[IRC How-To]What IRC is, How to use it, How to chat with the x10 Community Live !!

[Senjai]

Welcome to Senjai's Everything IRC Tutorial
With the help from the x10 staff and helpers.

Introduction: What is IRC?



IRC = Internet Relay Chat, its kind of like an instant messenger, actually its exactly like msn on wheels, picture this, your in a group conversation on MSN, their is yourself and two of your buddies, this situation is similar to how irc can work, Your MSN, connects to the Microsoft MSN Server, as do your two buddies, any messages between eachother is sent to the server, and then to you. When you make a group, its liek a channel, any message you send to the server, it is sent to both of your buddies.

Some people prefer IRC to chat with, some use it strictly for downloading (will not be discussed), some use it just to get help and leave, but with IRC you are able to do pretty much anything you want to, its an advanced form of chat. In IRC You connect to an IRC Server (in our case, the irc server, is irc.x10hosting.com - do not try to access this link in your browser, it wont work -) Once you connect to the IRC Server, you choose a nickname, a unique nickname can be anything, on x10, it is required not to have any vulgar, illicit, or racist language in your nickname. After you choose a nickname, you join a channel. A channel is like a chat-room within the IRC server you can join, an IRC server can have an unlimited amount of channels, but not an unlimited amount of users. Anyone can join a chatroom, if its not passworded or by other means made to prevent users from entering (like the staff only channels). And anyone can make a channel (Discussed later) In this Chatroom-like channel, users can talk, or ask for help, or do anything you could normally do in a chatroom. IRC allows you to even leave private messages (known as memos on irc) to other users, or have private chat with someone and is THE FASTEST way to get support for x10.

Table of Contents:

1. Getting MIRC
2. Connecting to x10 for the first time
3. Using MIRC
4. NickServ, and why you should care
5. x10 Rules and Regs
6. Administrators, Operators, and Half-Operators
7. Colors and More Commands
8. What Now?

Getting MIRC:

In order to start chatting and using IRC, you need to get on the x10 IRC server, in order to do that, you need the program to do so :P

The most widely used IRC Client is mIRC, this program is not free, but you don't NEED to pay (this is legal, I'll show you all in a sec)

Download:
Click Here, official download.

----This is the part where you install the program, i have faith i don'
t need to write a tutorial on that xD----

Once you have it installed, boot up the program, the first thing you'll see is a message saying your on the trial version. that you have 30 days, trick is, after 30 days, he doesn't make you register, you just have to wait a couple seconds for the Continue button show up, like this:



Connecting to x10 for the first time:

After clicking the continue button you will see an options dialog like below:



Fill out your first name, an email address Your main nickname, and an alternative in case someone has yours on a server already, or for some reason your main didn't work. THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO DO! Click ok.

Now your left with this large window, with a smaller window inside it with a small command bar at the bottom, this is your STATUS window, it delivers all your important information and is used for server commands.

Please Cite the below image, as I've labeled it.



1: In that status window, your going to connect to the x10 server, the /server command is the command to connect to a server, so we will, type /server irc.x10hosting.com and hit enter, then you will start to connect as you see in the image.

2: This is your status window.

3: These are the official x10 channels, you automatically join them when you connect to the server, read the rules you receive in your status window first!

Congrats, your now on the x10 IRC Server.... lets learn more!

Using MIRC:

W00t! Now you should be in the official x10 channels, check your status screen for rules, and how to post a ticket. If you need help with x10 services, ask in #x10 (all MIRC Channels have a # before the name) it is forbidden to idle or talk about unrelated x10 stuff in that channel, use the #offtopic channel instead, feel free to come on with code related questions, if #x10 is busy, you can join #x10help which is an unofficial channel for help from your peers. Dont ask for help regarding your account their, we are not Account Managers, we just help out with code problems and chat. Some basic commands for navigating and using MIRC and IRC in general: (note all irc commands are prefixed with /)

/join #channel: Probably your most useful command, type /join #channeltojoin in any channel or status window to join that channel (NOTE: you can use any command you can in status, in a channel window, it doesnt matter once your connected, but the output of that command will not always be in the channel, it might be in the status window)

e.g. /join #x10help or /join #x10radio

/part #channel Like join, but to leave a channel. Can also click the x on the channel window to do this.

/nick newnick: Change your nickname to something else, cannot contain spaces and some other characters, Name|Name is legal Name-Name is legal too, etc. (See Next Chapter for more info)

/whois username: Get information on the user specified, data can look like this:

rpope904 is rpope904@IRCAdmin.x10hosting.com * Russell
rpope904 is a registered nick
rpope904 on &#opers &#Services &#offtopic &#x10
rpope904 using irc.x10hosting.com x10Chat User Server
rpope904 is away: Sleep, for assistance, ask your question in #x10
rpope904 is a Network Administrator
rpope904 User is an x10 IRC ADMINISTRATOR
rpope904 has been idle 24secs, signed on Wed Mar 12 11:31:03
rpope904 End of /WHOIS list.

/disconnect: Disconnect from the server

/quit quitmsg: Same as disconnect, but you add a quit message to it.

* &rpope904 (rpope904@IRCAdmin.x10hosting.com) Quit (Going to the store... Be back later..)

*Quit messages are displayed on every channel the user was on.

/away awaymessage: The alternative to, BRB, use it when your leaving the computer for a while.
e.g.
/away Shower
will display: Senjai is now away (Shower)
typing /away again after that.. gives:
Senjai is no longer away (Gone for 1 hour, 32 minutes)
*You will not see your own away messages

/query Username: Open a private message chat with the user specified, works like a channel, but only you and the user your messaging are in it, and nobody else can join it.

/msg user message: private message a user without opening a new query window, the message is sent through the channel their on.

/notice user message: Sends a notice to the user, shows up on the channel the user is currently on. only they can see it though, just like /msg and /query, i prefer this over /msg

/me message: this is an emote function when you talk its displayed like <username> message, for me it's, <Senjai> Hey guys, when emoting it sends in purple text your emote for example.
/me likes bunnies!
gives
* Senjai likes bunnies! in chat
Another labeled image..



1: This is the user list, who is in the channel, see the icons, the +'s %'s @'s and &'s beside peoples names? remember these, they will be discussed later on.

2: your chat textbox, enter commands and chat for the channel here.

NickServ, and why you should care:

When you connect, if you use a nickname someone else has, you might get this message.



This means you don't own this nick... NickServ is one of three services on irc you need to worry about (theirs more, but you cant use them and dont need to worry about them) NickServ can be accessed by the /ns command, for NickServ Help you type, /ns help it will message you in your status window. Nickserv allows you to own a Nickname, and register it
Advantages are as follows:
Nobody can take your nick, if they do when your not using it, you can use /ns ghost yournickthatgotstolen yournickspassword to disconnect the user off the server. You keep channel modes, this is explained in a later channel, if you haev Auto Voice or Auto Op, you can only get your administrative abilities once you prove the nick is yours,

FIRST OF ALL, you must register your nick, type /nick nick-you-want-to-register to switch your nick to an unregistered nickname you want (your forum nickname is probably a good choice) then type:
/ns register password email, where password is your the password you want for your nick, and email is the email to be associated with the nickname. once you do that, you own your name :P

whenever you connect, you will get the message from nickserv that the nick is registered, you must identify with it everytime you connect to prove its yours, identifying is like logging into your nick, type /ns identify password.

See next post for continued tutorial.


Edit:
reserved for rest of tutorial

[Corey]

asdf

[Senjai]

Thanks corey, for saving that spot...
----------------------------------------

x10 Rules and Regs:

The TOS for IRC, is the same as x10 Forums.
So are the rules, use common sense people, no swearing in official channels, we don't care about the other channels. No Threats or racist remarks, do not harass people or ask for admin/op on a channel or network.

Administrators, Operators, and Half-Operators:

Remember those +'s %'s and such you saw in above screenshots by users names? wee about to learn what they mean.

+ = voice, user has voice on a channel, on #x10 just a symbol for the user is a helper, user can talk when the channel is muted.

@ = Operator, or Op, user is like an administrator of a channel, they can change the topic, channel modes, and kick and ban users, depending on channel settings they can give op half op and voice. And take it away. DEPENDING ON SETTINGS.

% = Half-Op, like an op, but sort of like a moderator on the forums can do some stuff but not all. Still can kick/ban.

& = Channel Admin, these guys are exactly like ops, but cannot be kicked from the channel by any users, and cannot be banned. Must be removed via ChanServ (talk about this later) or by oper force.

Do not ask for these modes on official channels.

Those modes are for channels, their are user modes and abilities as well, the admins of the server, e.g rpope904 is a Network Administrator
this info can be found by /whois'ing a user.

rpope904 runs the server.
Corey is a Services Administrator << Corey is the owner of x10
liz[afk] is an IRC Operator

these people all have administrative powers that effect the whole server, their are more users, all staff on x10 have irc oper at least, do not bug them about irc problems, only if its server related, post your issues in #x10.

Still writing...


Edit:
Ctrl+k in channel, to add colors, add a number after it, youll see a small color popup

/topic Change the channels topic, syntax: /topic #channel newtopic

/list List all non private/secret channels on the server.

Chanserv -- You will hear alot about this, its used to create, and administer channels, for more info, type /cs help and check your status window

Memoserv -- The email system of IRC, must have a registered nick, type /ms help for more info

/mode Used to change Channel modes, Channel-usermodes, and usermodes ( you will not use this for usermodes)

/invite syntax /invite user #channel, invites a user into the channel, an invited user doesnt need the password to join, and can join a invite only channel.

Channel Usermodes

+v = Voice
+o = Op
+h = Halfop
+a = Admin
+b = used for banning

using mode you can give these modes and take them away from users, so long you have sufficient privledges on the channel, you must be at least halfop to use the mode command.

e.g giving mode +v to chougard on #x10

Syntax: /mode #channel mode user

/mode #x10 +v chougard

this outputs: * Senjai sets mode (+v Chougard)

to take his voice away, /mode #x10 -v chougard

Channel Modes --

+m = moderated chan, only users with voice and above can talk
+p = private chan, will not show up on /list
+s = same as private + it will not show up on user /whois requests.
+k key = sets a password for the channel, e.g /mode #x10 +k key makes the password: key
+i = channel invite only.
+n = no external msgs, always leave this on.
+r = registered channel, (see /cs help for more info) you cannot remove or add this channel mode, only the server can.
+t = topic locked, only halfop and above can change the topic, if this isnt set anybody can change the topic with /topic. (This command is overrided by the /cs set topiclock command from chanserv)
+C = No colors allowed
+O = IRC Staff only. you cannot join these channels. Channels on the x0 server are #Services, and #opers, you may not join these channels unless you are staff, you can try, but good luck ) -- you cannot set this channel mode unless your a IRC Oper or above. --

/ctcp ctcp stands for client to client protocal. only one really useful command you'd want for this and thats version, e.g /ctcp user VERSION will tell you what irc client that user is using in your status window.

/stats type /stats and look in your status window, for the variables to use with it e.g /stats letter, its not very useful for you guys, just some info about the server.

What Now?

Rpope and i discussed what should be in this tutorial and we decided that no technical details or advanced topics will be in this tutorial, as we dont want many technical scripts and commands in the server, its alot more for x10 opers to deal with. If you want to learn more like aliases and scripts consult your mirc help file, it has tutorials, or /join #scripting and if mike and i are avaliable we will help you. Their is alot more to IRC than what's described in this post, dont give up, just go digging around if you want more info. Stuff beyond this though, is incredibly complicated.

Well thats The End!

Ive worked hard on this tut to increase the amount of people that can comfortably use x10 irc support and chat. As you see I've not many posts on this forum, but i'm on irc all the time, its just what i prefer.

Please post questions, or comments, or criticism, if this helped you, rep me :P

[sunils]

This is a nice tutorials. Good job.

[FalseHope]

Nice tutorial Senjai. Like Senjai has said in this tutorial there are a lot more things that you can learn on IRC. There are so many scripts you can make. There are also a lot more modes, well, not a lot but more of them. There are other commands too, like /amsg and /ame and even /msg and /me ;) Many more things. I think that you should make a advanced tutorial Senjai! :D But discuss it with rpope =-). Keep up the good work.

[Jarryd]

Very nice tutorial, That will help a lot of people, i am actually thinking of stickying this, as it would help a lot for the support chat.

I will actually wait and ask another staff member, if they think i should sticky it then it might be done, or if another staff member believes it should be stickied, please do it.

[Senjai]

Im waiting on corey actually, he said he might have a spot for it.

[michael9]

Very nice tutorial. Good job.

[Sohail]

Nice tutorial, i think this should be placed as one of the stickies...

[Senjai]

Thanks for all the positive feedback everyone, i appreciate it xD Anyone have anything i should have added to it?