Note 53: ABC IRC: Communication

Rubric: Our networks

ABC IRC: Communication

Anton Nosik

In the last note, we talked about how to connect to the IRC server. Recall that for this you need to acquire an IRC by the client (the IRC server connection program), choose a “nickname” (nickname ”(nickname) up to 9 letters long, determine the server with which we are going to connect, cut out and click on Connect. If we are lucky, then within 10-40 seconds we will be connected to the selected server. If not, it is worth repeating the attempt (if the server has not let us in due to its high workload), or try his luck on another server (if the current one has given more categorical reasons for the refusal - for example, You are Banned from this server, which means a fundamental ban on connecting customers of your provider at the moment).

I am not aware of any case, when the user armed with the MIRC or Pirch program could not enter the IRC (with the exception of cases where the corresponding attempts were made without the help of a modem or without connecting to the Internet). So let's start today's story from the moment the server has already opened our arms to us, and we are connected.

The first thing we see in the Status window (hereinafter the explanations are given from the point of view of the MIRC user, the benefit of this client is free and, in our opinion, has no serious competitors) is the “Motd - Message of the Day) of the machine we are connected. Next follows the information issued by the /Lusers command (so that later this information is again seen again, you need to give such a command again).

Lusers tells us how many customers and servers are connected to this particular second to our server, that is, available to us. The approximate text of the message looks something like this:

There are 4927 Users and 6857 Invisible on 87 Servers 158 Operator (S) Online 1 Unknown Connection (S) 3070 Channels Formed I Have 151 Clients and 1 Servers

That is, to the server with which we joined, connected, including us, 151 user. In addition, our server is located in connection with the 87th other servers, on which a total of 11784 users sits, including us. These users are on 3070 channels that they created for themselves.

The channel is a kind of virtual "room", all visitors of which can simultaneously "speak" and "hear" each other. All of the above on the channel can be seen by all its users. The minimum number of users necessary to create a channel is one. That is, in order to create a channel, it is enough to enter it. For this, the command is given /Join. The channel name usually has a prefix in the form of #ic. If you gave the command /Join #vasheimya, then, depending on whether there is already such a channel, you either join it or create it. In the latter case, you will become his operator, that is, you will receive the right to change his installations. However, this is already a topic for a separate conversation.

How to decide which channel to join? Previously, the team /List or /Names was very useful for this purpose. Now both of them are already not applicable: there are so many channels that an attempt to get their complete list leads to automatic “flooding” of your client’s program, with instant disconnection from it. So, entering IRC, you should know in advance which channel you want to join. The MIRC program immediately built a large list of channels for a beginner - however, English -speaking. We advise a Russian -speaking user to somewhat different channels: #Russian, #Russia, #MOSCOW, #DOM, #RUSSKICHAT (to communicate in Russian in Windows encoding), #PITER, #MINSK, #ODESSA, #GUSARY, and so on.

By going to the channel, we see a list of its users. About each of them you can get information more detailed by giving the command /Whois, or operating the menu of the right button. The result of the team /Whois is displayed in the status window in this approximately:

Papapadlo is ~papa@freebsd.first.gmd.de * Detstva chistye glazenki ... Papapadlo on #russian #lifesux Papapadlo Using.opix.net

This certificate contains the address of this user, the information that he introduced about himself, the channels on which he is currently located and the IRC server through which he is connected. The @ icon means that on the #russian channel papadlo (in the world - Andrey Kochursky, Rehovot) is the operator.

Now let's say about the main thing - about communication on IRC. It consists of public conversations on the channels where everyone says at the same time, and from personal messages that individual users exchange among themselves.

On the channel, any phrase implies a response from any user who has what to say about this. Nevertheless, it makes sense to precede your words with an indication of the nickname of the user to which you are addressing. Otherwise, he may not understand that your answer is addressed to him. For example:

Netscape 3.0beta6 Uzhe Vyshel? EST 'Li Zhizn' Posle Smerti? Emigrant: Zajmi 5000 Dollarov Do Zavtra. Net.

Go determine what this "no" refers to - to Netskaip, life after death, or the request of DCDANCE to lend money (although it is not difficult to guess out of context). It would be more correct to answer:

Chumka: Yest '. Mohax: Vyshel. DCDANCE: Hren Tebe.

However, DCDANCE hardly become his request for money, addressed to a specific interlocutor, to send to a common channel. Rather, he will write on the command line:

/MSG Emigrant Zajmi 5000 Dollarov Do Zavtra.

The emigrant, which is used by MIRC,, when receiving this message, will open a separate window entitled DCDANCE, and in it the coming request. The answer scored in this window will only be sent DCDANCE, and no one else on all IRC. If the MIRC user wants to be the first to start a private message exchange, then he can make this a command /MSG command in any window, or first open the Query window on a particular user, and there he already write to him. This can be done either with a command /Query Nick - again, from the command line in any window - or by a double click on the "nickname" of the called user in the list.

In addition to /MSG, there is another way to exchange personal messages - DCC Chat. Its difference is that after the contact of the DCC contact, the messages go from the client to the client directly, bypassing the server. This is very convenient for splitages and other network turmoil. In addition, if you specifically went to IRC to chat with three or four specific users, and not sit in large parties on the channels, then you can install the DCC Chat with people interested in you, and then completely disconnect from the server so that the rest do not bother you. However, this is already a high aerobatics, more on this after.

The next issue will be a review of the fresh issue of Netsurfer Digest, then - a new report from the fields of Geocities and another conversation about the Internet free.