I'd love some information. Beginner, client, bouncer, channels. reddit / irc ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CallMeAdam2 · 2016-04-10 02:57 I'm new to IRCs. **Client** I'm stuck with Windows XP at home, so I'm wondering what IRC clients are good for that. It's a really damn slow machine. **Bouncer** I've read somewhere that you need to set up a server for bouncers. Is this true? I can't do that if that's the case, I just don't have enough resources. What's the security risk of not using a bouncer? How bad is the risk? **Channel** I'd love to make a channel, specifically for one small subreddit created from Reddit Robin, which is also what got me interested in IRCs. What server would be appropriate for that? How would I go about it? Would I need my own server, which I can't do? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RShotZz · 2016-04-10 12:13 1. I think using HexChat should be fine. 2. Get a bouncer if you want to stay online all day. I recommend EliteBNC or LayerBNC. 3. You can make a channel on most networks. Netsplit.de has a network list that might help you decide. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nekoningen · 2016-04-10 13:27 If you're making a channel for a sub, there's a dedicated network for reddit. https://snoonet.org/whysnoonet ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2016-04-10 14:08 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- zkxs · 2016-04-10 14:08 I'll focus on your questions about bouncers. # What is a bouncer? There are two main functions a bouncer performs. Firstly, as your connection detours through the bouncer before reaching the IRC server, your IP address is masked and only the bouncer's IP address is visible. Secondly, unlike many chat applications, the IRC protocol does not provide a backlog of messages from when you were offline. Because the bouncer is always connected to the IRC server, it is possible for it to save a backlog for you even when your actual client is not connected. # Why would I want to mask my IP? You don't worry about hiding your IP address [when using a browser](ht tps://www.google.com/search?q=what%27s+my+ip+address&ie=utf-8&oe=utf- 8), so what makes IRC different? IRC does not conceal your IP address from other users. Lets say my nickname is 'zkxs' on some IRC server. If you run the '/whois zkxs' command, it will show you a variety of information about me, including my IP address. While some servers do mask user's IP addresses, many do not. # Is it a security risk not to mask my IP? Masking your IP address provides absolutely no real security. All you get from it is obscurity, and the false sense of security that entails. There are only around 3.7 billion valid public IPv4 addresses, which means it is possible for the entire IPv4 internet to be scanned (although it takes a while). Regardless of whether or not you hide your IP address on IRC, people will attempt to connect to your computer and scan for vulnerabilities. Rather than worrying about keeping people from knowing your IP address, you should worry what somebody who already has it can do with it. **TLDR: You don't need a bouncer. You do need a firewall, especially if you're running an out of support OS like Windows XP.** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rubinlinux · 2016-04-10 18:15 You can get irc clients for xp still no problem. A bouncer is nice but it is really a more advanced thing, you don't need it until you know you need it. Some networks like AfterNet provide a znc bouncer you can use just for them. Making a channel is easy, just join it on the network you choose. To make it permanent even when you aren't there you can register with a channel services bot on most networks. Also many nets offer a Web based client such as one based on kiwi irc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CallMeAdam2 · 2016-04-10 20:27 I tried finding on old version of HexChat that would work on my machine, but their page didn't have a version archive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RShotZz · 2016-04-10 21:33 [Look here](https://dl.hexchat.net) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CallMeAdam2 · 2016-04-10 21:40 "This site can’t provide a secure connection dl.hexchat.net uses an unsupported protocol. ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH" There are some websites that have been not letting me in since I've switched to XP, giving me similar errors. I met one that instead straight-up told me to piss off, dumbass XP user, go upgrade, don't try to hack me. (Not quite the same words, but same message.) I used to have Vista, and that worked fine.