How to IRC

IRC MADE EASY, by QUINTUPLICATE, 2019.
Second printing with some errors corrected and other assorted revision, 2020.
Third printing with corrections and revisions, 2021.
CONTENTS.
Introduction.
Part I. The Nature of IRC.
Part II. Connecting.
Part III. Commands.
Part IV. Services.
Part V. Modes.
Tabulation of Mod Roles.
Further Reading.
INTRODUCTION.
If you are reading this, you do not need reasons for using IRC; therefore none will be given.

Brevity, simplicity, clarity, organization, and convenience have been the goals of this work, and not literary beauty.

I would like to thank all those who read and offered feedback on this work. I do not pretend to be an expert, and this work is mostly based on my personal experience. All faults in this work are mine alone, and suggestions for improvement are eagerly requested.

This work is intended to be read from beginning to end. Sequential indices head every part and division, in order to provide a concise summary of the matter contained therein.

I disclaim all legal responsibility for anything done in consequence of this work. I also disclaim all rights in this work; it is in the public domain.

THE AUTHOR.
PART I. THE NATURE OF IRC.
1. IRC, servers, clients.
2. Clients only receive when they are online.
3. Networks and channels.
4. # and & channels.
5. Life and death of channels.
6. Channel, network, and server operators.
7. Existence of # channels.
8. Commands and ordinary messages.
9. / for starting commands.
1. Internet Relay Chat, or IRC, is a protocol for communication between:
First. Servers, which carry the communication; and
Second. Clients, which are connected to servers, through which they communicate with each other.
2. Servers do not store messages for clients; a client will only see the messages servers transmit when it is online.
3. Servers--
First. May be grouped into networks, which allow channels to be shared;
Second. Carry channels, in which all communication between clients takes place.
4. Channels begin with--
First. # for channels usable throughout the network; and
Second. & for channels usable on one server only. Few networks will have or allow the creation of such channels.
Note. Channels beginning with ## are # channels, and on Freenode are used for conversation unrelated to FOSS.
5. A channel is created when the first user joins, and is destroyed when the last user leaves.
Note. When a client joins a channel, it is created on the server to which the client is connected.
6. Channels, servers, and networks have their own classes of operators, each having a wider range of power than the one before it.
7. A channel beginning with # exists--
First. On every server to which a client that is a member of it is connected;
Second. On every server through which a message to every server covered by the first item must pass.
8. Clients and servers may send commands to servers. An ordinary message is interpreted as "/query <message>".
9. A command always begins with "/".
PART II. CONNECTING.
10. Clients.
11. Web chats.
12. Finding channels.
13. Server key, address, and nick.
14. Message of the day.
15. Joining channels.
16. Networks.
17. Autojoins.
10. There is no single make of client; instead there is a variety of types. Ones I've used are:
mIRC: For Windows. Proprietary shareware with a $20 license fee after 30 days.
Pidgin: For Windows and Linux. Is also a client for many other chat protocols, but is slightly different from more conventional IRC clients.
Trillian: For OS X, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. Proprietary, has a free version and a paid version without ads, resembles an IM client much more than an IRC client. Is also a client for its in-house chat protocol.
HexChat: For Windows. FOSS version of XChat, which has a proprietary Windows version that requires payment. Past a certain point, will clear old messages as new messages come in. Has support for mIRC color codes, but not for Chinese characters.
Irssi: For Linux. A Text Based client, unlike the 4 others, which are GUI clients. Not recommended for new users.
There are also other clients that I haven't used:
Chatzilla (an add-on for Firefox), XChat (FOSS for Linux), WeeChat, Quassel, AdiIRC, etc.
11. For connecting on the go or from foreign devices, use KiwiIRC (kiwiirc.com) or Mibbit (mibbit.com), or see if the IRC network provides a web chat.
12. To find IRC channels, use irc2go.com. Most clients will include lists of networks with them.
13. To connect to IRC, it is needed to provide:
First. A server key or password. Very few servers will have this.
Second. A server address. Use the address the network provides for the whole network; a server will be automatically assigned to you.
Third. A nickname or nick. If your nick is already in use, the server will let you join with numbers added to the end.
14. Once you have connected, you will receive a Message Of The Day. This will usually include ground rules for the network and helpful tips.
15. From this point on, type "/join [channel, including leading symbol] [password if one is needed]" if you were asked to join a channel, or just "/list" if you're just looking around.
16. Here are some networks:
Freenode: Focuses on free and open-source software and other collaborative projects. Much more centralized and strictly governed than other IRC networks. (chat.freenode.net)
Rizon: A general-purpose IRC network. It aims to cultivate a free, fun atmosphere. Both entertainment channels like #4chan and #8chan as well as more serious channels like #bibanon are there. (irc.rizon.net)
EFnet: The original IRC network (not exactly, but close enough.) Has no ChanServ or NickServ, so keeping your nickname and channel yours will require some legwork. (irc.efnet.org)
IRCnet: A European split of EFnet. Has no ChanServ or NickServ, so keeping your nickname and channel yours will require some legwork. (open.ircnet.net)
Undernet: Has no NickServ, and registering channels is by application; channels will only be registered if they are active and have 5 regulars. (irc.undernet.net)
These are the biggest ones, but there are many small networks. You're liable to find a good conversation and many friends on any of them, so give them a try!
17. At this point you may be wondering how to have your client join a channel every time you log on. Your client should have an "execute upon connection" box. Type /join [channel] [password if one is needed] in it.
PART III. COMMANDS.
Prior reading: par. 9.
18. /join, /j.
19. /msg, /m
20. Target of /msg.
21. /quit.
22. /part.
23. /say, /query.
24. Important notices for /say and /query.
25. /invite.
26. /op, /deop, /voice, /devoice, /hop, /dehop.
27. /ban, /unban, /kick, /kickban, /kb.
28. /whois, /whowas.
29. /help.
18. The first command we will look at is /join or /j. It has two parameters:
First. Channel to join. Mandatory. The initial symbol must be included.
Second. Channel key. Optional. If you happen to forget it, you may ask ChanServ using /cs GETKEY.
Note. A /join command may fail because the channel you join is an invite-only channel. Again, ask ChanServ for an invite.
19. Another command is /msg, or /m for short everywhere except Pidgin. It is used for private messages, (DO NOT CALL THEM DIRECT MESSAGES UNLESS YOU WANT TO SOUND LIKE YOU USE DISCORD WHICH YOU SHOULDN'T BECAUSE IT'S NOT FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE.) It has two parameters:
First. The target. Mandatory.
Second. The message. Mandatory.
20. The target can be:
First. A user. The message might not get through because the user might not take PMs from unregistered users or have put you on /ignore.
Second. A channel. Channels are set by default not to accept messages from users that are not in them.
Third. A service. In most clients, messages to services do not appear in a separate window.
21. Another command is /quit. It disconnects you from IRC. The command takes one parameter: a quit message. It is optional to leave a quit message, but usually people will tell a joke in it. If none is given, it will default to "Leaving".
22. Another command is /part. It allows you to leave a channel without disconnecting altogether. It has two parameters:
First. A channel to leave. Optional, defaults to channel you are typing /part in.
Second. A part message. Optional, defaults to none.
23. Another two commands are /say and /query. They send a message normally as if no command were being used, and are good for two purposes:
First. Sending a message beginning with / without triggering a command.
Second. PMing someone and opening a separate window with that person (/msg doesn't do that.)
Note. For the first item, if you begin a message with ./ you will be understood.
24. For using /say and /query, remember that:
First. /say works on channels, while /query works on users.
Second. /say takes only the message as a parameter, while /query takes the same parameters as /msg except it is not possible to /query channels.
25. Another command is /invite. For invite only channels, this will be necessary if you want to get someone in. It has two parameters:
First. The user to be invited. Mandatory.
Second. The channel to be invited to. Optional, defaults to current channel.
Note. You have to be an op to use this. If you are already one and can't get in, use ChanServ.
26. Another set of commands are /op and /deop, /hop and /dehop, /voice and /devoice. They will save you a lot of effort if you don't want to use /mode or ChanServ.
Note. To op yourself when you have the right to do so, use ChanServ.
27. To punish people, use /ban and /unban, /kick, or /kickban or /kb if you want to do both. People who are under a plain /ban will not be allowed to send messages to the channel, but will still be able to view messages. If they leave, they can't rejoin for the duration of the ban. It takes one parameter, the mask, consisting of

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27. To punish people, use /ban and /unban, /kick, or /kickban or /kb if you want to do both. People who are under a plain /ban will not be allowed to send messages to the channel, but will still be able to view messages. If they leave, they can't rejoin for the duration of the ban. It takes one parameter, the mask, consisting of three parts:
First. The nickname. This will ban everyone using the nickname.
Second. The "ident", i.e. the part you see before the @ when someone joins a channel.
Third. The host. An IP address or range of IP addresses can be used. If there are no legitimate users from a country or state trolls are posting from, you may do /ban *!*@*.[country code] or /ban *!*@*.[USPS code, e.g. wa for Washington].us. Regular expressions may be used for all 3 parts of the mask.
Note. Timed bans are not possible with /ban or /kb. You must /unban manually.
28. To find out what someone's IP is, use /whois and /whowas. The only parameter is the nickname.
Note. On Freenode and some other networks, YOUR IP ADDRESS IS NOT MASKED LIKE IT IS ON RIZON. IT IS IN YOUR BENEFIT TO OBTAIN A CLOAK/VHOST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
29. To know what commands your client supports, use /help. Play around a bit. It'll explain some of the more obscure commands better than I can.
PART IV. SERVICES.
Prior reading: par. 9.
30. Services common to all networks with them.
31. Services that occasionally appear.
32. Scope of part.
33. Querying a server, /ns, /cs, /ms, /hs.
34. HELP.
Div. 1. NickServ.
Div. 2. ChanServ.
Div. 3. MemoServ.
Div. 4. Miscellaneous.
30. Every network that has services will have--
First. NickServ, for registering nicknames.
Second. ChanServ, for registering channels.
Third. MemoServ, for sending memos to offline users.
Fourth. OperServ, for use by server operators.
31. Some networks will also have--
First. HostServ, for requesting virtual hosts for cloaking IPs.
Second. BotServ, for requesting bots.
Third. HelpServ, for requesting help.
Fourth. FunServ, for trivia games.
32. This work will not attempt to go into an exhaustive description of what every service can do, but will cover the basics of using them as well as some useful functions.
33. To query a server, use /msg [service] [command]. Most, but by no means all, clients will allow you to shorten the query by using:
First. For NickServ, /nickserv or /ns.
Second. For ChanServ, /chanserv or /cs.
Third. For MemoServ, /memoserv or /ms.
Fourth. For HostServ, /hostserv or /hs.
Note. The latter, abbreviated forms will be used throughout this work.
34. Your first command to a service should always be /msg [service] HELP.
Div. 1. NickServ.
Prior reading: pars. 30, 33, 34.
35. REGISTER.
36. CONFIRM.
37. IDENTIFY.
38. Auto-identify.
39. GHOST.
40. GROUP.
41. SET ENFORCE.
35. To register a nickname, use /ns REGISTER, with the following two parameters:
First. A password.
Second. An email address.
Note. Registration is highly encouraged, both for the security of your nickname, as well as because some channels won't let you join if you are unregistered to prevent spammers.
36. After you have done so, you will receive an email which will direct you to type /ns CONFIRM followed by a code. The registration will expire if you do not confirm it within 24 hours.
37. To log in as a registered nickname, use /ns IDENTIFY, with the following parameters:
First. A nickname, if it is not your current nickname.
Second. The password you registered it as.
38. Constantly typing it may be annoying, not to mention revealing of your IP. To have your client "remember" your password, put /ns IDENTIFY [password] in your auto-execute box.
39. Sometimes when you get disconnected there may be a copy of yourself still in the channel. To remove this copy, type /ns GHOST with the following parameters:
First. The nickname to be removed.
Second. The password of that nick, if you are not in a group with it.
Note. If your client allows for it, by all means put down names for your "second alternative" and "third alternative", and register them.
40. If you do get a vHost/cloak, it would be a good idea to group all your nicks under one group, so that all the nicks may use it.
Use /ns GROUP with the following parameters:
First. A nick you wish to be in the same group with.
Second. That nick's password.
41. To protect your nickname while you are offline, use /ns SET ENFORCE. This will give anybody who uses this nickname 30 seconds to supply the password, or have their nick changed.
Div. 2. ChanServ.
Prior reading: par. 26.
42. REGISTER.
43. SET ACCESSTYPE.
44. Ways to use xOP.
45. SOP, AOP, HOP, VOP.
46. xOP.
47. Powers of ops.
48. Voiced people.
49. Half-ops.
50. Ops.
51. Super-ops.
52. Symbols for ops.
53. Purpose of ACCESS.
54. Access levels.
55. HELP LEVELS DESC.
56. LEVELS.
57. ACCESS.
58. Purpose of FLAGS.
59. Nature of FLAGS.
60. HELP FLAGS.
61. FLAGS.
62. Need to register.
42. To register a channel, use /cs REGISTER, with the following three parameters:
First. The channel to be registered.
Second. A password for that channel. While mandatory, you may wish to enable SECUREFOUNDER to prevent anyone into the hands of which the password might fall from abusing it.
Third. A description of that channel, for use with /list.
Note. Some networks might not require the second or third.
43. There are three ways to manage the various administrative positions of an IRC channel:
First. xOP.
Second. ACCESS.
Third. FLAGS.
Note. To change from one to the other, use /cs SET #channel ACCESSTYPE.
44. XOP may be used:
First. By /mode.
Second. By ChanServ.
45. There are four types of ops:
First. Super-ops (SOP).
Second. Ops (AOP).
Third. Half-ops. (HOP).
Fourth. Voiced people. (VOP).
Note. The fourth is not a real op class, but still a privileged class; as used here, the word "op" includes voiced people.
46. To add people to each class, use /cs #channel xOP [hence the name] with the single parameter of the nickname of the person to be added.
47. Each level of op, except voiced people, can:
First. Ban and kick people at or below their level.
Second. Give and take access levels at or below their level.
48. Voiced people gain no privileges except the right to keep sending messages when the channel is under +m.
49. Half-ops can set the topic on top of that.
50. Ops, also known as chanops or chops, can ban, give, and take ops and half-ops.
51. Super-ops, or protect-ops, can only be kicked by the channel owner.
52. The symbols for them in text-based clients are:
First. For the owner of the channel, ~ before the nick.
Second. For super-ops, & before the nick.
Third. For ops, @ before the nick.
Fourth. For half-ops, % before the nick.
Fifth. For voiced people, + before the nick.
Note. See the "Tabulation of Mod Roles" for the representations of mod roles in two common clients.
53. ACCESS is useful if you wish all users of a certain class to have privileges other than the default granted by xOP.
54. The access levels are:
First. The founder, 10000.
Second. Super-ops, 10.
Third. Ops, 5.
Fourth. Half-ops, 4.
Fifth. Voiced people, 3.
Sixth. Ordinary users, 0.
Seventh. Banned people, -1.
Note. The gaps between access levels are deliberate, to enable the formation of new access levels.
55. For a list of access levels with their features, use /cs HELP LEVELS DESC.
56. To adjust them, use /cs LEVELS with the following parameters:
First. The channel on which the change is to take place.
Second. LIST, to simply list the privileges of the current access levels for the channel and SET, to change them.
Third. The feature (found using HELP LEVELS) the right to use which is sought to be changed.
Fourth. The numerical access level to change it to.
57. To add or remove a person to the access list, use /cs ACCESS with the following parameters:
First. The channel whose access list is sought to be changed.
Second. ADD to add someone and DEL to remove someone.
Third. The nick of the person to be added or removed.
Fourth. The access level to which they are to be added (for ADD only).
Note. To change the access level of a person, repeat this process.
58. FLAGS should be used if and only if you would like to fine-tune and individualize what every person is able to do.
59. FLAGS contains a list of attributes which are added to individual nicks as appropriate.
Note. These "attributes" contain one letter, and ARE NOT coterminous with or identical to the "features" of ACCESS!
60. To see a list of flags, use /cs HELP FLAGS.
Note. Flags are case sensitive.
61. To use FLAGS, use /cs FLAGS with the following parameters:
First. The channel.
Second. The nick.
Third. + or - followed by one-letter "flags".
Note. +* to add all privileges, -* to remove all.
62. It is absolutely necessary to be registered to register channels as well as be opped under either of these three systems. (Unless you use /mode, which expires every time you log off.) This is another incentive to register and have everyone in your channel register as well.
Div. 3. MemoServ.
Prior reading: par. 2.
63. MemoServ.
64. Advantages.
65. Memos to channels.
66. Possible application.
67. Range of memos to channels.
68. Storage of memos.
63. MemoServ is a service to send messages to registered:
First. Users.
Second. Channels.
64. The advantages of MemoServ are that it:
First. Works whether the target is on- or offline.
Second. Stores messages indefinitely.
65. MemoServ can be used to send messages to channels.
66. It is possible to set up a system where the ops of a channel talk to each other while private conversation continues unawares below. I do not believe this system is doable under any other protocol. This will greatly enhance the experience of managing a channel.
67. By default only super-ops and the owner will get memos to a channel. If you want people to get memos but do not