#Cyprus On The Undernet IRC Network!: All You need to know about IRC

Introduction

Communication. It's one way we distinguish ourselves from the rest of the animal kingdom. More than that, it's how we share ideas, display our emotions, and entertain ourselves and others. A good conversation can relieve stress, stimulate thought, or just wile away an afternoon. Β Until about a century ago, conversations were limited to hearing distance. Thanks to the telephone, we now can communicate across the planet, for a price. Now, thanks to computers, we can have a group discussion with almost anybody, anywhere for nearly free by using the Internet.

Answers To IRC Questions.

Communicating via E-mail and newsgroups is so fast, many 'Netizens call physical postal service "snail mail." But the speeds of these forms of online messaging appear sloth-like in comparison to Internet Relay Chat (IRC). We will tell you about IRC and how to get connected to IRC channels. Created by Jarkko Oikarinen in Finland in 1988, IRC has been used in more than 60 countries since its conception. Unlike E-mail and newsgroup discussions, IRC allows for real-time conversations over the Internet. You type a sentence into a box on the IRC client interface, and it is almost instantaneously viewed by everyone else in your chat room. Their responses are only limited by how long it takes them to type in their replies. Because of this unique quality, IRC has been used for live coverage of world events, including the Gulf War and the Oklahoma City bombing, where people at the scene report what is happening there to the rest of the users. here are several multiuser IRC networks, the largest of which is Eris Free net (EFnet). Some of the smaller networks, such as Undernet and Dalnet, have fewer people on them, but they are easier to connect to and more stable. Each network is made up of many interconnected servers, which pass messages from user to user over the network. Most users access these servers with IRC programs called clients and then join channels , which are virtual rooms that usually contain a topic of conversation. The most popular clients are mIRC, a shareware program developed by Khaled Mar-dam-Bey and Pirch98. The mIRC home page at http://www.mirc.co.uk. is a great source for answering your questions about IRC and how to use the mIRC program. Both programs are easy to install and configure, if you already have the Dial-Up Network (the Win95/98 program that provides a Point-to-Point Protocol [PPP] connection to the Internet) set up for your Internet service provider (ISP). (An ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet for a fee.)

Getting Connected.

The first step toward chatting is to connect to a server. It is a good idea to start with a geographically close server. The addresses of some of the more popular servers are already saved in mIRC's / Pirch's setup pages. The mIRC setup page will pop up after the client opens. Search the list of servers for one nearby (at least in the same country), highlight it, and click Connect. The client will connect to the server you selected and then present you with that server's "message of the day" (MOTD). If the server is busy, you may get an "Unable to connect to IRC server" message. No problem; just select Setup from the File menu and choose a different server. Β After you connect to a server, you need to select a channel to join. It's a good idea to get your bearings on one of the channels created for newbies, newcomers to the Internet. There are some of these channels in the mIRC channels folder and in the Pirch Favorite Channels folder. Type the forward slash (/) the word "join" a space the number sign

and then the name of the channel you would like to join. (All channels start with #. Try /join #cyprus (NOTE: mIRC has a pop-up window for joining channels, type.Β There you only need to type the #(name of channel) in the available box.

Let The Chatting Begin.

After you've joined a channel, a smaller window should open. This is the chat window. At the top of the window is the title bar, which usually displays the name of the channel and the topic. You should also find a list of people who are currently on the channel. Some of these names have an @ symbol in front of them. These people are the operators of the channel. We'll talk more about them later. Β If you look in the big pane in the chat window, you can see a conversation in progress. You might see lines such as " Gimme a break, TM" and "

" just appearing on your screen. These are other users from around the world, presenting their thoughts and ideas in light-hearted chatting or heated discussion. To join this conversation, all you have to do is type what you want to say and press the ENTER key. Β Nice people who are glad to see new "faces" in IRC occupy most channels. But users generally frown on newbies who are rude and inconsiderate because they are unclear on IRC etiquette. Here are some things to keep in mind before you join the conversation.

Topics change. Just because the name of the channel is "#cyprus " it doesn't mean this will always be the topic of conversation. The topic can change at any time, and it's not even a perfect indicator of what is being discussed.

Think before you speak. Remember when you join a channel, you are coming in on the middle of a conversation, so you might want to just read other people's messages (called lurking) before typing anything. Try just saying "Hello" and then sit back and catch up on the conversation for a minute or two.

Zap the caps. Don't type in all capital letters because it is considered YELLING when sending messages on the Internet. Just as you wouldn't walk into a room full of people you don't know and start screaming, you shouldn't type in all caps. (And if you're the kind of person who would walk into a room bellowing, you're going to have a rough time on IRC.)

Grammar and spelling count. Your language skills don't have to be perfect, but try not to overload your comments with so many grammatical errors that it's unreadable. Everyone makes a mistake from time to time, but unless you make sure others can understand you, chatting wit h them is useless. It's also a good idea to correct yourself. If you type , "I don't get what you mane by that, Tbear," you can throw in "mane=mean" on your next chat line.

Be polite. Because IRC messages are faceless text, some people think they're free to be rude. Just remember you are talking with people, not machines. And most of these people probably know a lot more about IRC than you. If you come across as belligerent, you may find yourself "kicked out" and "banned" from the channel before you even know what happened. But most IRC veterans are sympathetic to newbies. If you're nice to them, they'll be nice to you.

Advanced IRCing.

Β Many things that go on in IRC you don't need to know about to chat and have fun. But in case they pique your curiosity, here's a description of some of the more in-depth aspects of IRC.

Smooth operator. We mentioned before that an @ symbol in front of a nickname denotes that person is an operator for that channel. A channel operator has control over the channel settings and who is allowed to stay on a channel. Among other things, the "op" can make the channel private or secret, decide who can change the topic, and ban users. The only ways to become an op are to have a current operator "op" you, making you another operator, or to create your own channel.

Change the channel. Creating a new channel is simple. All you have to do is join a channel that doesn't exist, and the server will make it for you. Just type /join (new channel name), and you will be a new channel's operator and sole member. Of course, your new-found power is useless if you are the only one in your new channel.

'Bots. Even if you are the only person in a channel, you might not be alone. 'Bots , short for robots, are programs that simulate IRC clients, appearing as another user. There is a strong love/hate relationship between IRC users and 'bots. Some 'bots perform useful actions, such as holding files, conducting games, protecting the channel and "opping" users. But other 'bots are destructive, producing trash files or copies of themselves that flood the network. Remember, if someone asks you to type a command or run a program such as a 'bot, and you don't know what it will do, don't do it.

Potential Problems.

For the most part, chatting on IRC is a pleasant experience. But some unfortunate events can make it difficult at times. Lag is the length of delay it takes for a message to reach its destination. Lag can occur if you connect to a server that is too far away, if there is too much traffic on the network, or if there are problems with the actual network, such as downed lines. To determine if you or another user is lagged, type the /ping command to see how far away you are from them in seconds. If you are lagged, the best thing to do is connect to a new server.

Netsplits are easy to spot. When a netsplit occurs, several people from a channel may leave for no apparent reason. What actually happens is one or more servers become separated from other servers, splitting the network. Netsplits can be caused by physical problems with the network, the crashing or overloading of machines that run the server, or when IRC operators (like channel operators except on a bigger scale) reroute the servers for better efficiency. There's not much you can do to avoid netsplits. Just hang on and wait for the ride to be over.