scripters

* Connecting to irc.dal.net (6667)
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-maple.ix.ca.dal.net- *** Looking up your hostname...
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-maple.ix.ca.dal.net- *** Checking Ident
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-maple.ix.ca.dal.net- *** Found your hostname
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-maple.ix.ca.dal.net- *** No Ident response
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* Dns resolving --REMOVED FOR PRIVACY--
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Welcome to the DALnet IRC Network W-Unit!--REMOVED FOR PRIVACY--
Your host is maple.ix.ca.dal.net, running version bahamut-1.8(03)
This server was created Sat Jan 1 2005 at 20:21:48 EST
maple.ix.ca.dal.net bahamut-1.8(03) aAbcdefFghiIjkKmnoOrRswxXy bceiIjklLmMnoOprRstv
NETWORK=DALnet SAFELIST MAXBANS=100 MAXCHANNELS=20 CHANNELLEN=32 KICKLEN=307 NICKLEN=30 TOPICLEN=307 MODES=6 CHANTYPES=# CHANLIMIT=#:20 PREFIX=(ov)@+ STATUSMSG=@+ are available on this server
CASEMAPPING=ascii WATCH=128 SILENCE=10 ELIST=cmntu EXCEPTS INVEX CHANMODES=beI,k,jl,cimMnOprRst MAXLIST=b:100,e:45,I:45 TARGMAX=DCCALLOW:,JOIN:,KICK:4,KILL:20,NOTICE:20,PART:,PRIVMSG:20,WHOIS:,WHOWAS: are available on this server
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There are 137 users and 30095 invisible on 42 servers
72 IRC Operators online
15240 channels formed
I have 1637 clients and 1 servers
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Current local users: 1637 Max: 2768
Current global users: 30232 Max: 44822
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-maple.ix.ca.dal.net- *** Notice -- motd was last changed at 19/2/2005 14:03
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Message of the Day, maple.ix.ca.dal.net
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- 15/1/2011 0:16
- Welcome to DALnet!
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- This server is hosted at the Toronto Internet Exchange in Toronto,
- Canada.
-
- SERVER RULES:
-
- IMPERSONATION, CLONING, SPAMMING, FLOODING,
- OR ANY OTHER KIND OF ABUSE CAN
- AND WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE BANNED FROM THIS
- SERVER AT ANY GIVEN TIME
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- We reserve the right to deny access to this server
- without warning or explanation.
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- By connecting to this server you agree to be bound
- by the terms put forth in DALnet's Acceptable Use Policy at:
- http://www.dal.net/aup/.
-
- * For DALnet related HELP: /Join #DALnethelp *
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Local host: c-24-0-252-21.hsd1.tx.comcast.net (24.0.252.21)
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- * For IRCop/CSop assistance: /Join #OperHelp *
- * For help with Services: http://www.dal.net/ *
- * For Server related problems. routing@dal.net *
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- For assistance with trojan or virus removal please /join #NoHack
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- This server will check your PC for open proxy
- servers when you connect. If you do not want this
- test performed on your system disconnect now.
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End of /MOTD command.
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* W-Unit sets mode: +i

You may also get a small popup box titled "mIRC Favorites". Close this box.
At this point, you have successfully set up mIRC and are connected to IRC. Now all that's left to do to get to the chatting is join a channel.

3. Finding and joining a channel
I suppose I'll take this opportunity to introduce the model I often like to use for IRC. Think of networks as cities and channels as houses. The city has its own set of rules and ordinances that must be followed throughout the city, but if you are in someone's house you must also follow their set of rules, or you may be kicked out. Each house has its own atmosphere which is mainly dependent on its owners' mood and attitude. Some houses allow their guests to talk completely freely, while others follow a strict code of manners and ethics. Violating a house's rules can get you thrown out of the house. The city does not involve itself with the rules and affairs of the house owners unless the owner is in violation of the city's rules. I suppose, to extend this, you could think of servers as neighborhoods; they are not their own authority nor do they have their own set of rules or laws, they are simply pieces of the city.
It should be noted that (with the exception of network channels) completely independent of the network and can be started by anyone at all who is connected to the network.
Again, we split into two categories of people here. If you were referred to a specific network by a website, then you should know the channel you're looking for. Channel names always* start with a # followed by any combination of alphanumeric keys. To join the channel, simply type /join #CHANNELNAME. You should now be all set to chat!
If you do not yet know what channel you want, #Lobby is often a good starting place. SearchIRC is your best friend here. Also you can type /list -min 80 (or whatever limit you want) to find what will generally be the network's most populated channels, which are often a good starting place as well.

* A few channel names start with & rather than #, but these are few and far between. An &channel exists only on one server, rather than the whole network. I honestly cannot think of a scenario in which that would be useful, so that's probably why so few of them exist.


III. Basic Chatting

1. Etiquette
IRC etiquette is often specific to what channel you are in and the atmosphere there. Referring back to the city/house analogy, each house is allowed to have its own set of rules, which may be enforced however the owner desires, so long as they follow the city laws. You will usually be able to detect the atmosphere of a channel by just watching for a minute or two as the other chatters converse. I'll expand on this in future updates of this tutorial, but for now, enough has been written about netiquette that I really don't feel up to rewriting it. If you're completely new to the chatting world entirely, http://www.ircbeginner.com/ircinfo/etiquette.html is a decent article that will give you the jist of how to behave. You should be able to pick up the specifics and subtleties as you go along.

2. Chatting Tips and Tricks
This will be just sort of a list of commands and stuff that is useful for normal chatting...
--> /me does something -- displays an action message in the channel. Example:
/me does something (if your nickname was Bob) would show up like:
* Bob does something

--> /query NICK text -- opens a window in which you can converse 1-on-1 with NICK. Optionally sends text along with it. Example:
/query Jim hey there! -- Opens a private conversation with Jim and sends him the text "hey there!".

--> /notice NICK TEXT -- sends someone a notice message. Notices show up a different color and are sent to only one user, just like queries. You can also send notices to entire channels.

--> /ctcp NICK PING -- Most (but not all) people will automatically send you a reply that tells you their ping when they receive this. The higher the ping, the greater the user's latency to the server.

To be continued....

3. Prefixes and their meanings
You may notice that some people in the channel nicklist (the nicklist refers to the pane on the right side that shows a list of everyone in the channel) have certain prefixes by their nicknames. The possible prefixes and their meanings are:
~ = Channel Owner
The Channel Owner is determined by the +q mode. They have access to a few more channel configurations than Ops or Admins. However, the main value of the Owner status is that the Owner is the only one that can set someone as an Admin. Only IRCops and Services may set people as owner, and usually ChanServ only allows one owner per channel.

& = Channel Admin (sometimes called Protected)
Admins do not have access to any more configuration settings or commands than Ops do. However, they cannot be kicked from the channel by anyone except the owner. Usually a channel has only 3-5 admins. An admin may not make someone else an admin; only the owner has that power

@ = Channel Operator (referred to as Op or Chanop)
Channel operators are the main moderators of the chat room. They have access to the majority of channel configuration settings on Unreal servers and all configuration settings on Non-Unreal servers. They can kick and ban users from the channel (provided the user they are kicking is not of a higher level than them) and can set other people as ops, halfops, or voices.

% = Half-Op (sometimes called Hop)
Half-Ops are somewhat rare. They have access to a handful of channel configurations, but not as many as ops. They are allowed to change the topic in channels that are set to "Only ops set topic". They can also kick and ban users from the channel, provided the user they are kicking is not of a higher level than them. Halfops can voice people, but they cannot add other halfops.

+ = Voiced
Voiced people do not have any administrative capabilites. It's kind of just a more "respected" position, I guess, than a normal user. The only thing voiced people can do that normal users cannot is if the channel is set to "moderated" status, they are allowed to talk, while normal users can only watch and cannot speak.

Summary
~ = Owner. Total power.
& = Admin. Same as op, but cannot be kicked. Cannot set other admins.
@ = Op. Main position of power, can set most configurations, can kick/ban, can set other ops.
% = Halfop. Limited power.
+ = Voiced. No power, can talk when channel is moderated.

Note that the 3 un-bolded prefixes are only supported in UnrealIRCd. In other words, they will not exist on all networks.