IRC are the initials for Internet Relay Chat. It was originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988. IRC was first used in Finland, and has been used in more then 60 countries since. IRC is a system in which many people may communicate via their computer. You log into a server, join a channel or what some like to call a room or virtual place. On IRC you have the option to "talk" in private chat, or group chat. Many channels have a set topic. Channels may also be set to be invite-only or public. Internet Relay Chat for many of us At WolfChat.Org is more then a fun way to communicate with our friends, It is a place to meet new friends, learn about how others live, and HOME :-) Many of us at WolfChat.Org have become so much more to one another then just friends, or chatters, we have become a family.

-WOLFGAR-

Starting Out

Choosing an IRC Client: Well, this depends on what operating system. Most people today are using either Windows 95 or Windows 3.x. So, of course, the most used and popular IRC Clients are for these systems. Take a look at the Downloads page. This contains a nice selection from you to choose from. Some have a 32 bit and a 16-bit version of each. If you are running Windows 3.x, choose the 16-bit version.
Setting up your Client: Most likely, the client will prompt you with choosing a nickname (or handle), these can be up to 9 characters (some nets allow more but the standard is 9). It may also ask for Identd info, all you need to do is put something in the User ID section.
Getting on a server: Being that this is the WolfChat.Org homepage, I am going to tell you how to connect to our servers, although, you may connect to any you want to. After starting up your Client, find the main screen (called the Status window in mIRC) and type /server wolfchat.org. (Any server can go in the location of wolfchat.org) You can always find a list of all WolfChat.Org server at the Servers page. Ok, so you connected to a server, but you still don't know how do to a thing on it. The first thing you need to do is type /join #newbies. This is a channel specifically for people new to IRC, IRC has a steep learning curve so don't be ashamed to ask any type of question. If there is no one in #newbies try, #cservice.
Basic Commands: Every command starts with a '/' (such as /join which you used above) and then usually followed by some type of argument and/or parameter (also called switches). Such as #newbies was the argument that went with the /join command. This argument states which channel to join. A parameter is something not needed with the command but when used alters it slightly. For example, the /join command has a key parameter, this is for channels that have a key set and only the people who know the key can get in (i.e. a password). If the key to #newbies was imnew you would type /join #newbies imnew. (I know, it's a little hard to understand.) So, with that in mind, here are some of the most used IRC commands, things in '<>' are arguments, and things in '[ ]' are parameter. Remember, arguments are needed, parameters are optional.
/JOIN #<channelname> [key] Used to join a channel. The key parameter is needed if the channel has one set.
/LIST This lists all the channels on the current network of servers you are on.
/ME <message> This tells the others what you are doing in the 3rd person.
/MSG <nickname> <message> Sends a private message to <nickname>.
/QUERY <nickname> <message> Sends a private message to <nickname> and opens up a window so you can type in there for further conversation
/WHOIS <nickname> Gives information about <nickname>
/NICK <newnickname> Gives you a new nickname
/QUIT [reason] Disconnects you from your current server with an optional reason.
/AWAY [away message] Marks you as away with an optional reason.


User IRC Commands: These are all the commands that are available to users (chatters) on a chat server. These are Raw ircd commands, used the same way as the ones above.
ACCEPT ACCEPT allows you to control who can send you a NOTICE or PRIVMSG while you have user mode +g enabled.
For +g:
/QUOTE ACCEPT (nick) -- Add a permitted nickname
/QUOTE ACCEPT -(nick) -- Remove a permitted nickname
/QUOTE ACCEPT * -- List the present permitted nicknames
ADMIN [server] With no arguments,
ADMIN shows the information that was set by the administrator of the server. This information can take any form that will fit in three lines of text but is usually a list of contacts for the persons that run the server.
With a second argument, the administrative information for the specified server is displayed.
See also: stats
AWAY :[MSG] Without an argument, it will set you back.
With an argument, it will set you as AWAY with the specified message.
CHALLENGE :[nick|+response] CHALLENGE is used in the RSA controlled oper {} system. CHALLENGE requires you to issue the command using the nickname in the operator block, while matching the username and hostname specified. The server will send you an RSA challenge. You must send a valid RSA response back to the server, proceeded with a '+' symbol.
MODE :(channel) (+|-)(modes) [parameters] CHANNELMODE - DESCRIPTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO PARAMETERS:

+n - No external messages. Only channel members may talk in the channel.
+t - Ops Topic. Only opped (+o) users may set the topic.
+s - Secret. Channel will not be shown in /whois and /list etc.
+p - Private. Disables /knock to the channel. +m - Moderated. Only opped/voiced users may talk in channel.
+i - Invite only. Users need to be /invite'd or match a +I to join the channel.
WITH PARAMETERS:
+k - Key. Requires users to issue /join #channel KEY to join. PARAMS: /mode #channel +k key
+l - Limit. Impose a maximum number of LIMIT people in the channel. PARAMS: /mode #channel +l limit
+v - Voice. Allows a user to talk in a +m channel. Noted by +nick. PARAMS: /mode #channel +v nick
+o - Op. Allows a user full control over the channel. PARAMS: /mode #channel +o nick
+b - Ban. Prevents a user from entering the channel, based on a nick!ident@host match. PARAMS: /mode #channel +b nick!user@host
+e - Exempt. Allows a user to join a channel even if they are banned (+b), based on a nick!ident@host match. PARAMS: /mode #channel +e nick!user@host
+I - Invite Exempt. Allows a user to join a +i channel without an invite, based on a nick!user@host match. PARAMS: /mode #channel +I nick!user@host
ERROR : :[message] ERROR is sent by the server to clients or other servers when an exception occurs.
If another server sends your server an ERROR, it will be shown to all operators on the server.
HELP :[topic] HELP displays the contents of the help file for topic requested. If no topic is requested, it will perform the equivalent to HELP index.
Help topics available to users: :[topic] ACCEPT - ADMIN - AWAY - CHALLENGE
CJOIN - CMODE - CREDITS - ERROR
HELP - INVITE - ISON - JOIN
KICK - KNOCK - LINKS - LIST
LUSERS - MOTD - NAMES - NICK
OPER - PART - PASS - PING
PONG - QUIT - TIME - TOPIC
USER - USERHOST - USERS - INDEX
INFO - NOTICE - PRIVMSG - STATS
UMODE - VERSION - WHO - WHOIS
WHOWAS
INFO INFO displays the copyright, authors and contributors list for ircd.
INVITE :[nickname] [channel] INVITE sends a notice to the user that you have asked him/her to come to the specified channel.
ISON :[nick A] [nick B] [nick C] [nick D] ISON will return a list of users who are present on the network from the list that was passed in.
This command is rarely used directly.
JOIN :[#channel] [!vchan] [key] The JOIN command allows you to enter a public chat area known as a channel. Network wide channels are proceeded by a '#', while a local server channel is proceeded by an '&'.
The second argument, if supplied, joins the specified virtual channel [vchan].
If the channel has a key set, the third argument must be given to enter. This allows channels to be password protected.
See also: part, list
KICK : :[channel] :[msg] The KICK command will remove the specified user from the specified channel, using the optional kick message. You must be a channel operator to use this command.
LINKS :[mask] [remote] LINKS shows a list of all servers linked to the host server.
With a mask parameter, LINKS will just show servers matching that parameter. With the remote server parameter, LINKS will request the LINKS data from the remote server, matching the mask given.
The information provided by the LINKS command can be helpful for determining the overall shape of the network in addition to it's size.
NOTE: the links command employs an intensive process to generate it's output, so sparing use is recommended.
See also: connect squit map
LIST [#channel] Without any arguments, LIST will give an entire list of all channels which are not set as secret (+s). The list will be in the form:

(#channel) (amount of users) :[topic]

If an argument is supplied, LIST will give just the statistics for the given channel.
See also: join
LUSERS [mask] [remoteserver] LUSERS will display client count statistics for the specified mask, or all users if a mask was not specified. If a remote server is specified, it will request the information from that server.
MOTD [servername] MOTD will display the message of the day for the server name specified, or the local server if there was no parameter.
Only operators can query a remote server.
NAMES [channel] With no channel argument, NAMES shows the names (nicks) of all clients logged in to the server that do not have +i flag.
With the #channel argument, it displays the nicks on that channel, also respecting the +i flag of each client. If the channel specified is a channel that the issuing client is currently in, all nicks are listed in similar fashion to when the user first joins a channel.
See also: join
NICK [nickname] When first connected to the IRC server, NICK is required to set the client's nickname.
NICK will also change the client's nickname once a connection has been established.
NOTICE [nick|channel]:message NOTICE will send a notice message to the user or channel specified.

NOTICE supports the following prefixes for sending messages to specific clients in a channel:

@ - channel operators only
% - channel operators and half-ops
+ - operators, half-ops, and voiced users

The nick can be extended to fit into the following syntax:
username@servername
This syntax is used to securely send a notice to a service or a bot.
OPER [name][password] The OPER command requires two arguments to be given. The first argument is the name of the operator as specified in the configuration file. The second argument is the password for the operator matching the name and host.
The operator privileges are shown on a sucessful OPER.
PART [#channel][part message] PART requires at least a channel argument to be given. It will exit the client from the specified channel.
An optional part message may be given to be displayed to the channel.
See also: join
PASS [password] PASS is used during registration to access a password protected auth {} block.
PASS is also used during server registration.
PING [source]:[target] PING will request a PONG from the target. If a user or operator issues this command, the source will always be turned into the nick that issued the PING.
PRIVMSG [nick|channel][:message] PRIVMSG will send a standard message to the user or channel specified.
PRIVMSG supports the following prefixes for sending messages to specific clients in a channel:

@ - channel operators only
% - channel operators and half-ops
+ - operators, half-ops, and voiced users

The nick can be extended to fit into the following syntax:
username@servername
This syntax is used to securely send a message to a service or a bot.
QUIT : [quit message] QUIT sends a message to the IRC server letting it know you would like to disconnect. The quit message will be displayed to the users in the channels you were in when you are disconnected.
STATS [letter] [server|nick] Queries server [server] (or your own server if no server parameter is given) for info corresponding to [letter].
LETTER

------ (^ = Can be configured to be oper only.)
^ i - Shows I lines
^ K - Shows K lines (or matched klines)
^ k - Shows temporary K lines (or matched temp klines)
m - Shows commands and their usage
^ o - Shows O/o lines
p - Shows opers connected and their idle times
u - Shows server uptime
TIME [server] The TIME command will return the server's local date and time.
If an argument is supplied, the time for the server specified will be returned.
TOPIC [#channel]:[new topic] With only a channel argument, TOPIC shows the current topic of the specified channel.
With a second argument, it changes the topic on that channel to [new topic]. If the channel is +t, only chanops may change the topic.
See also mode
mode (umode) [nick] (+|-)[modes] Usermodes:

USERMODE DESCRIPTION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
+o - Designates this client is an IRC Operator. Use the /oper command to attain this.
+i - Designates this client 'invisible'.
+g - "caller id" mode only allow accept clients to message you
USER [username][unused][unused]:[real name/gecos] USER is used during registration to set your gecos and to set your username if the server cannot get a valid ident response. The second and third fields are not used, but there must be something in them. The reason is backwards compatibility
VERSION [servername] VERSION will display the server version of the specified server, or the local server if there was no parameter.
Only operators can query a remote server.
WHO [#channel|user] he WHO command displays information about a user, such as their GECOS information, their user@host, whether they are an IRC operator or not, etc. A sample WHO result from a command issued like "WHO pokey" may look something like this:

#lamers pokey H pokey@ppp.newbies.net :0 Jim Jones

The first field indicates the last channel the user has joined. The second is the user's nickname.The third field describes the status information about the user. The possible combinations for this field are listed below:

H - The user is not away.
A - The user is set away.
* - The user is an IRC operator.
@ - The user is a channel op in the channel listed
in the first field.
+ - The user is voiced in the channel listed.
% - The user is a half-op in the channel listed.

The next field contains the username@host of the user.The final field displays the number of server hops and the user's GECOS information.
This command may be executed on a channel, such as "WHO #lamers" The output will consist of WHO listings for each user on the channel.
This command may also be used in conjunction with wildcards such as * and ?.
See also: whois, userhost
WHOIS [remoteserver|nick] nick WHOIS will display detailed user information for the specified nick. If the first parameter is specified, WHOIS will display information from the specified server, or the server that the user is on. This is how to remotely see idle time and away status.
WHOWAS [nick] nick WHOWAS will show you the last known host and whois information for the specified nick. Depending on the number of times they have connected to the network, there may be more than one listing for a specific user.
The WHOWAS data will expire after time.
IRC oper commands: Here is a list of all Oper commands. After typeing /oper (nick) (password) in the server, type /raw (help) (topic) to get help on a command.
Help topics available to opers: ACCEPT - ADMIN - AWAY - CAPAB - CHALLENGE - CLIENT - CLOSE - CMODE - CONNECT - CREDITS CRYPTLINK - DIE - DLINE - DROP - EOB - ERROR - GLINE - HELP - INDEX - INFO - INVITE - ISON - JOIN - KICK - KILL - KLINE - KNOCK - LINKS - LIST - LOCOPS - LUSERS - MODLIST - MODLOAD - MODRESTART - MODUNLOAD - MOTD - NAMES - NICK - NOTICE - OPER - OPERSPY - OPERWALL - PART - PASS - PING - PONG - POST - PRIVMSG - QUIT - REHASH - RESTART - RESV - SERVER - SET - SJOIN - SQUIT - STATS - SVINFO - TESTLINE - TIME - TOPIC - TRACE - UHELP - UMODE - UNDLINE - UNGLINE - UNKLINE - UNRESV - UNXLINE - USER - USERHOST - USERS - VERSION - WALLOPS - WHO - WHOIS - WHOWAS - XLINE
IRC Lingo: Because most people these days are lazy, you will find many strange sayings and abbreviations on IRC, I know I was very confused at first when people started yelling LOL, ROTFL. Here you will find all the meanings of these to save you from any embarrassment.
LOL Laughing out loud
ROTFL(MAO) Rolling on the floor laughing (my ass off)
GTMA Good minds think alike
BRB Be right back
BBL Be back later
TTYL Talk to you later
AFK Away from keyboard

Are you confused about some of the vocabulary used in this section? Then click here.

 
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