IRC

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a protocol used for real-time chat. The main focus lies on group communications, but private chat is also possible. In order to use IRC, you need to use an IRC Client (software) to connect to a specific IRC server (for example the GBAtemp IRC server, with address irc2.gbatemp.net). You will always need to connect to a specific port, like 5190 for the GBAtemp server. The port is added behind the server address, separated by a colon (For example, the full address of the GBAtemp IRC server is irc2.gbatemp.net:5190).

Getting Started

A startup guide can be found in the IRC Guide. An older guide can still be found here.

Replies

To post a reply in a channel or query (see below), you just have to type the message in your IRC client and press Enter. Every message will appear like this:

<yourname> message

Commands

To enter a Command, simply start your reply with a single / (slash). Every command has a different effect. Many commands are handled by the IRC Client, but can also be sent to the server if the Command is not recognized.

Some Commands

Some common commands on IRC. Everything between < > needs to be replace by what it says.

Command	What it does
/join <channelname>	Lets you join a specific channel.
/leave <channelname>	Leave a channel.
/quit	Disconnect from the server.
/nick <new nickname>	Changes your nickname.
/msg <name> <message>	Start a new query with <name>.
/me <action>	"/me" will be replaced by your nickname, allowing you to express an action (example: /me is bored).
/whois <name>	Shows some information about <name>.
/mode <...>	Very powerful command. More info in the IRC Guide.
/list	Get a list with all (non-hidden) channels.

Channels

A channel is a place where people come together on an IRC server. Each channel has an unique name on the IRC Network. Most names start with a # symbol (example: #gbatemp.net). After you connected to a server, you can join a specific channel with the following command (replace <channelname> by the name of the channel, including the # symbol!):

/join <channelname>

The Main GBAtemp channel on the GBAtemp IRC server is #gbatemp.net. To get a list with all channels, type:

/list

Queries

Also called Private Messages. These are communications between 2 people. Unlike with a DCC (Direct Client to Client), you need to stay connected to the IRC server because there is no connection between the 2 IRC Clients. To start a Query with someone, use one of the following commands:

/msg <name> <message>

/query <name> <message>

IRC Rules & Operators

The rules for IRC can be found in the MOTD (Message of the day), which you should see when connecting to the IRC server (if you don't get it, you can use the /motd command, or use this page).

Operators are there to make sure the rules are followed at all times. The can be recognized by the @ symbol before their name. If you break a rule, you can be kicked from the channel (you are literally thrown out). In other cases, you may be banned from the channel or the entire server.

External links

IRC

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