Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a multi-user, multi-channel chatting network. It allows people all over the Internet to talk to one another in real time. Each IRC user has a nickname. All communication with other users is either by nickname or by the channel that they or you are on. All IRCII commands begin with a backslash character (/) by default. Anything that does not begin with a / is assumed to be a message that is sent to everyone on your channel.

Setting up Your Account
At UCB the client can be found on the following machines: spot, ucsu (ucsub), rintintin (benji), and horton (the Seuss lab).

The following step will have to be performed only once. Add the directory /usr/local/bin/unsupported to your path variable. (Don't panic--read the next line.) You can add the directory by issuing the single command

ucsu> ~irc/ircsetup

and then logging out and back in again. Please note the tilde (~) character at the beginning of the command line. Don't forget it.

Getting Started

To run irc, type irc at the computer> prompt. For example,

ucsu> irc

ucsu> irc <your given nickname>

After IRC has been started, you will see a status bar one line from the bottom. Everything you type will be below that line and everything sent to you will appear above that line. If you do not see the status bar, then check your terminal settings.

Note: You should be aware that on a system where we can occasionally boast 10,000+ people online at once, there are bound to be a few obnoxious people. They are not the majority and are best ignored. If some user named Bad annoys you too much, just type, for instance,

/IGNORE bad all

If Bad changes her nickname and continues to bother you, then do a

/whois whoever

and look at the user@hostname.whatever part. Then issue the following command:

/ignore user@hostname.whatever all

And you won't see any more comments from the pest who has been bothering you.

Commands

(Note: commands are case insensitive, so /MSG =/msg =/mSg).

/BYE -- Quit IRC.

/HELP -- Show a list of commands.

/HELP <topic> -- Get help on all IRCII commands. try /help newuser.

/JOIN <channel> -- Join the named channel. All non-commands you type will now go to everyone on that channel.

/LEAVE <channel> -- Leave the current channel.

/LIST -- Lists all current IRC channels, number of users, and topics.

/LIST -MIN 5 -- Just a useful flag. Shows all channels with more than five people. This command will narrow the list considerably.

/MSG <nick> <msg> -- Sends a private message to the specified person. Only the specified nickname will see this message.

/NAMES -- Shows the nicknames of all users on each channel.

/NICK <newnick> -- Change your nickname

/QUIT <message> -- Exits IRC with a parting message.

/WHO <channel> -- Shows who is on a given channel, including nickname, user name and host, and real name.

/WHO <username> -- Try to find information about a username instead of the nickname. Many people are hidden from this.

/WHO * -- Special case, shows only those on your current channel.

/WHOIS <nick> -- Shows the "true" identity of someone. Use this often, when you run into someone you think you know. Occasionally someone else will be using a nickname that you thought you recognized. Nicknames are not owned by anyone.