IRC is an acronym for Internet Relay Chat, which is text-based.

IRC is very similar to instant messaging except multiple people can chat at once. It's a way to communicate with people all over the globe. IRC can be divided into "users" (the people e.g. you), "channels" (a collection of people), "servers" (computers you connect to to get on IRC), and "networks" (collections of servers). You can use IRC on virtually any operating system, using a piece of software called a "client" to connect to a server, which is usually part of a network. Channels are managed by "ops" (short for operators), servers are managed by "IRC ops". The people on IRC vary wildly depending on the channel you go to, so be prepared to come across friendly and not quite so friendly users.

IRC clients for Mac OS X

There are two main IRC clients, Ircle and Snak. Both are $20 shareware, we support both, and the author of Snak hangs out here! Neither client is "better", you should try both before deciding which one you prefer using. For you PC converts (and mIRC lovers), Snak is a more mIRC-like client, it can be set up to handle windows like mIRC. Another upcoming client is Babbel which is written by #macintosh regular and channel op Possible. It is current in free public beta testing but please note that the price, if any, for the final version has not yet ben announced. There are a couple free GUI based clients but they seem to be buggy. There are also a lot of free unix clients that will run on OS X's unix-based underpinnings. These include: irssi, bitchx, x-chat Aqua, BitchX and others. If you use a version of Mac OS prior to OS X ircle will work. Older versions of Snak will also support OS 9.

Setting up an IRC client to connect to a server is easy.

You can either follow the guides below, which give precise instructions for every step, or you can dive straight in -- both ircle and Snak are user-friendly. You are known on IRC by your nickname, and since IRC has been around for over ten years, most of the "default" names have gone, so be creative. You can see the other users in the channel in the user list, which will appear in different places depending on how you have set up your client.

In Ircle: Load ircle. Read the license agreement, and if you agree, press "Accept". Locate the Connections window (by default, it's on the far right of the screen), highlight the first connection, and click the "Edit" button. Change the default nickname and username. Click the "Select" button. Scroll up to DALnet servers, click on one, and click "Select". Press "OK" then click "Connect". Go to the "Commands" menu, select "Join...", type "macintosh", and a new window will appear. You are now on DALnet's #Macintosh!

In Snak: Snak guides you through setting up the essential preferences. When you get to step 7, click the "Server..." button, scroll down to DALnet, click on the triangle to the left, and double click "irc.dal.net". This will take you back to the Setup Assistant. Now enter "macintosh" into the Channel: box, press return, then press "Go Ahead", read the message, say "OK". Select the DALnet connection, click "Connect", press Command-J, type "macintosh", and you're now chatting with the rest of us.

In every IRC client you can also type "/server server.name.here" (without the quotes) to connect to any IRC provided you know the server's name. You may also need to enter add a specific port to connect to as well. In that case use "/server server.name.here NNNN" where NNNN is a port number such as 7000.

Getting around IRC

On IRC, to get around and do things, you send commands to the server. To do this, you simply put a / before the command, for example: /join #Macintosh
This is a list of some of the basic commands you'll need to get around on IRC. You can replace the names with whatever you like.

/join #macintosh - Joins channel #macintosh. All channels have a # prefix.

/part #macintosh - Leaves #macintosh if you were on it.

/me does an action - Lets you talk about yourself in the third person. Everybody in the channel you do /me on will see:

* <yournick> does an action

hello everybody - To talk normally in a channel, just type, without starting the line with /

/msg nick message - This will send a private message to the nickname you specify, and can only be seen by them.

/nick newnickname - This command will change your nickname to something else.

/whois nickname - Gets some information on the nickname you enter.

/list - Retrieves a list of channels for you to choose from.

/who #macintosh - Will show you a list of who's on #macintosh or whichever channel you specify.

/quit message - Quits IRC with an optional message.

Don't speak the lingo?
It may appear as though people are speaking a different language. Using acronyms is very popular over IRC, and because there's no tone of voice, emoticons ("smileys") are used to convey emotion. Here are some of the more common terms you'll come across.

As in real life, use common sense

In general, behave on IRC as you would in real life. These are still real people you're talking to, and they won't stand for abuse. Here are some general guidelines:

• IRC is not a right, it is a privilege. Do not abuse it or you will be removed.
• DON'T TYPE ALL IN CAPITALS as this is considered shouting, which is rude.
• Don't repeat yourself excessively. Sending too many lines in too short a time is considered a "flood", and may well get you removed from a channel.
• As soon as you join a channel make sure you read the topic!!! If you don't follow the rules you're liable to get kicked out. For example, in #macintosh we do not allow warez. Other channels are more liberal. Usually the rules are in the topic or you can watch and learn.
• Bear in mind that if you do annoy other users, you'll be kicked out of the channel, and possibly banned from returning too.
• If you're being harassed by someone, simply /ignore them.
• Make sure you know how to use your client. Read the help files provided, these can be accessed by typing /help
• Play nice. Don't harass people or otherwise annoy other users.

For further assistance....
Need more help than is provided in this document?
Here are some links to other pages on the web regarding IRC. Bear in mind that some information may be outdated, some information may only apply to specific networks:

• The IRC Prelude
• A Short IRC Primer (actually pretty big but good reading!)
• Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• An IRC Tutorial
• IRChelp.net (DALnet specific, but a VERY good resource)

You can also join numerous IRC channels, such as #new2irc, #newbies, #help, #irchelp, #dalnethelp, the list goes on.