Internet Relay Chat

IRC I.R.C. (Internet Relay Chat) is an old Internet chat technology that can be traced back to August 1988. It exists mainly as a system of channels (group conversations) and private messaging (private conversations) on a server (or series of servers in a hub & leaf network configuration for latency).

IRC allows people to talk to other people in community channels or "chat rooms" as well as private one on one chats. IRC is text based however IRC does have a facility for the transferring of files.

See: https://www.livinginternet.com/r/ri.htm

IRC was invented by the Finn Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988 when he was at the University of Oulu. Inspired by existing chat programs, he set out to improve the multi-user chat “MultiUser Talk” and thus created Internet Relay Chat, the popularity of which grew immensely within a few years. At the beginning of the 21st century, its user numbers were in the millions. By 2020 there are only a few hundred thousand.

IRC commands

Some of the most common commands

   /help - lists all the commands available to you in the channel.
   /rules - provides you with all the server rules.
   /list - retrieve a list of all chatrooms on the server.
   /join #channelname - join a specific channel. jump between various channels.
   /nick <new nickname> - change the nickname you use.
   /invite <nickname> - invite a specific person to the channel you are currently in
   /msg <nickname> - send a private message to one person or start a private conversation.

Clients

An IRC Client is the software application (program) that you use to connect to and chat on IRC. The IRC client connects to a server on an IRC network. The client provides an interface for you to identify other IRC users and communicate with them.

Select an IRC chat client for your personal preference, specific need, and computer operating system.

See Also: Contemporary IRC in the 2nd Decade of the 21st Century

IRC aka Internet Relay Chat is defined by rfc1459 (May 1993) - The IRC protocol ... since it was first implemented as a means for users on a BBS to chat amongst themselves ... Now ... supports a world-wide network of servers and clients ... .

The IRC protocol is a text-based protocol, with the simplest client being any socket program capable of connecting to the server. IRC itself is a teleconferencing system, which (through the use of the client-server model) is well-suited to running on many machines in a distributed fashion.

mIRC

It's for Microsoft Windows, it has been around for awhile, is the most common Windows IRC client, and has a lot of bloat and problematic components. It is not free, and probably not worth paying for. Update: The developers have become political and this software should be avoided. Go woke go broke!

KVirc

This IRC client is less user friendly than mIRC. It is more sophisticated in many ways and has configuration options allowing users to work around some firewall related connection issues. The default interface color scheme is smart. KVirc is for Windows and LINUX (it is cross platform).

XChat

A user was kicked from a channel for using this client due to the name of the client. Some poorly written mIRC bots assume the X has something to do with adult material. This client is very lean and efficient. It is for multiple platforms including Windows and Linux.

ircii

The true old school UNIX IRC client. One screen for all channels and conversations in a pure text environment, operates under console and requires no graphical user interface. Today it is cross platform. Very basic. Very UNIX pure. BitchX was the name of a popular enhancement to ircii that, among other things, added color to the console text application.

IRC Networks

There's sure a lot. Many are dead. Undernet, DalNET, and EFnet are the big 3. I like Undernet.

Identd

Some IRC (Internet Relay Chat) servers wont allow you to connect unless ident working. Ident- Enabling Server ident for IRC for Linux IRC client users may be necessary to achieve connection to a specific server.

DCC Connection

'DCC' stands for Direct Client Connection, it is used to exchange data directly between two IRC clients (with no IRC server in the middle).

• KVIrc Documentation provides a guide on DCC negotiation and connection which explains well the protocols involved and helps with troubleshooting.
• IRCPOLITICS.ORG has an Unable to DCC troubleshooting guide for the person who wants simple explanations and illustrations on how to solve DCC problems.