LATELY...(EARLY 1999)
Internet Relay Chat (called IRC) is becoming less the rage, as places like Yahoo Chat, which allow chatting via standard Web
browser, come into existence.
ICQ is also very popular. See What
is ICQ (I Seek You). "ICQ is a revolutionary, user-friendly Internet tool
that informs you who's on-line at any time and enables you to contact them at will.
No longer will you search in vain for friends or associates on the Net. ICQ does
the searching for you, alerting you in real time when they log on. The need to conduct
a directory search each time you want to communicate with a specific person is eliminated.With
ICQ, you can chat, send messages, files and URL's, play games, or just hang out with
your fellow 'Netters' while still surfing the Net."
AOL Instant Messenger is also fairly popular. And
the new version 2.x lets you share messages with more than one person at a time.
Introduction (Written in 1996)
Internet Relay Chat (called IRC) allows many people at one time to carry on a conversation,
in real-time, using text messages. It is one of the fastest methods of chatting
available. As soon as you type your message, everyone else can see it. It looks like
the script for a play, with each person's name followed by the text of what they
typed in. It's like being in a conference call, only with text messages. Chatting
is done in subject-specific "rooms" of channels. If a lot of people are
in a room, there can be many conversations can be going on at one time.
The big advantage of IRC is that it's done real-time versus email, list servs, newsgroups, etc. You ask a question and usually get an immediate response.
There are thousands of chat channels (or rooms) available on any subject you can imagine (and some you can't!). If you have a problem with Windows 95, just go onto IRC and chat with the Win 95 experts on how to fix your problem. Some of the rooms are established (permanent),and some are temporary created by users. There are chat rooms for serious endeavors, and a lot purely for socializing. Lists of registered rooms are available from the Web, and from the IRC network servers.
Another good use for using IRC is getting business associates, family members, or friends together to communicate real-time vs. using email or the phone.
The basic IRC process is:
There are many shareware and freeware IRC programs available.
Windows:
For a complete list of Windows IRC clients, see Stroud's Consummate WinSock APP List Web page. A good IRC information source is IRC for Morons and Yahoo's IRC area. And see Shareware.com which is an excellent source of freeware and shareware.
Macintosh
A good source for chat software is The Mac Orchard's chat program area. A good IRC information source is IRC for Morons and Yahoo's IRC area. And see Shareware.com which is an excellent source of freeware and shareware.
There are three main IRC networks from which to choose. Each network has many servers that you can connect to.
Much information is available at each network's web site, such as: a complete list of servers available, other ports available, a list of registered channels (rooms), using IRC information, IRC software, and much more.
Choose a Server on the Chosen Network
Each network has many servers that you can connect to. Below a few for each.
Note that not all servers will let you log on. You may have to be in their country, near their site, within a particular domain, or other restriction. Or there just may be too many people connected already. If you cannot get on, try another server, or another port (see below). Check with your Internet Service Provider or look in the alt.irc newsgroup for more information.
PORT:You must also choose a port. For EFnet and Undernet, usually this is 6667, 6668, or 6669. For DALnet this is 7000. Many servers have a wider range of ports available. This is given in the "Console" or "Server" window when you connect. Also check the network's Web sites.
Execute your IRC program. Before connecting, you must select a server and port, and fill in items such as: real name, user ID (for your ISP account), password (for your ISP account - but may not be needed), nickname (what you want to be called while you are chatting), and E-mail address. Much of this information (except the password) is available for others to see. (Note: your nickname can be changed while you are chatting, if desired.)
Now you are ready to connect. "Push the button, Max!"
Choose or Create a Room
Once connected, you can join a specific room (or channel), create a new one, or list
all that are available. This is done in different ways on different programs. Note
that public (visible) rooms are always preceded by a # sign.
Be aware that you cannot talk to someone on another IRC network. When planning to talk to someone specific, be sure to specify the network, channel, and time beforehand.
Chat away
Once you have joined a room, in the window that appears, you type your text message
in the input area and hit RETURN or ENTER. Your message immediately
shows up for all users to see. Note that you can also enter commands to perform specific
actions. Other users may or may not see the results of these actions.
Note that you can join many rooms at once. You may have to increase the memory allocation for your chat program to accomplish this, however.
In DALnet, here are some good rooms to try first.
In any IRC program, there is always a user list section or window, showing the users (by nickname) in that chat room. Often the nickname in red is the channel operator (or the one who created the room), and is the one who can kick people off the channel, 'ban' them from a room, set channel modes, give other users channel operator status, etc.. They can also change other aspects about the room.
Commands
Some programs have tools or menu selections to perform common commands. Here are the text versions for some common IRC commands. These also help you see what operations you can perform on IRC.
Many chat programs also let you share (send and receive) files with other users using DCC (Direct Client Connection). We won't cover that here, but it may be worth pursuing if you become a chat-aholic.
There are many words or phrases commonly used, so a whole language of abbreviations has evolved. Note also that there are also special symbols, like the smiley :-) and MANY others that are commonly used.
