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![[Simply Chat!]](04lead.gif)
Nidhi Taparia Rathi
Many predicted that IRC or Internet Relay Chat, one of the Internet's oldest forms of P2P (peer-to-peer) communication, would go on life support, with the growing popularity and ease-of-use of Web-based chat rooms and instant messaging.
However for hardcore chatters in India, the IRC phenomenon is far from over.
In fact, users insist, that the number of IRC members is growing. For instance Jayesh Mansukhani, who currently hosts his own channel in Mumbai with a monthly traffic of about 1,00,000 people, says, "You cannot find so many people in Yahoo Chat rooms or an IM like you can with IRC at one time. There are more Indian users on IRC than Yahoo, MSN and the chat rooms together!"
IRC, a free multi-user chat service, began connecting people around the globe since 1988. It consists of various separate networks (or "nets") of IRC servers, machines that allow users to connect to IRC channels. The largest nets are EFnet (the original IRC net, often having more than 32,000 people at once), Undernet, IRCnet, DALnet, and NewNet. Generally, the user runs a program called a "client" (see box) to connect to a server on one of the IRC nets. The server relays information to and from other servers on the same net.
Predominantly staffed by volunteers who donate their skills and servers to host the conversations, IRC was a 90s phenomenon. But in recent years, Web-based chat rooms and instant messaging clients have become popular. Some steadfast users say that IRC has now become populated with angry kids looking for a cyber-fight or sexually explicit conversation.
The power of IRC, the users say, is in its user-friendly features such as nickname management, channel management and usage of full-blown clients. It also allows chatters to create, manage and have a level of hierarchy on topics that one chooses. Unlike an IM service, IRC users don't need to upgrade frequently.
Webmaster Huafrid Bathena believes it is the ability to create an environment all his own that draws him to IRC. "On IRC, if I have founded a channel, I hold the power to add people in a list of hierarchy, which means that I can grant people the ability of kicking/banning and setting channel modes. All changes on that channel can be made only by me. Besides, there are IRC robots which help people like me who have their own channels monitor content… this helps cut down on abuse and makes chatting more friendly to the user."
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New IRC user Nita Pai is fascinated by the sheer number of people on IRC: "After many months of monotony in the Yahoo Chat room, I find more people with similar interests on IRC. Besides, IRC chatting is far simpler. Just log in and chat. No need to create an Id. In fact, I've even had IRC chatters help me get used to the Lingo and get comfortable with the commands, speed and interactivity. I think it fosters a community feeling, longer friendships and yes, more chat time."
One place where IRC scores is security: "Unlike a random chat in IMs or chat rooms where I need to ask for a/s/l, here I can get to test certain details. For example, I get the option to see the user's IP address, and thereby know his topographical location," says Pai.
Comparing Web-based chat rooms to IRC, Jayesh says, "I met a fellow rock lover on IRC. It also allows me to use direct connection or file transfer to share my music files with him etc. I have tried Web-based chat rooms, but I think chatting on IRC is far more interesting, interactive and time consuming."
For Jayesh, his IRC world online has also been extended offline. "We have had about 15 IRC meets in Mumbai in the last four years. Ninety percent of my current friends are from IRC. I met my ex-girlfriend on IRC too… I think it leads to stronger relationships as compared to a regular Web-based chat room."
For Huafrid, work and popularity may demand that he has seven IMs running on his machines, "But to relax, I usually prefer IRC. To me, it's more of a 'dear diary' that some people write. The only difference being that 'dear diary' seems to have an opinion too."
Not everybody holds the same opinion. An IRC user once, Megha stopped using the service when she got hooked onto MSN and Yahoo. However, she does peek into it occasionally. She warns, "If we don't do something, IRC will die just like Usenet did. Spammers and idiots have all but killed Usenet. I think IRC is next. It's sad to see all the conversations between folks about all the important and silly things dry up."
IRC BEGINNER'S GUIDE
What is IRC?
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a virtual meeting place where people from all over the world can meet and talk in a group on one of the many thousands of IRC channels, or just talk in private to family or friends.
Unlike user-friendly Web chat rooms, IRC may initially stump the first time user. However, once you've mastered a few basic commands it becomes very easy to use.
Logging on:
Just like you need a Web browser to use the WWW, you need an IRC client to connect to an IRC server. The server relays information to and from other servers on the same net.
Some Recommended clients are:
-- UNIX/shell: ircII
-- Windows: mIRC
-- Macintosh: Ircle
Once you have downloaded and installed an IRC client, you can log on to any IRC server like DalNet and Undernet, choose a nickname and get ready to chat.
Finding a channel: It's not uncommon for an IRC server to have dozens, hundreds or even thousands of chat channels open simultaneously. You can use the '/LIST' command, which lists all public channels, the number of users on each and a topic description for those that provide it. For more help on finding channels, click here.
IRC Commands: Most IRC clients (IRC programs) are written to use the standard Unix commands. Many clients also use modifications of the commands or commands that only work with the particular client. Here is a list of commands to get you started.
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