs from the MSG command only by the fact that it is used to start a private conversation. All text you type that would normally be sent to your chat partner if you used MSG now displays in an immediately opened private window 'to your chat partner' on your screen and is sent to the other person as well.

It should be seen as a sort of whispering. It is recommended that robots or other automatons on IRC use notices contrary to messages to send information to people. You should never automatically as by remote events or commands send a message or notice in response to a notice sent to you. As you start to meet people on IRC, you will want to add certain nicknames to your notify list such that you will be notified when they sign on or off IRC. The day will come when you decide not to see or hear a specific person on your screen.

This can be achieved using the ignore command. If people are flooding channels with useless text or they are otherwise harassing you, a wise response is to ignore those person. Ignore can be set to a nickname or by specifying a user host format. You can use all kind of wildcards. The most widely understood and spoken language on IRC is English.

However, as IRC is used in many different countries, English is by no means the only language. If you want to speak some language other than English, eg. Similarly, you should check the topic when you join a channel to see if there are any restrictions about language. On a non-restricted channel, please speak a language everybody can understand. If you want to do otherwise, change channels and set the topic accordingly.

It is not necessary to greet everybody on a channel personally. Usually one "Hello" or equivalent is enough. Also, don't expect everybody to greet you back. On a channel with 20 people that would mean one screenful of hellos. It makes sense not to greet everyone, in order not to be rude to the rest of the channel. If you must say hello to somebody you know, do it with a private message. The same applies to goodbyes. Also note that using your client's facilities to automatically say hello or goodbye to people is extremely poor etiquette.

Nobody wants to receive auto-greets. They are not only obviously automatic but, while you may think you are being polite, you are actually conveying yourself as insincere. If somebody wants to be auto-greeted when they join a channel, they will auto-greet themselves.

Remember, people on IRC form their opinions about you only by your actions, writings and comments, so think before you type. If you use offensive words, you'll be frowned upon. Do not "dump" send large amounts of unwanted information to a channel or user. This is likely to get you kicked off the channel or killed off from IRC.

Dumping causes network "burps", causing connections to go down because servers cannot handle the large amount of traffic. Other prohibited actions include:. Harassment is defined as behavior towards another user with the purpose of annoying them. Channel operators are the 'rulers' of a particular channel. This means they can kick you out of their channel for any reason. If you don't like this, you complain to them or start your own channel and become a channel operator there yourself.

They cannot fix channel problems. They cannot kick someone out of a channel for you. IRCops have better things to do than interfere in channel affairs. A channel is automatically created as soon as the first person joins it. If you join a channel and you find your name as the only one there, you just created that channel. Channels on IRC are dynamic in the sense that anyone can create a new channel, and a channel disappears when the last person leaves it.

Every IRC network has its own set of popular channels. Most clients will display the list of channels in a new window and you can change its display to sort channels by the number of users. Just join one of those channels to find out what happens on them.

IRC is a very important tool for participating in and keeping records of W3C meetings, as well as in the social community. Please join in! For the history of irc itself, see the Wikipedia page. Jump to: navigation , search.