Internet Relay ChatLast updated on June 26, 1996
There are many public IRC (Internet Relay Chat) servers on the Internet. Most are run by academic institutions as a public service and do not require users to have accounts on the computer systems that host them. There are also many commercial IRC servers which will allow temporary access for the purposes of assessing and learning IRC but which require that you sign up and pay for your own personal account for continued access beyond the initial grace period. IRC is very much like citizens' band (CB) radio and it can become just as addictive. IRC provides you with access to hundreds of user-defined forums (discussion areas) called chat rooms or channels. When you join or create a forum you can engage in interactive discussions in text mode at your keyboard with everyone else who enters the room. IRC has a variety of features that allow you to identify and locate fellow IRCers, contact them individually, privately and anonymously and govern user access to a forum you have created. IRC forums take on lives of their own. Habitual IRCers guard them jealously and can be very serious in monitoring behavior and punishing poor Netiquette. There is a bewildering range of topics among established forums on IRC. As with newsgroups, they run the full gamut from the sublime to the offensive. With a little investigation you will find the forums most suited to you. IRC is a great way to meet and talk with people from all around the world. It is one of the most popular and highly used services on the Internet. It's great fun but be warned that if the IRC bug bites you, and it will, it can and will run up your Internet service bill very quickly! Your Internet Service Provider should supply you with the Windows shareware program WSIRC or MIRC, or their equivalents, for Internet Relay Chat access.
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