After you know the main IRC command I think to teach to more things.

You can uses the CTCP (Client-to-Client-Protocol) with is special type to communication between IRC client. The most used CTCP's are ping, version and time the syntax is /ctcp nick event. Example: /ctcp MacTeP ping and you will see MacTeP's ping replay, something like [MacTeP PING reply]: 1sec. To understand all CTCP events I will write examples with all. For instance /ctcp nick version will replay you nick's version. Example: /ctcp MacTeP version will replay you [MacTeP VERSION reply]: mIRC v6.03 Khaled Mardam-Bey if MacTeP uses mIRC v6.03. The /ctcp nick time replays nick's time, very usefully if you chat in an international channel. Example: /ctcp MacTeP time will replay [MacTeP TIME reply]: Sat Jun 14 22:21:43 2003 if MacTeP's clock is set to Sat Jun 14 22:21:43 2003.

I think you may want to know some useful commands. When you chat for a long time you need to clear your screen because it's full with text. This is easy with command /clear who cleans all in your active chat windows. If you want to clean all screens its possible with a command /clearall. There is on very nice command with who chat from some host, this is command /who. Its syntax is easy /who [host]. Example: /who lan.viknet.com and this will back you list with people who are connected to this server with this host.

If you have lots of friends in IRC you will need a way to know who of them is online now but this can be difficult they are in many different channels. Decision for you problem can be to add your friends in you notify list. First you must turn notify on with command /notify ON. After this you may add your friends in your notify list, this is very easy with command /notify [nick] [comment]. Example /notify MacTeP One big lame will add MacTeP to your notify list with a comment One big lame. May be you will want to see your notify list with a command /notify -l, this command will list you all people in your notify list.

Sometime when you are in IRC you have other work like reading mail or something else. This time is good to set away to know people that you are not in from of your PC or you are busy. To set away is easy with a command /away [reason]. Example /away Reading my mail and this will set you away with reason Reading my mail. When someone uses command /whois to you he will see that you are away. If someone writes to you at private after first every message he will receive message that you are away.

Very useful is and DCC. This allows you to connect directly to another IRC client. You can send, receive or chat privately for more security. The DCC option that I use other is sending files to other people. This is possible with command /DCC send [nick] [file]. Example /DCC send MacTeP DHSoft.txt and this will send to MacTeP file DHSoft.txt, the user to who you send the file will accept this. DCC chat is very used too. Command for this is /DCC chat [nick]. Example /DCC chat MacTeP and you will chat more secure with MacTeP but first he must accept the DCC chat.

The biggest part of IRC servers has activated services. In the services you can register your nickname or your channel. With services you can send messages to registered users that aren't online at this moment. So I think services are very useful. The most popular services are with nicks ChanServ, NickServ, MemoServ and OperServ, in some networks they are with nick CS, NS, MS, OS. The different services have different commands but I will sad you some standard commands and how to use them. The most popular way to send commands to services are with their short name: /cs [command], /ns [command], /ms [command]. NS is for nickname, CS is for channels and MS is for memos. If you are for first time in this network better type /ns help. Possible command for registering nickname is /ns register [password] [e-mail] but some networks asks for 2 passwords for better security, there are and some that wants only one password. To register channel I prefer you to type /cs help register. The best way to use services is help they have very good help.

Some of you asked me for IRC bots or robots. Bots in IRC are some types: mIRC, EggDrop and WinDrop are most popular of them. If you want to run bot I prefer you EggDrop(for Linux) and WinDrop(For Windows). There are and some people who uses mIRC bots but I think it is not good. MIRC bots are just one mIRC script. I think to explain you EggDrops and WinDrops. They are very powerful and can do lots of thinks. If you want to read more for EggDrop see www.egghelp.org witch is very useful there are bots for downloads, tcl scripts (scripts that bots uses), manuals and etc. WinDrop is the same thing like EggDrop but for windows, it is using cygwin.

I think when you know so much things it is time to understand what is IRC Operator, not operator in some channel. The IRC Operators are people who have more power that other users on them server. Usually you can ask them for help and etc. Them task is to protect the server. The have power to kill you from server, to ban you from server (setting you a k-line) or if there are more than one servers in the networks if the IRC Operator have a Global or Admin status he can ban you from the network (setting you a g-line). The IRC Operators can kicked you from your channel without op, they can take and gave op without having it, changing channel modes without op and etc. If you have suggestions for server the IRC Operators are people to how is good to say, some of them are and developers but if they aren't they will say to them Admin or to developer.

For any questions, suggestion, corrections mail me at: scbsdss@yahoo.com

Author: MacTeP
Date: August 05 2003