Hello,
This week we focus on Internet Relay Chat (IRC). IRC is the brainchild of one Jarkko Oikarinen (email:jto@olsun.oulu.fi) of Finland. IRC is a client/server application. This allows people from all over the world to CHAT with each other. In this arena, no longer are we bound by the limitations of talking with someone only on the Bulletin Board or Commercial Online Service that we are on. We also in contrast to TALK, move from the ability to just send one or two line messages to being able to be in an actual conference setting room. As mentioned, clients pass messages to servers, who in turn communicate with each others.
(picture the client as you needed info from the library and the server as the library. You may go to the library looking for info and it may be at another library. Your library will contact another to get info.)
IRC can be accessed via numbers Servers (libraries) such as:
csd.bu.edu
nic.funet.fi
ucsu.colorado.edu
coombs.anu.edu.au
badger.ugcs.caltech.edu
poly.polytechnique.fr
sunsystem2.informatik.tu-muenchen.de
When using IRC, you can allows ask for help. The help command is /help. Any of those commands given can be then initiated preceded by the / (slash) key.
On most commercial services allow you to see who is on the other channels. You can a relatively small synopsis of the Channels that are open. Large is an understatment for IRC. The command /LIST will list all of the IRC Channels. I normally have patience when having to wait for data. On IRC I literally did a cold start,reboot to my system after intiating the /LIST command. When we say you are connecting with the world, we mean just that! Here's the LIST trick. When you ask for a list, ask for one that has say at leat 20 or more people on. So initiate a /LIST -MIN 20. This will only show those channels with a minium of 20 persons on it.
Ohhhh....you've just spotted a channel that is something you want to look at. It's called BLACK. How do you get to it? You use the JOIN command. So you would type /JOIN #black. (If the channel shows in Caps, type it in Caps). The unix structure is very case sensitive.
The /INVITE command will allow you to invite someone to a channel. (/INVITE NICKNAME
The command /WHOIS will tell you the real identy of the perons using that nickname,which /WHOWAS will tell you who last used that nickname. You may use /WHOWAS if you missed someone who just logged off.
While /LEAVE will exit you from a channel. The /SIGNOFF or /QUIT will exit you from the IRC application all together.
The /MSG commands sends a one line private message to someone on your channel, while
the /QUERY
IRC allows for the /AWAY command, when you are away from your terminal and someone is trying a /MSG or /WHOIS command.
Sometimes you really don't want to be bothered. This is where the /IGNORE command comes in. It' use as follows:
/IGNORE
You can ignore a nickname or even a domain name if you know the true identity of
someone. (/ignore
ALL
INVITES
MSG
NONE
NOTICE
PUBLIC
Most have been explained or are self explanitory. the Notice relates to Notices and Public basically stops you from seeing all conversation. Why be in IRC? (go figure)
IRC has the powerful feature of sending and receiving files via the DCC command. The DCC command is initiated as follows:
/DCC
Actions are as follows:
SEND - Send to someone
GET - Accept from someone
CLOSE - Reject transfer
LIST - show transfer stats
For the Mactintosh there is IRCLE. It is a Mactintosh Terminal Emulator. It requires MacTCP. This allows for creating your IRC profile (nickname,server,etc.) You will have pull down command menus to assist.
Homer and Homer Paint provide other GUI (gooey) IRC enviroments.
IRC Client software is avialabe for MAC,PC and VMS as follows:
FTP
ca.bu.ed
Drectory
irc/client/macintosh
irc/client/ms-dos
irc/client/vms
Mailing Lists are as follows:
alt.irc - all irc versions
alt.irc.ircii - IRC II
Well this raps another lesson! Hoping your Cyber Travels are good ones! Remember these lessons are always available in there entirety via the following:
http://haven.ios.com/~holmanm/lessons.html
ftp haven.ios.com's pub/users/holmanm/info_highway_lessons
Our Tip of the Week
-------------------
You liked to give your favorite little one, an Electronic Coloring Book. Just where do you find this?
Answer.
FTP
Site?
garbo.uwasa.fi
Directory?
pc/passtime/cbook20.zip
Where's the Financial Site to get programs for Finacial Loans,CheckFree,CashFlow,Debt Management,Stock Portfolio,Children's Financial Planning,Mortgage and more?
Answer
FTP
Site?
oak.oakland.edu
Directory?
SimTel/msdow/Finance/*
So...where's the Mactintosh Software Vault?
Answer.
FTP
Site
oak.oakland.edu
Directory?
SimTel/msdos/mac/*