 
  Have you ever wanted to talk with other computer users in other parts of 
the  world?  Well guess what...  You can!  The program is called IRC,
(Internet  Relay Chat), and it is networked much over North America, 
Asia Europe, and Oceania. 

When you are talking on IRC, everything you type will instantly be
transmitted around the world to other users that might be watching their
terminals at the time, they can then type something and respond to your
messages, and vice versa. I should warn you that the program can be very
addictive once you begin to make friends and contacts on IRC,especially 
when you learn how to discuss in 14 languages...:)

Topics of discussion on IRC are varied, just like the topics of Usenet
newsgroups  are varied.  Technical and political discussions are popular,
especially  when  world  events  are  in  progress.  

IRC is also a way to expand your horizons, as people from many countries
and cultures are on,24 hours a day.  Most conversations are in English, 
but there are always channels in German,Japanese,French,Finnish, and
occasionally other languages. IRC gained international fame during the late
Persian Gulf War, when updates from  around the world came across the wire,
and most people on IRC gathered on a single channel to hear these reports.

                              QUICK START
                           ==================
If your in a hurry, here are some quick commands that will get you started.
What follows is a section that describes in more detail more commands that
you may use to make IRC more interactive for you and making your sessions 
a little easier. But if you just want to get you feet wet  just read
to the end of this section (Quick Start).

When you initiate IRC Chat you will see a Motd screen and it will take
30-45 seconds or more before the login is complete. Afterwards Key Enter
the Channel/Room you would like to go into,if you are not "joined" to the
default channel. Chat Away! The default server is au.undernet.org:6667 
after connecting you may register your nickname and password if you like. 
Use the list command for a long list of channels available. 
This list is very long, so don't be surprised,but in the detaled
section you can use Flags that will shorten the list.

*** Quick IRC - Commands ***

/?                This Help
/Q                Quit IRC
/W                Who's online? (just Enter does the job as well)
/J <#Channel>     Join channel
/L                List channels
/N <Name>         Changes your nick name (handle on IRC) to <Name>
/S <Server:Port>  Switches to the named <Server:Port>
/A <text>         Sends text as an action
/<Name>; <Text>   Send <Text> to <Name> privately. Don't forget the ";"!

Everything else will go to the people on your current channel.
Just start typing to see the ">" prompt. Input will be paused
until you send your message or command by pressing the Return key.

Professionals ;) may use the "normal" commands as well, like
/WHOIS <Name>

*** Some Other IRC Servers Available***

	au.undernet.org:6667
	ca.undernet.org:6667
	toast.dal.net:6667   or :6660 to 6669 can be used
	eu.undernet.org:6667
	iapp.netscape.com:6667
	mickey.cc.utexas.edu:6667
	us.undernet.org:6667

                        GETTING STARTED IN MORE DETAIL
                    ====================================  
The  most important thing to remember about IRC is that you have to be willing
to explore and learn to use it...  Take you time, try not to get flustered,enjoy
yourself, and you will soon be making new friends all over the world!

IRC  is  based  on  a  client-server model.  Clients are programs that connect
to a server, a server is a program that transports data,(messages),from a user
client to another.  There are clients running on many different systems, 
(Unix, emacs, VMS, MSDOS, WinNt, VM...), that allow you to  connect to an IRC server.

			   How to behave on IRC
			~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The  most  widely  understood and spoken language on IRC is English. However,as IRC
is used in many different countries, English is by no means the  only language. If 
you want to speak some other language than English,(for  example  with your friends),
go to a separate channel and set  the topic to indicate that. On the other hand, you 
should check the topic before you move to a channel to see if there are any
restrictions about language. On a non-restricted channel, please speak a language 
everybody can understand. If you want to do otherwise,change channels and set the
topic accordingly. 

It's not necessary to greet everybody on a channel personally.
Usually one "Hello!" or equivalent is enough. And don't expect everybody to greet
you  back...   On a channel with 20 people that would mean one screenful of hellos.
It's sensible not to greet, in order not to be rude to the rest of the channel.
If you must say hello to somebody you know,do it with a private message.
The same applies to goodbyes.

Remember,people on IRC form their opinions about you only by your
actions,writings and comments, so think before you type. If you use offensive words,
you'll be frowned upon.  Do not "dump" to a channel or user,(send  large  amounts of
unwanted information).  This is likely to get you kicked off the channel or killed off
from IRC.  Dumping causes network "burps", connections going down because servers 
cannot handle the large amount of traffic anymore. Other prohibited actions include:
        * Harassing another user.  Harassment is defined as behavior
         towards another user with the purpose of annoying them.
        * Annoying a channel with constant beeping.
        * Any behavior reducing the functionality of IRC.

                            Privacy on IRC                           
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You should always keep in mind that messages you send to someone over IRC are passed
along all the servers between you and and the person you are writing to.  When you're
sending a letter to someone,any postman on the way could open it and read its contents..
Well,it's the same on the network.  Any IRC-Admin could compile its server in "debug" 
mode and log whatever messages are transmitted through his node,(it has already been 
done),so a good thumb rule is not to trust the servers.

             +-------------------------------------------+
             | IRC IS NOT A SECURE WAY OF COMMUNICATION! |         
             +-------------------------------------------+
                            First Steps
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note:IrcII,the client most people are using,has most of this information online.
If you are stuck, type "/?" and hit <return> for the Quick Help Screen.

          +------------------------------------------------+
          | All ircII commands begin with a "/" character. |
          +------------------------------------------------+
The slash is the default command character.  Commands are not case sensitive,and can be
abbreviated to their first letters: "/q" stands for quit and will end your IRC session.
Anything  that  does  not begin with "/" is assumed to be a message to someone
and will be sent to your current channel, or to a person you are QUERYing.

                      Simple screen activity
                  --------------------------------
  What is displayed    What you typed      Sender     Recipients
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      ~~~~~~     ~~~~~~~~~~
  > Morning people     Morning, people     You        Channel
  <some1else> hello                        some1else  Channel
  
                          General commands
                     --------------------------
   Keyword             Action
   ~~~~~~~             ~~~~~~
     /?                Quick Help
     /Q                Quit IRC
     /W                Who's online? (just Enter does the job as well)
     /J <#Channel>     Join channel
     /L                List channels
     /N <Name>         Changes your nick name (handle on IRC) to <Name>
     /S <Server:Port>  Switches to the named <Server:Port>
     /A <text>         Sends text as an action
     /<Name>; <Text>   Send <Text> to <Name> privately. Don't forget the ";"!

     /N [<nickname>]   Changes your nickname to whatever you like.
   Everyone  who  wants  to  talk  to  you  sees this name - also, at themoment,
   nicknames are limited to 9 characters max.  Your nickname will be the same as
   your login name by default.  You can also set an environment variable,IRCNICK,
  the value  of which will be used instead.  Nickname clashes are not allowed;  
  this  is  enforced  by the servers.  If your intended nickname clashes with 
  someone else's as you enter IRC, you will not be able to enter until you change
  it to something else.

     /N Nappy      *** Nap is now known as Nappy

     /Q [<reason>]     Exits your IRC session.  
  You can also use BYE,SIGNOFF and EXIT. If a reason is supplied,it is displayed to
  other people on your channels.

    /QUIT Lunch Time!
     

    /? Shows the Quick help.
    /WHOIS [<nickname>]   Shows information about someone.
    /WHOIS Nap    
   
     *** Nap is pioch@poly.polytechnique.fr (Klein bottle for sale...inquire within.)
     *** on channels: @#Twilight_Zone @#EU-Opers
     *** on via server poly.polytechnique.fr (Ecole Polytechnique,Paris,FRANCE! )
     *** Nap has a connection to the twilight zone (is an IRC operator)
     *** Nap has been idle 0 seconds

    /WHOIS Nappy
       
     *** Nappy: No such nickname

  Sometimes WHOIS won't help you much, because the person you want to know more about
  just left IRC or changed nick.  However,you can use WHOWAS to get this information 
  for a while: 
  
   /WHOWAS [[<server>] <nickname>]

   Shows  information  about who used the given nickname last, even if no one is
   currently using it.
   
   /WHOWAS Nappy

    *** Nappy was pioch@poly.polytechnique.fr (Artistic ventureshighlighted.Rob 
     a museum.) on channel *private*      
    *** on irc via server poly.polytechnique.fr (Signoff: Mon Jun 22 20:15:23)

   Very  often,  an  unsuccess call to WHOIS will lead you to try WHOWAS. That's 
   why ircII allows you to "/SET AUTO_WHOWAS ON"; that way,
   a "***<nickname>:No such nickname" message will automagically generate a
   "/WHOWAS  <nickname>".
   Try  typing  "/HELP SET AUTO_WHOWAS"  for more information on this topic.

  /W  Who's online? (just Enter does the job as well)
  /AWAY [<away message>]   Leave a message explaining that you are not currently
                           paying attention to IRC.   
  Whenever  someone sends you a MSG or does a WHOIS on you, they automatically
  see  whatever message you set.  Using AWAY with no parameters marks you as no
  longer being away.       

  /AWAY Gone to get a cup of coffee.
  *** You have been marked as being away     
  /AWAY
  *** You are no longer marked as being away


                     Private conversation commands
                  --------------------------------------
     Keyword            Action
     ~~~~~~~            ~~~~~~
     /<Name>; <Text>   Send <Text> to <Name> privately. 
				Don't forget the ";"!

                      Channels and Public Conversations
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  On  IRC,  there  are  a  lot of places where you can "hang out"; those places are
  called  'channels'. You can compare conversations on a channel to a conversation
  among a group of people: you see/hear  everything  that  is  said,  and you can
  reply to anything that's said. What you type is received by everyone who's willing
  to listen-and everyone who is late will not hear what was said before,unless repeated
  by  one  of  the  ones who were there.  (Who said "reallife" ?)
  All  channels  on IRC have names:  a "#" sign followed by some kind of text-string,
  like "#C++" or "#Asians" or "#EU-Opers".  Usually, the name of the channel will
  indicate the type of conversation that's going on in there.  Don't count on it,
  though.                          

                             Channel commands
                        --------------------------
      Keyword      Action
      ~~~~~~~      ~~~~~~
        /L        lists channels, number of users, topic
        /J        sets your current channel, (same as CHANNEL)
        /W        gives a listing of user

  Every channel has certain characteristics, called channel modes. These will also be
  explained below.  Recall the NAMES and LIST commands; they will show you the names 
  of the existing channels.

      /LIST [[<flags>] <channel mask>]  Lists  all  current  "channels",number of users,
  and  topic.   The displayed list may be quite long, so you can limit it using flags.

     "/LIST  -MIN n" for instance removes channels with less than 'n' users of 
                     the output. 
          
    Example: /LIST -MIN 5
       *** #aussies   5
       *** #amiga     5     
       Daily Amiga Silence...join&enjoy
       *** #hottub    21       
       Imagine sky, high above...
       *** #tuebingen 11    
       Happy Borthday CHUCK!!!
       *** #Christian 6       
       Jesus!
       *** #Twilight_ 15       
       The Open Bar & Grill
       *** #initgame  5       
       More players needed!!!!!!!!!!!!
       *** #Taiwan    8        
       Welcome good friends.  
       *** #espanol   6       
       EMERGENCIA SE Necesitan Mujeres!
       *** #sherwood  7       
       *** #francais  6     
       on apprend le japonais (japanese welcome)

    /NAMES [[<flags>] <channel mask>]   Shows the nicknames of all users on each
                                    "channel", (these may be very long.  
                                    Remember to filter them with "-MIN n" or "-MAX n").      
    /NAMES -MIN 5
       Pub: #twilight> Mycroft @sojge scorpio @Troy @Avalon @Nap phone
          Merlinus Lumberjak @tzoper
       Pub: #espanol   
          Cacique Bonjovi leopardo Carina Miguel Cisco r2
       Pub: #amiga    
          @gio @Radix @xterm @mama @AmiBot
       Pub: #aussies
          @Bleve @GrayElf @Insomniac @Morkeleb @titus
       Pub: #hottub
          baby @Aldur KnightOrc @Toasty Gwydion @Belkira
          @Aiken Edge @Spockobot @Nada @ZBot @Aurik @anna @RedBaron
          @Katzen @esashi IceWolf @Eniigma @Digger @TheHeck

  To join in the conversation on a certain channel you may use the JOIN command.
      /J [<channel>]   Sets your current channel to the supplied channel.

      /J #Twilight_Zone
        *** Nap has joined channel #Twilight_Zone
        *** Topic: The Gernsback Continuum
        *** Users on #Twilight_Zone: Nap msa tober phone @julia @SirLance
        igh @Daemon @Avalon @Waftam @Trillian @tzoper

  The CHANNEL command has the same effects. Note that if no parameters are given,
  your current channel is displayed. Upon entering a channel,you are given useful
  details about it: list of users talking in that channel,topic... Once in a channel,
  you may wish to get a detailed list of the people IRCing inside.  

 That's where the WHO command comes in handy:
      /WHO [<channel>|<wildcard expression>]   Gives  a  listing  of  users.  
    
     "/WHO *" for the list of users in your current channel.
     
      /WHO #Twilight_Zone        
           Channel    Nickname     S   User@Host (Name) 
      #Twilight_ msa          H    msa@tel1.tel.vtt.fi (Markku Savela)
      #Twilight_ tober        H    ircuser@kragar.eff.org (tober)
  
 The  first  field  is the current channel, then nickname, status, real name 
 (in internet user@host form), and a small witty comment you can set yourself
 with the environment variable IRCNAME. Status  indicates  if  a  user is 
 "H"ere or "G"one, (see AWAY), if IRCop ("*"), and/or chanop ("@").It is also possible, 
  when you are already on a channel, to ask someone to join your channel. 
 The command is called INVITE.

    /INVITE <nickname> [<channel>]  Invites  another  user to a channel. 

 If no channel is specified, your current channel is used.

    /INVITE Nap
    *** Inviting Nap to channel #Twilight_Zone

 If you receive an INVITE message, 
 you can type "/JOIN -INVITE" to join the channel to which you were last invited,
 or simply "/JOIN <channel>".
 
 To  leave a channel,just issue a LEAVE command, (PART has the same effects):
 /LEAVE <channel>   Leave a channel.

       /LEAVE #Twilight_Zone
       *** Nap has left #Twilight_Zone

  Well,you guessed it,if there is a way to invite someone on a channel,there's also
  the possibility  to KICK someone out of it, for example  if  this  person  is  
  behaving  like a jerk, annoying people or flooding the channel with unwanted
  information:
  
     /KICK [<channel>] <nickname>   Kicks  named  user  off a given channel. 

  Only 'channel operators' are privileged to use this command.
       /KICK #Twilight_Zone Target
       *** Target has been kicked off channel #Twilight_Zone by Nap

  Channels have topics, that indicate the current topic of conversation.
  You can change this topic on a channel with the TOPIC command.

   /TOPIC [[<channel>] <topic for channel>]    Changes the topic for the channel.

       /TOPIC The silent channel.       
       *** Nap has changed the topic on channel #EU-Opers to The silent channel. 

  At  times, you may want to send a description of what you are doing or how you are
  feeling or just anything concerning you to the current channel. It is absolutely good
  style to not forget the period at the end of the sentence!

  /A <action description>   Tells the current channel or query about what you are doing.
  	/A opens up the fridge.       
 	* Nap opens up the fridge.
  You can also use your own nickname as command, i.e. you can type the line with a 
  leading slash:      

	 /Nap reaches out for the orange juice.
         * Nap reaches out for the orange juice.


                         Network Related Commands
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       If you encounter any problem, email your Sysop, or /j #irchelp
           
     Keyword  Action
     ~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~
     ADMIN    displays information about a server
     LINKS    shows the servers on the IRC network
     MOTD     displays the server message-of-the-day
     LUSERS   gives a brief listing of users, servers and operators
     TRACE    shows the server connections of the given server
     STATS    shows some irc server usage statistics
     INFO     shows useless information about IRC
     VERSION  shows client and server version number

     /ADMIN [<server>]   Displays  the  administrative  details  about the given server.  
     If no server is supplied, the server you are connected to is used.

        /ADMIN 
        ### Administrative info about poly.polytechnique.fr
        ### Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, FRANCE
        ### IRC-Administrator Nicolas Pioch (Nap@IRC)
        ### <pioch@poly.polytechnique.fr>

   /LINKS [[<server>] <wildcard expression>]
   Shows  a  list  of servers currently connected to the IRC network.
   If <wildcard expression> is given, /LINKS asks the given <server> for a list 
   of servers matching the given expression, (this list can get very long!).
       /LINKS *po*
        *** nova.unix.portal.com  7 Cupertino California, USA
        *** poe.acc.Virginia.EDU  6 University of Virginia 2.7.1f
        *** polaris.utu.fi        9 University of Turku, Finland
        *** polaris.ctr.columbia.edu 6 Columbia University, New York City
        *** csd.postech.ac.kr     4 POSTECH Computer Science Dept.
        *** cdc853.cdc.polimi.it  2 Polytechnic of Milan, Italy
        *** poly.polytechnique.fr 0 Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, FRANCE

   /S <Server:Port>  Switches to the named <Server:Port>
   Switches your primary server to the supplied <server> at the specified<port  number>.
   If  no port number is given, the default port number is used (normally 6667).
        /S poly.polytechnique.fr 6667
        *** Connecting to port 6667 of server poly.polytechnique.fr
       *** Welcome to the Internet Relay Network, Nap
        *** Your host is poly.polytechnique.fr, running version 2.7.2g.ID
       *** This server was created Sat Jan 16 1993 at 12:16:10 MET
   Occasionally,  you  can switch servers faster than the IRC network can
   send  out  the  information  that you have left your previous server.  So
   don't  be  surprised  if  you are told your nickname is already in use...
   Just wait a moment and set it with /NICK again.
     
     /MOTD [<server>]   Gives the  Message-Of-The-Day for the named server.
 
If no server is given, your server is used.
       
     /MOTD        MOTD - poly.polytechnique.fr message of the day -

        MOTD -   _____________________________________
        MOTD -  /\                                    \
        MOTD -  \_|      Bienvenue sur le serveur      |       
        MOTD -    |         Internet Relay Chat        |
        MOTD -    |  de l'Ecole Polytechnique, FRANCE  |
        MOTD -    |   _________________________________|__
        MOTD -     \_/___________________________________/
        MOTD -        MOTD -        |    |    |      En cas de probleme,
        MOTD -       )_)  )_)  )_)                     tapez / admin
        MOTD -      )___))___))___)\
        MOTD -     )____)____)_____)\\                 Nicolas PIOCH
        MOTD -   _____|____|____|____\\\__              Nap sur IRC
        MOTD - --\  Welcome on IRC !  /---------
        MOTD -   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^
        * End of /MOTD command

      /LUSERS   Gives a brief listing of the number of servers,operators and users
      matching the given <wildcard  expression>,as seen from the specified<server>.

         /LUSERS
         *** There are 1008 users and 291 invisible on 135 servers
         *** 72 users have connection to the twilight zone
         *** There are 458 channels
         *** I have 16 clients and 4 servers
        *** 22 maximum connections, 19 clients

      /TRACE [<server>]   Shows the server connections of the given <server>.
        /TRACE
        *** Serv Class[9] ==> 134S 1331C eff.org[192.88.144.3]
        *** Serv Class[8] ==> 1S 6C Julia.Enst.FR
        *** Serv Class[8] ==> 1S 6C Eurecom8.Cica.FR[192.70.34.208]
        *** Serv Class[1] ==> 2S 0C athina.cc.uch.gr[147.52.80.102]
        *** Serv Class[8] ==> 1S 5C dafne.mines.u-nancy.fr[192.70.66.2]
        *** Serv Class[8] ==> 1S 0C cnam.cnam.fr
        *** Class 0 Entries linked: 16
        *** Class 9 Entries linked: 1
        *** Class 8 Entries linked: 4
        *** Class 1 Entries linked: 1

    /STATS c|i|k|l|m|u|y [<server>]   Shows some irc server usage statistics.
       
        /STATS u
        *** Server Up 12 days, 12:28:44

    /INFO [<server>]    Shows  information about the IRC creators,debuggers,slaves 
                  and a lot of other people who no longer have much to do with IRC.

    /VERSION   Shows the ircII version number and the version number of the server.
        
        /VERSION
        *** Client: ircII 2.2
        *** Server poly.polytechnique.fr: ircd 2.7.2g.Nap+6(privacy).

                         
                          Quick Reference Panel
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Keyword            Action
      -------            ------
        /?                This Help
	/Q                Quit IRC
	/W                Who's online? (just Enter does the job as well)
	/J <#Channel>     Join channel
	/L                List channels
	/N <Name>         Changes your nick name (handle on IRC) to <Name>
	/S <Server:Port>  Switches to the named <Server:Port>
	/A <text>         Sends text as an action
	/<Name>; <Text>   Send <Text> to <Name> privately. Don't forget the ";"!
      /ADMIN    	  displays information about a server
      /LINKS    	  shows the servers on the IRC network
      /MOTD     	  displays the server message-of-the-day
      /LUSERS   	  gives a brief listing of users, servers and operators
      /TRACE    	  shows the server connections of the given server
      /STATS    	  shows some irc server usage statistics
      /INFO     	  shows useless information about IRC
      /VERSION  	  shows client and server version number
      /LIST [[<flags>] <channel mask>]
  	Lists  all  current  "channels",  number  of  users,  and  topic. 
     The displayed  list  may  be  quite  long,  so  you can limit it using flags.
     "/LIST  -MIN n" for instance removes channels with less than 'n' users of
     the output.

The above commands are a good start to get the feel of IRC and get comfortable in a
chat session. If you have any questions please Email the Sysop for a quick anwser.

