Now onto actually using IRC. A lot of this stuff is just extra info. You don't need to know it. We don't need to know it. We just love typing out this crap. You are smart, you already know all this. No need to read it. OK now that was sarcasm. IRC is full of it so get used to it. You really do need to know this stuff. If you thought it was rude of me to be sarcastic, you wont survive on IRC very long.
First up, pick a nick. A nickname, commonly referred to as 'nick', is your IRC name. Yours will appear before all of your messages in IRC to identify who is talking. If another user types your nick, the text is printed in red. This is a highlight. Some clients also will flash the window, send a beep, etc. You can select almost any nickname you like, provided nobody else uses it. If you choose a nick like 'justinbieber' or 'Ims0l33t4ndc00l', prepare to be ridiculed. Seriously. The [ ] in the command indicate where to place your own choices. Do not include the [ ] themselves.
To change your nick use : /nick [your nick here] (remember do not include the [ ]) Example :
/nick mynewnick
Registering is how you create an account; your nickname belongs you and nobody else can use it. There are other benefits, of course, including the ability to be recognised and given admin capabilities in channels, to make new channels, etc. All nick functions are controlled by NickServ.
To register your current nick, use: /msg nickserv register [password] [fake email] Example :
/msg nickserv register mysecretpaassword fake@email.com
Please note if you lose your password, you will not be able to recover your nick and will have to make a new one.
You will need to log in to your nick every time you connect to the network. This is called identifying. You identify to your account using NickServ. To identify to your registered nick, use : /msg nickserv identify [your password]
Example :
/msg nickserv identify mysecretpassword
IRC networks have channels. A user can be in many channels at the same time. They are able to switch between channels and converse with users in each. Networks can have 100s even 1000s of channels although most enforce a limit as to how many one user can join.
Important! READ THIS:
When you first enter any channel it prints the Topic for the channel and sometimes also an entry message. It is vital that you read these upon entry!
Joining channels
/join [#channel name]
Example :
/join #anonops
This will join you to the main network channel. Say 'hi' then just observe (lurk) a bit until you get a feel for it.
NOTE: When using webchat it is NOT necessary to open more browser tabs. Just /join the channel and it will be added to your open channel list.
To find them, we use the /list function.
Issuing the /list will send the entire network channel list to you showing the channel name and the topic for each.
This is a very long list. Luckily the list command takes arguments to fine tune your search.
If you're using an IRC client like Hexchat it will open the Channel List window.
/list
This command will display a list of all the channels available
/list #op*
This command will show you a list of all channels that start with 'op'. This list is sent to the 'status' tab.
/list >20
Will send a list of all channels with more than 20 users.
/list
Lists the channels that are available to you. See the topic above for more info.
/join
Self explanatory, this is used to join a channel, to join #opnewblood, you would type /join #opnewblood
/nick
This command will change your nickname for instance if you wanted to be called gigapuddi you'd type /nick gigapuddi. Remember though if you do this you won't be registered unless you re-register with nickserv (see the walkthrough to anon if you dont know what nickserv is, or want help with it).
/whois
This will display information about the person you selected, such as their vHost, what channels they're in ect. to find a whois just type /whois username
/me
Not really as necessary, but used sometimes. for instance if you wanted to wave at someone, you would type /me waves it would appear as "anon waves"
/topic
If you want to see a topic in a certain channel just type /topic and it will read it out to you.
/msg
If you want to have a conversation (pm) with a specific person the best thing to do is message them, just type /msg username message here. Be sure to use a space between their name and the message. ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION before messaging someone you do not know.
/query
Same thing as msg, except this will open up a new window for you to have a conversation with this person.
/ignore
Trolls are plenty, and it's best not to feed them, and just ignore them. To ignore someone type /ignore username
/away
To mark yourself away, you can use this, if you were for instance making a sandwich, you could do /away making sammiches and people will know you're making sandwiches. Away messages are fine but do not use the 'Announce away messages' function in some clients as this will be met with scorn followed by a ban.
/ping
This is to see the latency to the server, if you're lagging this might give you more information, to ping a server just type /ping ipadresshere
/notify on/off
This will change if you get a notification (a beep sound) whenever someone types your name. to turn off /notify off to turn on do /notify on
/part
This will exit the current channel without quitting your session. You can part any channel you're in with /part #channelname.
/quit
This will let you quit.
##Advanced usage
When you arrive on the IRC for the first time, you will be using an unregistered nickname. If you plan on becoming a regular user, it is vital to register your nick. This is important for several reasons :
It ensures that nobody can impersonate you.
It grants you various abilities which non registered users do not have
It also allows you to use a vHost - this lets you make a clever hostname.
Remember- your IP is always masked from other users, even without a vHost.
When you identify (see above the how-to), this will tell nickserv that you are the real owner of your nickname.
If you do not do this, you will not have access to registered-only chans or your vHost. For safety reasons, it is recommended that you type the command in your status window so, in the event of an error on your part, you do not post your password to an entire channel.
If you are using an IRC client you can put the password in the field provided and you will be automatically logged in.
For more information about Nickserv :
/msg nickserv help or just /ns help