Noob question regarding IRC reddit / irc ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rawporks · 2019-07-13 14:37 Lately, I have been trying to get the hang of IRC (mIRC). I have one doubt though. Once I re-open the app, do I have to go through the process of connecting to (the desired) server each time, clicking on the user list - to be able to PM them again/ see any new messages? I'm finding the whole process a bit clumsy as I just need to use 1-2 servers, and tend to miss new messages (In case I forget to start mIRC) ​ Also, really lazy on my part- but can someone send me a noob-friendly guide on using IRC, and if possible; a better alternative to mIRC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- coldf2 · 2019-07-13 15:02 If you’re connecting with just mIRC then yes. If you want to not miss any messages you can use a znc. A znc is a server that you connect to on mIRC that keeps you constantly connected even when mIRC is closed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SqualorTrawler · 2019-07-13 15:31 znc is a specific implementation of a **bouncer**. There are many besides znc but this is essentially correct. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SqualorTrawler · 2019-07-13 15:38 Yes, so. The confusion here is that IRC was invented in the 1980s. It is not like instant messaging or the sorts of applications like Discord you might run today on a mobile phone which will show you the stuff you missed. At the time, always-on, always-connected Internet wasn't really a thing. People connected when they wanted to chat, and disconnected when they were done. Often, times were scheduled for group chats - everyone come here Sunday afternoon at 3pm and we'll talk. This was a result of scarce computing resources, limited bandwidth, and, then, later, the nature of dial-up Internet. There are other reason why things aren't cached. Some networks even today don't let you log in, so there is no concept of a user; everyone is anonymous and pseudonymous. If you use the nickname "somedude" and log off, I can log in and use "somedude" myself. So for private messages, this would be disastrous. (Services like NICKSERV were developed later to create the concept of user accounts.) Some don't even have channel registration, so if I create an IRC channel and all the users in that channel log off, someone else can create a channel and become a channel operator for it. Things were very ephemeral early on, and on some networks they are even now. When you're not connected to IRC using mIRC or a program like it, there's nothing caching messages that are being sent, such that it can show you what you missed when you were offline. When you're offline, you will simply not be able to see the messages that were sent. To mitigate this, a variety of add-ons or assistant technologies were created. One are bots, which can log a channel or private messages and stay connected 24/7. The other - this is what you want - was mentioned by /u/coldf2 - bouncers. Bouncers stay connected to IRC for you, and then mIRC connects to the bouncer and when it does, the messages you missed are sent by the bouncer, which logs or caches them. mIRC is the IRC client of the 1990s and was probably the dominant Windows client that introduced most people to IRC. It has been in development for decades and people who don't use it still tend to think of rather fondly. [Hexchat](https://hexchat.github.io/) is more modern but it doesn't provide any special additional functionality you're likely to use. There's no specific reason to use this over mIRC other than mIRC is not free and Hexchat is. Personally, I run my IRC client (it's a Linux console client) 24/7 so I can view things that are missed when I am gone. If you want to try using a bouncer, you have two alternatives: [1] Run it yourself. [2] There are services that run them on the Internet, some for pay, or for donation. I found [this one](https://www.elitebnc.org/) which appears to be free. A bouncer will do what you want it to do, with the added benefit of obscuring your IP address (to IRC, your IP address will be the bouncer's, not your home address.) mIRC ---- [bouncer] ---- [IRC server] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- baudwalk · 2019-07-13 15:59 For Windows I much prefer Icechat9 https://www.icechat.net/site/icechat-9/ that allows connections to multiple servers at the same time. I might be on Efnet, Freenode and Geekshed at the same time. For a help website, have you seen this http://www.irchelp.org/ one? HTH. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rawporks · 2019-07-16 16:08 Thanks! That was a great explanation, and cleared a lot of my doubts! I do try to keep mIRC open as long as I can. There are some power problems with my PC, so it sometimes shuts down. I have noticed that when I reopen the app from scratch, reconnect to my desired server and double click on the user that I want to talk with; the conversation remains, and I can read any previous/unread messages. Does this mean the server has those add-ons (the ones you mentioned)? Or are they just the messages I didn't read when the app was running in the background? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rawporks · 2019-07-16 16:13 I tried installing the app, but nothing happens when I try to boot it up? I can see it running in my background processes though Maybe it doesn't work with the latest Win 10 update? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SqualorTrawler · 2019-07-16 16:28 Messages you didn't read. mIRC like most programs can log all messages to your drive while you are logged in -- that is what you are seeing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- baudwalk · 2019-07-16 22:04 I don't know. I run Icechat9 on my ~10 yr old Win7 netbook. I don't have anything newer, much less ever work with Win10. Sorry.