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IRC Tutorial

32 replies · 217 views · Started 19 November 2002

Ok here goes.

BASIC
We've got our 2 channels set up on the undernet IRC server group.

You can log in from a number of servers, I myself use irc.pi.be, because it's in belgium and will give me the fastest speeds.

A irc server is created for people to sit in channels and communicate with a whole bunch of persons at once.

First thing you'll have to do is login.
You can do this using all sorts of clients but I'll keep it to mIRC and the applet thing.

When you have chosen a nickname you can login, when you use my scripted version of mIRC, by default SymGuest is you nickname (unless someone else already has this nickname).
You can change your nickname at all times by pressing "/nick newnick"

The "/" indicates that it is a command.

IRC supports 2 sorts of 'modes' the first are the channels the second are the private chats ...

If you want to join a channel to be able to talk in it you'll have to use the command "/join #channel password"
For instance: "/join #allaboutsymbian" (doesn't need a password)

If you want to talk in private you'll have to use "/msg nick text"
This text will be seen by that person only. If you are using some descent client, you'll get a new window and you don't have to use the /msg nick anymore. In mIRC for instance you can just doubleclick on one of the names on the rigth of the channel to start such new window and private conversation.

Channel Securtiy
When you enter a channel using join without the channel existing this channel will be created and you become the owner. That's why I've got 2 linux programs connected and installed in our channel who will make sure the channel will always be for us to control 😊 these programs called bots are identified with the nicks Symbian(_) and Warlocks.

You can see who has control over the channel by looking at there nicks. If they have a @ before their name in the members list of the channel(next to the channel on the right) then they are operators.

There are also people with a + before their nick these people have a "voice" as it's called, this is normally used to indicate vip's. But It gives us some extra moderating functions which I explain further on.

User indetification
A user on irc is identified by it's nickname identd and host.
Press "/whois nick" to see these things.
Result of a whois:

SymGuest is [email protected] * http://www.AllAboutSymbian.com
SymGuest on +#AllAboutSymbian
SymGuest using *.undernet.org The Undernet Underworld
SymGuest End of /WHOIS list.

What does this all mean?
His nick is: SymGuest
His identd is: SymGuest ( from [email protected] )
His IP/host is: D5771A2D.kabel.telenet.be

With this information we can ban him from the channel.

Banning
If we want to ban a person we have to do it so they can't return the next second.
When you ban a person using only his nick, he can just change is nick and return ... so it's best to actual ban his IP.
You do this by using "/mode #channel +b *!*@hisip" our example: "/mode #allaboutsymbian +b *!*@D5771A2D.kabel.telenet.be"
This will ban the users IP from the channel until you delete the ban. Now this is the hard way, in mIRC you can just click on his nick and choose ban 😉
Just type "/mode #channel �b *!*@hisip" to undo it.
Double click on the channel body and mirc will present a window with all the bans and a add/remove button.

Kicking
As banning prevents the user of rejoining the channel this command makes sure he's been kicked of the channel.
Press "/kick nick" this will throw him from the channel 😊
MIRC let's you do this through the menu ...

Moderate
This is a usefull function, when you set the channel to moderate only people with a + and @ can talk on the channel ... this is very usefull when you arrange some special vip chats. Let everyone look and only give voice to some of them 😊
Use "/mode #channel +m" to set the moderate and �m to put it back off. Again use double click on the channel body.

Topic
To set the topic use "/topic #channel text" or double click on the channel body.

Users
To set users there status use "/mode #channel +[option] nick"
Options:
O : operator
V : voice

+o gives operator � o takes it, the same for v 😊

Using the mIRC menu when you rightclick a nick is way easier....

Now the good part.
Symbian_ can give you the operator status ...
You do this by logging in to Symbian(_)

3 options
1 telnet
2 DCC (safest!)
3 msg

if you can use DCC, use it 😊.
When you are on the channel rightclick on Symbian(_) choose DCC and then CHAT.
Log in using the password "n92p8n765" without the quotes.
press ".op #channel yournick" you don't need to put #channel if you want #allaboutsymbian because this is the default channel.
then press ".quit" to log out.

the unsafest way:

/msg symbian(_) op n92p8n765 (#allaboutsymbian)

The problem here is that someone else cna be using the nick symbian or symbian_. So pls watch out!!!!

Then last but not least ... we have a secret admin channel called #allaboutsymbian-admin with a password n92p8n765
join it by using "/join #allaboutsymbian-admin n92p8n765"
All the commands above work for this channel 2. But this channel will be used by us alone, so don't worry about the banning/kicking.

You can test awy but pls don't type you password in the channel 😊 Only int he admin channel. The main channels logs will be posted online in the future ...

If anything is unclear pls say so :😊
I'm hoping to announce it this week or so ...

Just a final note 😉
you may use:

/msg symbian(_) op n92p8n765

2 problems regarding safety :

people forget the /
you msg to the wrong person ... symbian can change his name to symbian or symbian_

the quick and safe way is to double click on the nick of the bot ...
then type "op n92p8n765" in that window ...

then you can't forget the msg (because you just opened a direct window to him)
and because you pressed his nick and you saw that he was operator on the channel you can be sure you are talking to the real deal.

If you are unsure if you are talking to my bot .. jsut do a whois on him.
THis should be the result:

Symbian_ is [email protected] * http://www.AllAboutSymbian.com
Symbian_ on @#allaboutsymbian-admin @#AllAboutSymbian
Symbian_ using *.undernet.org The Undernet Underworld
Symbian_ End of /WHOIS list.

Only Symbian_ can be Symbian ...

ty 😉
Something else:
using /whois or whois from the mirc menu will display the result in the status window. This is the first window on the window bar of mirc.
It's minimized at startup.

and a usefull trick with the whois command:
if you use /whois nick nick instead of /whois nick
you'll get that nicks idle time 😊
So you cna know when he's around 😉
example: /whois Ewan-FP Ewan-FP
Result:

Ewan-FP is [email protected] * http://www.AllAboutSymbian.com
Ewan-FP on @#AllAboutSymbian
Ewan-FP using *.undernet.org The Undernet Underworld
Ewan-FP has been idle 3mins 54secs, signed on Tue Nov 19 23:37:32
Ewan-FP End of /WHOIS list.

http://allaboutsymbian.com/chat/stats/

Daily stats for the irc channel, rather boring and lame page but it could be usefull 😊

Syndication system test: http://nokia.warlocks.be/chat/
People will have to include <script src="http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/chat/chatinclude.js"></script>

In their page and our chat with our nice banner will be included in their page 😊
Gadget17 already wants to link to it. I'm guessing more sites will join in.

Maybe better that the JS is moved to the general syndication map.
I'm guessing Rafe has some good ideas where to put everything before the launch .. 😊

I must confess I have _never_ used irc :-? 😮
I guess now its time to start learning. Must read these first.
Are there any usefull helps & pointers from you guys?

Well to speed things up I have registered the channels #allaboutsymbian and #allaboutsymbian-admin in DALNET.

This does not mean that I suggest we move there but just to make sure...Anyways by registering the channel it is ours now and cannot be taken by anybody else! Even if the channels are empty nobody will be able to get an Op status (@) unless I give him access....If we decide to move there I will give the founder level to the one responsible for the chat room. Or take it by yourself! The channel password is: N9210N7650 .....so Dazler if you want we can do it this way! If you dont no sweat! 😊

When I get off my lazy arse and sort out the pages so people knows it there and have instrcutions. I was going to do it last night, but my housemate broke his wrist when he fell off his bike and so I spent the evening in hospital.

I'll do it today. It got dleayed ebfore this cause we were sorting out security etc.

Rafe

[quote="Rafe"]When I get off my lazy arse and sort out the pages so people knows it there and have instrcutions. I was going to do it last night, but my housemate broke his wrist when he fell off his bike and so I spent the evening in hospital.

I'll do it today. It got dleayed ebfore this cause we were sorting out security etc.

Rafe[/quote]

Your housemate isn't having a good time of it lately is he 😞

[quote="MaleBuffy"]Well to speed things up I have registered the channels #allaboutsymbian and #allaboutsymbian-admin in DALNET.

This does not mean that I suggest we move there but just to make sure...Anyways by registering the channel it is ours now and cannot be taken by anybody else! Even if the channels are empty nobody will be able to get an Op status (@) unless I give him access....If we decide to move there I will give the founder level to the one responsible for the chat room. Or take it by yourself! The channel password is: N9210N7650 .....so Dazler if you want we can do it this way! If you dont no sweat! 😊[/quote]

*sigh* very well then.
Could you list 4 dalnet server and change the password to the n92p8n765?
Could you also list how we login?
I'll be redirecting the bots to the new servers and change the mIRC client.

Servers:

tiscali.uk.eu.dal.net UK
liberty.nj.us.dal.net US
coins.dal.net AS
sodre.on.ca.dal.net CA

Channels: #allaboutsymbian and #allaboutsymbian-admin

The admin channel needs a key which is the known passowrd for all!

In order to join the admin channel you have to be an (op)erator.

Now, the only thing you have to do is log in to the server and register your nickname! You do this by logging in with your nick and typing:

/chanserv register <password> <email>

An email will be sent to the email address you provided and there are instructions to complete the registration (its just a klick anyways).

I can give access (access is something like op status) to registered nicknames so if you register please tell us so that we can add you to the access list!

Dazler I changed the password so you can become founder etc. to help speed up the proccess!

Any questions please ask!

I may being slow, but why do we need to chnage servers? I thought the current on was fine?

Rafe

Hmms, I've tried the DalNet and found it damn laggy, plus chanserv won't let me register my name. Not much cop really.

[quote="Rafe"]I may being slow, but why do we need to chnage servers? I thought the current on was fine?

Rafe[/quote]

The idea of this one is the admin team can register their nicknames so no-one can pretend to be us. Also the ChanServ bot controls all the registered channels and stops random people logging in to your channel when no-ones there and taking ops.

The first reason is that our bots are down. (don't think much longer)
The second reason is that the server can keep our channel reserved.
If we use Undernet we can do this 2 but this will take a while (have to prove that the channel is worthy)

I like Undernet because it's faster and has more servers = stability

But it's up to you guys.
Only big difference is that we can start the irc thing faster ... and we don't have to depend on out bots ...

Should I start a poll? 😉

I appreciate your work Malebuffy.
If it seemed otherwise ... then I blame this fucking headache of mine ...

As fars I'm concerned this is Dazler's call. It seems to me that for now at lest what we have works. If there are problem we can always have a rethink. I personallu think speed is more important. Perhaps a note saying that unless the people have op status we can't guarantee they are who they say they are.

Another thing is to have a system on the channel bot so that when they enter the channel they enter their password or whatever so you can reduce people faking each other (I've seen great quotes taken in other channels from people pretending to be each other).

Wahoo, if people feel the need, i've also managed 2 connect from my phone and it works great, better than trying 2 type this message neway. 😊

Why not hotlink the irc chat on this forum site or embed the java applet in here?

I have not been chatting via IRC for past 5 years... too much policial problem between user and cop! I am a channel owner b4 and my users are much more than the one you have now...... 😉 . IRC do give me too many sad menories... Reson why i left chatting in IRC, i am tired of this. Perhaps that's old flashback of my bad experiences. Not easy to maintain a big channel. I know that! :fadein:

I stopped using IRC cos I came home, connected and chatted to mates till 2am without doing anything else or realising the amount of time spent. It can be fun with the right crowd, there were about 100 peeps in the channel I used, it was very friendly apart from a few arguments (mostly girls bickering with each other - as they do).