Using IRC

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When Jarkko Oikarinen set out to make a replacement for the

Unix "talk" program in 1988, he had no inkling that this program which he began

writing as a hobby would become so popular and widely used today. Nor did he ever think

that his creation would be used as a crucial means of communication in crunch situations

such as the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the Soviet coup of 1993. His creation today is

popularly referred to as IRC (Internet relay chat).

IRC is a service on the Internet that lets people converse

across the globe. People come together on various IRC channels or virtual places to

discuss topics of common interest, either in groups or on an one-to-one basis. Some

channels have a topic of discussion, while others are simply dedicated to small talk or

idle chat.

IRC conversation is done by typing messages and

transmitting it over the Internet to a chat server. The server in turn passes the messages

to all the users logged into it. In order to chat you need a client program to log into

the chat server. Mirc, Pirch, and Comic Chat are some popular chat clients for Windows.

There are a host of chat servers that your chat client can

connect to. Among them TalkCity, Efnet, DALNet and Undernet are the more popular ones.

These servers have lots of channels where people with common interests join together and

talk.

Every channel has a chanop, short for channel operator. A

chanop is identified by an @ symbol that precedes his nickname. These chanops moderate and

manage a certain channel. They can ban offensive users, decide upon discussion topics on a

channel and schedule events such as celebrity chats or group discussions.

Direct chat

A smarter way to chat is DCC (direct client chat). Using

this, two parties can communicate directly with each other rather than going through the

IRC network. DCC allows you to send and receive files too. It has several advantages and

disadvantages. Because the DCC connection bypasses the IRC servers and the IRC network as

a whole, they are generally considered more secure. You also are not limited by the data

transfer rate of the IRC network. You connect at the speed of the other parties’

network setup and the quality of the network connection. The disadvantages are that you

can’t perform special IRC commands such as using the /me command within a DCC

communication.

IRC ethics

There are some unwritten codes and ethics on IRC that must

be followed at all times, or you might just end up irritating people as well as getting

yourself banned from a channel. This code of ethics doesn’t only apply to

IRC, but

any data that you transmit over the Net, be it via e-mail, chat, or some other messaging

service.

Using all capitals in a sentence is the equivalent of

shouting, so use all caps only if you want to convey something that is very important or

urgent. You may use accepted standard short forms such as ROTFL (roll over the floor

laughing) to keep your message short and crisp. As a general rule, be polite and friendly

to everyone and never say anything that you would say to anyone in person. Never keep

repeating a sentence or message (known in IRC parlance as "scrolling"). Most IRC

servers provide a detailed code of conduct and ethics on their Websites.

Instant messaging:



A smarter alternative to chat

IRC is great for chatting with friends and keeping in touch

with people who have common interests; but outside of these fairly constrained boundaries

it’s limited in its practical use. When you log off, you are effectively cut off from

the whole IRC community. You can’t find out when a friend comes back online nor can

anyone else send you messages until the next time you log on.

A more suitable alternative, therefore, would be something

that maintains a virtual presence even when your connection is not active. It could also

take care of any messages that other users want to send when you are not logged on;

simultaneously offering a powerful search engine that would enable you to contact users

sharing a common interest. This is what instant messaging offers.

There are a number of options available such as ICQ (I seek

you), Yahoo! Pager and AOL’s Instant Messenger. These programs can be configured to

load automatically at system startup and when you log onto the Internet, inform the paging

service that you are online. You can enter the list of friends whom you wish to chat with

(of course, they must also be using the same service). Now when your friends log on, you

can be alerted and vice versa. This whole process works in the background so you can surf

the Net or up/download your mail at the same time.

Certain paging services offer lots of other features too.

ICQ, for instance, lets you send messages and files to other users. You can play certain

games online with them as well. Yahoo! Pager on the other hand can keep a track of your

stock portfolio and alert you when your stocks cross certain limits.

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