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A Basic Guide To IRC.| Category | | | Summary | | A basic guide to using IRC, with links to downloadable resources. |
| | Body | If you've never used IRC before, it can be a little daunting knowing which client to use - if you're even aware of what one is. With the evolution of instant messaging programmes, IRC no longer requires a separate client if you don't want it to. For example, Linux users can access IRC by using the multi-IM client Pidgin. It isn't advised if you're a budding IRC-op because it's usage for IRC is quite basic, but if you're a n00b who just wants to try IRC for a little while, it's not a bad idea. Windows users can benefit in the same manner from Trillian, and Mac users from Colloquy (Though there is no support for common IM protocols, only IRC, SILC and ICB).
If you would prefer a stand alone client for Windows/Linux, mIRC (Windows) and X-Chat (Linux) are two examples. There are other clients out there for use, but some of them are a little more complex and don't really belong in a basic tutorial. They are free to use, although mIRC will ask you to donate after thirty days, and X-Chat, whilst it can also be used with Windows, ISN'T free for use in Windows. It is however free for use in Linux, and is what I use personally. You can download it from the site directly, or check the repositories.
So, a little bit of background as to what IRC is.
IRC stands for 'Internet relay chat', and is basically a platform for users to connect to a chat server to communicate. If I had to explain it to someone who had no concept of chat rooms, I would do it thusly:
Imagine an office full of people communicating with each other. Or a club. That's a chat room. PM's or 'private messaging' on IRC could be described as someone in the office picking up a phone to talk to someone on a one to one basis. If you can't get your head around that, you probably shouldn't be allowed a computer in the first place. (Initiate humour sequence.)
There are loads of networks for you to connect to, but instead well encourage you to connect to our perfectly wonderful server.
Once you have your chosen client installed, open it up. If you haven't already done so, you might want to choose a username. A word of caution here, when connecting to a server of computer geeks, it is probably not such a good idea to use things like 'L33TH4XOR' or 'PWNURBOX'. Pick something original, without of course using personal details as that sort of thing can get you into trouble on the Internet.
In X-chat, the interface is simple and the menus are not hard to grasp. mIRC is a little more detailed, but also not hard to grasp.
For now, we're going to keep things simple by giving you the syntax to connect to the server directly without having to fill anything in. This is a basic tutorial and we will keep it that way. Additionally, it encourages you to explore your chosen IRC client so that you can figure out how it works and how you want it to look and operate. Most clients are customisable.
The syntax for connecting to our server is as follows:
/server irc.cyberarmy.net
Press ENTER.
If you've done that right, you should then see the client communicating with the server to connect you. Our 'message of the day' may fly by - but you do need to read it if you've not seen it before since it contains information about what is and isn't allowed on our network. Lots of people miss this part out and end up getting themselves into trouble.
Providing you're connected, we can move on. I encourage users to register their nicknames because some of the channels (rooms) on our server do not allow unregistered users to enter. This is because sometimes we get the odd spambot on the server, and they're never usually registered. It's a precaution we like to take. You can register your username as follows:
/ns register <password> <email address>
Press ENTER.
It should also be noted that you can access help files through 'nickserv' by typing /nickserv help or /ns help - either will work. For instance, if you wanted help with registering your name you would type:
/ns help register
Press ENTER
It is highly recommended that you read these files because it will make your life a lot easier. In the spirit of exploration I will suggest that you type the following:
/ns help commands
Press ENTER
You should now receive a list of commands to use with the /ns syntax. I would suggest you use the syntax to hide your email address, and also the syntax to enable security protection on your chosen username.
/ns set kill on
Press ENTER
/ns set hide email on
Press ENTER
Security protection means that anyone trying to use your registered username will be given a warning that it is registered and that they need to change it. If they do not provide the correct password within the set amount of time, their name will be changed to a GUEST name according to the server settings. This prevents people from pretending to be you.
Hiding the email you registered with means people can't pilfer it for spam usage.
So now you have your username registered and hopefully protected - you can begin chatting. The commands you're issuing are server side, not client side. It means that it doesn't matter which client you're using, they remain the same. However it should be noted that not all servers use nickserv, they may use something else. We however, do. You may now want to take a look at the channels on the server and the best way to do this is to type:
/list
Press ENTER
It should spit out a list of channels and the number of users in them. They all begin with a '#', and the list can usually be organised alphabetically/number of users etc etc. The main channel on our server is #cyberarmy. It is the most active channel, and all sorts of lunatics hang around in there. If you're unsure about anything, or you'd like to ask for help, we also have the #help channel. To join a channel, the syntax is:
/join #cyberarmy
Press ENTER
At that point, you'll enter the room and people may, or may not be active depending on the time of day. It is highly recommended that you sit and watch for a while, to get a feel for the room, especially if you're new to this sort of thing. There are lots of splinter channels - especially if you've already joined a brigade. For example, at the time of writing this I am a member of the Academy and so my home channel is #Academy. They are often less populated and friendlier channels for new people. Browse the channel listings or ask in #help.
As previously said, there are help files you can access from the server side during your session on IRC, but I will go into a few of them here. I still encourage you to read those files because they will go into more detail. Consider them a more intermediate level tutorial, with this sowing the more basic seeds of knowledge.
Basic IRC commands
/join #channelname (joins a channel.)
/whois <username> (shows you the current user info of someone online.)
/ns info <username> (gives you more detailed information of someone - and they don't have to be online at the time.
/nick <newnick> (changes your username to something else.)
/msg <username> (lets you send a private message to another user provided they're online at the time.)
/part (lets you leave the channel.)
/quit (disconnects you from the server.)
/who #channelname (shows you the details of everyone in a channel.)
/ignore <username> (puts a troublesome user on ignore.)
You will find much more in depth instructions if you consult the help files on the server.
If you decide you like hanging around on the server, you might want to create your own 'sandbox' for you and your friends to hang out in. Setting up your own channel is easy and I'll give you some basic commands here, and once more encourage you to consult the server help files.
The syntax for getting help from chanserv is:
/cs help commands or /chanserv help commands
Press ENTER.
That will give you a list of syntax to use. For now I will explain how to register a channel, and a couple of security precautions - and let you explore for yourself whilst on server.
/cs register #channelname <password> <description>
Provided you have entered the syntax correctly, you will now have a registered channel. The following commands will also help:
/topic #channelname <desired topic> (allows you to set a topic in your channel.)
/cs set #channelname topiclock on (allows you to lock a topic in your channel to prevent abuse.)
/mode +R (If used in channel will set the channel to allow registered users only to enter.)
/mode +i (Sets the channel to invite only.)
/ban <username> (Will ban a user from the channel.)
/kickban <username> (Will ban and kick a user from the channel.)
/cs aop #channelname add <username> (Will add a registered user to the list of auto-ops for the channel.)
/cs sop #channelname add <username> (Will add a registered user to the list of super-ops for the channel.)
As previously stated, consult the help files on the server to further your knowledge - and if in doubt visit #help and ask someone in there.
You should now have enough basic knowledge to get yourself chatting on our server. If you're using a stand alone client, play with the settings and such, customise it and have fun with it. If you want to test things, do them in a channel you've made as opposed to doing them in a busy channel, as the other users will find it annoying. And dare I say it - I can be found in #help most of the time if you have any questions.
This article was originally published by CyberArmy.net in the CyberArmy Library. |
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