Written by Luca - Revised by Romero ================================================================================== IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". In its most humble beginnings, it was designed as an improvement to the UNIX operating system's "talk" program, which was limited to only two users at a time. With IRC, however, anyone can chat in real-time with anyone else, or even in rooms (called channels) filled with many people at once, as long as they are logged on to the same network. Tupacfan is one of the many IRC networks available, although we know the Tupacfan experience to be the best. While it is possible to connect to the Tupacfan by using the web browser interface found on the Tuipacfan website Marirea potentei (click on webchat along the top of the page) Most IRC users download a program designed to enhance the IRC experience while making it easier for users to take full advantage of the varied features found on most IRC networks. Programs designed specifically for IRC are called IRC clients. The list below is provided because these IRC clients have well documented help files and the program's coders continually improve and enhance them. Their popularity insures that you will be able to find help from more experienced users of these programs should you need it. Tupacfan doesn't endorse the use of any particular IRC client, but it is recommended that people new to IRC choose a widely used IRC client. Note: There are dozens of IRC clients, and you are free to use whichever one you want. Suggested IRC clients for people new to IRC: If You Use---------------------- You Might Want To Try --------------------------------------------- Here's Where To Get It: Windows 3.x-------------------------- mIRC-16 ---------------------------------------------------------http://www.mirc.com/ Windows 9x/NT/2k------------------- mIRC-6.03 -------------------------------------------------------http://www.mirc.com/ MacOS------------------------------ Ircle ---------------------------------------------------------------http://www.ircle.com/ Unix---------------------------------- Bitchx --------------------------------------------------------------http://faq.bitchx.org/

Once you've installed and configured your IRC client, it's time to log on. First though, you might want to take a look at the respective help guides for your IRC client. mIRC http://www.mirc.com/faq.html Ircle http://www.ircle.com/reference/ BitchX http://faq.bitchx.org/ Either follow the instructions that come with your IRC client, OR To connect to the Tupacfan just type: /server Tupacfant.org Note: If this doesn't work with your IRC client, you will need to specify a port to connect to, Tupacfan server allow connections on port 6667. The following example shows how to include the port: /server Tupacfan.org, 6667 You'll see the server's MOTD (Message of the Day) on your screen once you're logged on. Be sure and read this carefully; the server's MOTD will often contain rules and guidelines specific to that server which you'll need to know. If the MOTD doesn't show up, type /motd. Frequently Asked Questions From New IRC Users: Q: Help! I've logged on to the Undernet, but now I'm lost and have no idea what I'm doing. Where do I go from here? Relax. There are plenty of channels on the Tupacfan for new users. #userguide, the Tupacfan user committee's user help channel is a good place to start your IRC experience or you can just join a channel, watch the flow of conversation, and then start saying hello, just as if you were a new guest somewhere else in society. This brings up an important point to remember. IRC is a totally unmoderated medium. By entering a channel, you are in a sense entering someone else's meeting place. If a channel operator in a channel decides to kick or ban you for whatever reason, there's not much you can do about it, other than find another channel. If you find the chat in a particular channel not to your liking, you are expected to leave the channel without causing a disturbance. Tupacfan believes in the ideal of free speech and freedom of movement of it's users. You are always free to leave one channel and join another. Q: How do I join a channel and chat once I am logged on to an IRC server? Type /join <#channel> (#channel = channel you want to chat in). ie. /join #userguide Channel names almost always begin with the # sign. Q: How do I leave a channel that I don't want to chat in anymore? Type /part <#channel> [reason for parting] (#channel = channel you no longer want to chat in). (the [reason for parting] is optional - usually anything contained within < >s is required, while [ ]s mean an optional field) ie. /part #userguide OR ie. /part #userguide Time to sleep... Your reason for parting will be displayed in the channel while you leave it. Q: What does that "@" symbol by someone's nickname mean? The "@" symbol by a user's nick, or nickname, means that the user is a channel operator, and with this has the ability to perform special commands to help run the channel, such as kicking or banning abusive users or changing the channel "modes". The "@" symbol is called "ops" for short. Check you IRC client's help files for more info)

Q: What does the "+" by someone's nick mean? That means they are a voiced user. They can speak when the channel has been put into "moderation mode" by one of the channel operators. Some help channels use the voiced ( + ) to show that the user is an official helper in that channel. Q: How do I chat with someone in private? There are four ways you can do this. You can type /msg <nickname> <message> and wait for a reply. You can also type /DCC chat <nickname> and wait for the other user to acknowledge your chat request. While talking through "MSG" or "DCC," nobody else can see what you say except for you and the other user you are chatting with. DCC stands for Direct Client-to-Client, and actually establishes a direct connection, between your computer, and the computer of the person you wish to speak to. Note: DCC is a direct computer connection between two people. You should not use this feature unless you are sure the other party doesn't mind you DCC-ing them. The third way to talk to someone privately is to type /notice <nickname> <message>. This method is very similar to /msg, except that it does not effect your idle time. The fourth, and easiest, is to type /query <nickname> A window will open, depending on your client, and you can easily chat so someone in private just by typing. This is the most common way people talk in private on IRC. Q: How do I get a list of channels to chat in? Simply type /list <search word>. Many IRC clients have more direct ways to do channel searches, for example in mIRC, press Alt+L, for a dialog box which will assist you in the listing process. Check you program's help files for alternate ways to perform channel searches. Q: How do I make an "action" remark? Type /me <message&rt; and it will show your message to the channel as an action. Give it a try to see exactly how it works.