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-=:/^\:=> AnTaReS CyberSurfing Division : - : Access / Antares <:=/^\:=- SOURCE : ColumbiaNet Document Server ( ColumbiaNet.Columbia.Edu ) BY : Access / Antares DATE : 08/09/94 SUBJ : How To Get Into IRC COMMENT: The Following Documents Were Grabbed On The Information Server Of The University Of Columbia. The Main Subject iS IRC but You Will Be Able To Found Some Good Informations About MUD ( Multi-User Dungeons ) 1) How To Register Your Nickname -------------------------------- Document : nickserv-faq Questions answered in this FAQ: 01) What is NickServ ? 02) How to correctly address NickServ ? 03) On-line help 04) Query NickServ about a nick 05) How do I register my nick ? 06) How do I change my email adress and/or info 07) How to drop a registred nick 08) Nicks will expire after 10 weeks of non-use. 09) Changing my password 10) How to identify yourself to NickServ 11) Using the same nick from several hosts 12) Listing the access list 13) Removing access list entries 14) I have forgot my password, what do I do now... 15) Reporting bugs 16) Copyright and disclaimer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A note on NickServ replies: ASCII based clients will see replies from NickServ as -service.de-. Zircon based clients will see replies from NickServ in the info window. Anything else may indicate a fake NickServ 01) What is NickServ ? NickServ (or NickServ@Service.de as the correct name is) is a service where you can register your nick for your and others convenience. BEWARE: Registering your nick does NOT indicate that you OWN your nick. Nicks are not owned on IRC. This is an established FACT. Registering your nick is done to avoid confusion if someone else should unfortunately out of ignorance use your nick. Register your nick and make it a "established" one. A bot using your nick may or may not be killed depending on the IRC-operator you ask. BUT, a human using your nick will never ever be killed by a IRC-Op. Think of registering your nick as getting a "brith certificate" for your nick, with your email and your name or cute saying. 02) How to correctly address NickServ ? To adress NickServ, the command is: /msg NickServ@service.de <command> <parameters> Anything else may be a faulty NickServ, unless you get the following mesage: -service.de- NickServ has changed. For security purposes, -service.de- you will have to send your service queries via -service.de- /msg NickServ@service.de <command> -service.de- If you use an IRC client with ALIAS capability, -service.de- you may simply define an appropriate command. A lot of silly users have faked NickServ in the past, and thus be able to get their hands on login-passwords. To fake NickServ should be very difficult these days. One appropriate alias for ircII (which I use myself) is: /alias NS /msg NickServ@service.de $* 03) On-line help You may get on-line help two ways: /msg NickServ@service.de help <command> <subcommand> or messaging a NickServ operator and ask him or her politely for help. BUT, you should read the current HELP entry first. Remember that NickServ operators are humans with things to do besides being a NickServ oper :-) Be patient. 04) Query NickServ about a nick Send /msg NickServ@service.de whois <nickname> You may then get a entry telling you the following info: - Nickname and supplied additional information - Email address - When Nickname registred, and what user and host.domain it use - Signon and off times - Status (matching user/host, Authentication info) 05) How do I register my nick ? The correct syntax is: /msg NickServ@service.de register <password> <email> <additional info> NOTE: the <password> is NOT YOUR LOGIN PASSWORD. Find a new and fresh password to use with nickserv. The password is there for your security so that no-one than you can alter or remove your nickserv entry. The password is case sensitive. For instance, a user nicked "gnarfer" wants to register his nickname he then issues the following: /msg NickServ@service.de register LSD-Rules ruben@uib.no Ruben Olsen NickServ will then reply with: -service.de- *** You have been registered. 06) How do I change my email adress and/or info First identify yourself to the NickServ with the identify command, then issue a register command. 07) How to drop a registred nick First identify yourself to NickServ with the identify command, then issue a /msg NickServ@service.de UNREG NickServ will then reply with -service.de- *** '<YourNick>' is unregistered. For instance if a user name "gnarfer" does unregister his nick, NickServ replies with -service.de- *** 'gnarfer' is unregistered. 08) Nicks will expire after 10 weeks of non-use. A nick will be removed after aproximately 10 weeks of non-use. Things are a bit lax during summer vacation, so your nick will usualy survive during this. 09) Changing my password You must identify yourself (if not done) before you can issue the passwd command, the correct syntax is: /msg NickServ@service.de passwd <newpassword> If everything goes OK, NickServ will reply with: -service.de- *** Password has been changed. NOTE: the <password> is NOT YOUR LOGIN PASSWORD. Find a new and fresh password to use with nickserv. The password is there for your security so that no-one than you can alter or remove your nickserv entry. The password is case sensitive. 10) How to identify yourself to NickServ The correct syntax is: /msg NickServ@service.de identify <password> where <password> is your NickServ password. NOTE: If there is a link-break (which happens from time to time), you must re-identify yourself to the NickServ. 11) Using the same nick from several hosts To be able to do this, you must add other hosts in the access list. To be able to alter the access list, you must first identify yourself (if not done). Then issue the command: /msg NickServ@service.cd access add <user>@<host>.<domain> wildcarding is allowed. For instance if the user nicked "gnarfer" wants to add some of the other hosts he is using, he will then issue /msg NickServ@service.de access add rubenro@*.blh.no NickServ will the reply with: -service.de- *** ACCESS: Site entry 'rubenro@*.bih.no' added - delayed until next synch operation -service.de- *** NickServ register entry updated (added 1 site). 12) Listing the access list Syntax is /msg NickServ@service.de access list You must identify yourself first if you have not done this before you can issue an access command. 13) Removing access list entries Syntax is /msg NickServ@service.de access delete <number> where <number> is a number given in a access list You must identify yourself first if you have not done this before you can issue a access delete command. For instance if the user nicked "gnarfer" wants to delte the entry named rubenro@*.blh.no, he will first issue the access list command and NickServ responds with -> *NickServ@service.de* access list -service.de- Site entry #1: rubenro@*.bih.no -service.de- Site entry #2: rubenro@*.blh.no -service.de- *** ACCESS DELETE <number> to delete a site entry. He then does the /msg NickServ@service.de delete 2 and NickServ responds with -service.de- *** ACCESS: Site entry 2 deleted. 14) I have forgot my password, what do I do now... This is a frequent problem; the solution is as follows: 1) Logon to IRC with the matching NickServ host and user entry. That is the host and user you registred your nicks by. NickServ operators issuing a whois command to the NickServ should then see: -service.de- * Status: Matching host entries If this message does not appear, the NickServ operator may refuse to change your NickServ password. 2) type /msg NickServ@service.de operwho You will then get a list of NickServ operators, send one of the nicks that has a asterix ('*') in front of their nick a message politely asking if they can set a new password for you. Remember that NickServ operators are humans with things to do beside beeing a NickServ oper :-), please be patient. 3) Remember to change your passwd again. REMEMBER to change it to something that is not your login password. This is done with /msg NickServ@service.de passwd <newpasswd> Sending mail to the NickServ email adress, or to me, will only get you the above as an answer ;-) You can't ask what your current password is since it is not possible to "see" a NickServ password. They are all encrypted in the database. 15) Reporting bugs To report a NickServ bug, either do it ON-line with the BUG command, or send a mail to IRC@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE with Subject: NickServ. On-line bug reporting is done with /msg NickServ@service.de BUG <bug report>. If you want to report a bug by email, issue a /msg NickServ@service.de help bug to get the current version and compile, please include this in your email. When mailing, rember to include as much information as possible on the problem as you see or experience it. Forgeting your NickServ password is NOT a bug ;-), nor a email issue. If you email NickServ about forgotten passwords, you will surely get a reply with the answer of question 14 :-) 16) Copyright and disclaimer This FAQ is Copyright (C) Ove Ruben R Olsen - 1994. This FAQ should mainly be distributed on USENET, and USENET only. If you want to distribute it by other ways than USENET, publish it on paper or electronicaly (CD-ROM, Floppydisks and such) you should contact the author of the FAQ to get permission. The information in this FAQ is provided 'AS-IS' and the author should not be held liable for any damange the information provided here in may cause. If you have futher problems with NickServ or question that are not covered in this FAQ, you are welcome to email to IRC@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE. Your mail will then be forwarded to the right authorities on NickServ. You may also speak with "ruben" on line (or any other NickServ operator). Unfortunately I will definitely NOT be answering any questions after 11.00 PM GMT ;-), so if you don't get a respone from me, stay cool. You may also issue a /whois ruben ruben (yes ruben twice) to see my idle time and my correctly set away msg (please respect this). \Ruben. _________________________________________________________________________ 2) What is IRC And How To Get In ( undernet.org ) -------------------------------------------------- Document : undernet-faq / Part 1 Undernet IRC FAQ [Part I] (updated 28th July 1994) - Weekly Repost Version 1 By Paul Grant (Grant) Version 2-3 - written by Mandar Mirashi (Mmmm) mmmirash@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu The FAQ consists of answers to several frequently asked questions on the IRC newsgroups. Please don't ask these questions again, they've been answered plenty of times already - and please don't flame someone just because they may not have read this particular posting. Thank you. The FAQ consists of the following sections. I) IRC for the newcomer II) The Undernet (for the newcomer) III) The Undernet (for the EFnetter) IV) The Undernet (how can you participate?) IV) The Undernet (how can you participate?) V) Acknowledgements/References VI) Undernet IRC server list This article covers section I, and includes answers to: 1-1) What is IRC? 1-2) Alright, now how do I get onto IRC? 1-3) Are there any IRC telnet sites? 1-4) Hmm..I'm confused. What does a client do? What's a server? 1-5) What do I do next, once I'm connected to IRC? Is there a way to get online help? Why won't /help work for me? (**CUTTED**) ( ACCESS'NOTE : SORRY... I DIDN'T GET THE WHOLE STUFF , If You Want It, Telnet To ColumbiaNet.Columbia.Edu And Do A Search For "irc" ) If you're looking for the answer to, say, question 1-5, and want to skip everything else, you can search ahead for the regular expression "^1-5". (/1-5 in case you use vi). While I have tried my best to keep the FAQ updated, there may be inadvertent mistakes or omissions. Is there a question that you find frequently asked, but not mentioned? Please send all suggested additions/ corrections/deletions/comments/etc. to mmmirash@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu This FAQ (both parts) can be obtained via anonymous ftp from ftp.undernet.org or ftp2.undernet.org under /irc/docs, or from rtfm.mit.edu under /pub/usenet/alt.irc/ If ftp does not work from your site, then try the mail server: send email to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with send usenet/news.answers/irc/undernet-faq/part1 send usenet/news.answers/irc/undernet-faq/part2 URL's on the World Wide Web for this FAQ are: http://www.undernet.org/~agifford/undernet/underfaq/ http://www2.undernet.org:8080/~cs93jtl/underfaq/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-1) What is IRC? IRC stands for the Internet Relay Chat. It is a much better, multi user implementation of the rudimentary 'talk' program. On IRC, several persons can simultaneously participate in a discussion over a particular 'channel', or even multiple channels. There is no restriction to the number of people that can participate in a given discussion, or the number of channels that can be formed over IRC. All conversations take place in *real time*. That's one of the fortes of IRC, and IRC has been used extensively for live coverage of world events, news, sports commentary, etc. It also serves as an *extremely* inexpensive substitute for long distance calling. People from all corners of the world can be found over IRC. IRC was developed by Jarkko Oikarinen in Finland in the late eighties, and was originally intended to work as a better substitute for 'talk' on his bulletin board. Of course, since then, it attracted overwhelming popularity, especially after the Gulf war when IRC was used to carry live coverage of events, and its growth has been exponential after that. Since then, reports of the Russian coup, and the California earthquake have been carried *live* over IRC, with people located in Russia and California bringing in the eyewitness reports. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-2) Alright, now how do I get onto IRC? The irc program that you need to get onto irc is called an 'irc client'. First, check if your system already has an irc client installed by entering "irc" at your system prompt. If you're lucky, it could have been installed already on your system, and you may skip the remainder of this answer. If you do not have an irc client installed on your system, then you need to install one. Irc clients have been developed for a variety of platforms, and the Unix ircII client is by far the most popular one. There are also several emacs and x11 clients that run under Unix. Irc clients have been developed for MS-DOS / MSWindows, Macintoshes, (assuming that the PC/Macintosh that you use is connected to the network, i.e. you can't use a MS-Windows client if you dial in via a modem to a Unix system, although you may be on a PC - unless your PC is on the network with its own ip address (e.g. runs slip/ppp)) VMS systems and VM/CMS systems as well. A major repository for IRC clients of all kinds is the site cs-ftp.bu.edu. Another site that you may want to try is ftp.undernet.org. You will need to FTP the code for the clients (or binaries as may be the case) from these anonymous ftp sites. A popular VMS client is the dough 'ircII-for-vms' client which has a lot of good features. WSirc is a good MS-Windows irc client. ircII on Unix -------------- If you're on a Unix system, and aren't familiar with the nuances of ftp, uncompress, untar, the concept of Makefiles, etc. you may wish to try the auto-magic install which will do it for you. The foll. command at your Unix prompt will auto install an ircII client: telnet sci.dixie.edu 1 | sh The unix ircII client takes up about 1.5Megs of disk space (including the help files). If you do not have enough diskspace, you may try a precompiled client for your system, which is usually just 400K or so. To find out what Unix system you're on, use the command 'uname -a'. Once you do that, ftp the appropriate precompiled client from ftp.undernet.org /irc/clients/compiled. If you cannot spare even 400K for an irc binary, you may want to try the smallirc client which can be found at ftp.undernet.org under /irc/clients. This takes about 100-150K. ircII under VMS --------------- Here are the sequence of steps I took to install the ircII for vms client: $ create/dir [.ircii] $ set def [.ircii] $ ftp ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu UBVMSA.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>user Foreign username: anonymous <anonymous user ok. Send real ident as password. Password: <Guest User MEMS@ logged into DISK$ACSDISK2:[VMSSERV] at Thu 30-Jun-94 <Directory and access restrictions apply UBVMSA.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>cd [.maslib.utilities.irc] <Connected to DISK$ACSDISK2:[VMSSERV.MASLIB.UTILITIES.IRC]. UBVMSA.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>confirm off [All transactions are implicitly confirmed] UBVMSA.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>mget *.*;* [... multiple file gets deleted...] UBVMSA.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>quit FTP>quit $ $@install This will put you onto the main installation menu. You may exit this menu by holding the "Ctrl" key down and pressing "Z". Installation is very simple, just start with the first option 'P' and set the installation directory. Also use 'S' to select the default server. Next select option 'C' and begin compiling the program. If that completes successfully you can then try and run the irc program with the next option to see if it compiled correctly. If it has then you can go to the next option and edit your login.com to have $irc :== $disk:[username.ircii]irc.exe For example: $IRC :== $COUGAR:[SMIM.IRCII]IRC.EXE You can then proceed to the next step and delete all the non-essential files to conserve your disk quota. WSIRC under DOS/MS-WINDOWS -------------------------- (this section assembled from responses by Caesar Samsi,csamsi@clark.net, - the author of wsirc, on alt.irc ) First, you must be running MS-Windows. WSIRC and WINSOCK.DLL are MS-Windows based software. Second, you must use an implementation of tcp/ip for MS-Windows which is called WINSOCK.DLL (it is actually the name of the file, but we refer to the protocol by the same name). Third, you must either be connected to a TCP/IP LAN or a modem. When you use a modem, you must subscribe to a SLIP/PPP account with your Internet Service Provider. You must ask them: your username, your pchostname, your permanent ip address , their DNS ip address. These will be required for WINSOCK.DLL configuration setup. Fourth, there is a configuration setup you need to do with WINSOCK.DLL, the specifics are covered by each vendor's documentation. Commercial WINSOCK software costs US$ 199.- to US$ 299.-. Shareware WINSOCK software costs US$ 20.- to US$ 40.- (Peter Tattam's WINSOCK.DLL is US $ 20.- has an internal SLIP driver and works very well). FTP sites for the complete WINSOCK distribution are: winftp.cica.indiana.edu File: twsk10a.zip ftp.cica.indiana.edu File: /pub/pc/win3/winsock/winsock.zip Fifth, assuming all of the configuration works. Dial up your internet service provider to your SLIP or PPP account (a script file can automate this process) if you're on a modem. Sixth, once connected, start up WSIRC. Open up the Options | Server dialog box and enter all information in the boxes provided. For server names, browse the list of servers in the appendix of this FAQ. Do not use the actual ip address (e.g 123.222.222.222), use the human text name (us.undernet.org). Use port 6667. Use the username and pcname provided by your SLIP provider. Use nicknames that are NO LONGER than 9 characters. Use no spaces in between for anything (except for the email info, but that's optional). Seventh, click on the connect button (or use File | Connect). If it doesn't connect, try another server. If 11004 error occurs, either your DNS ip address is wrong or you entered an invalid server name, enter a valid server name. If 10060 or 10061 occurs, either the server is down, busy or otherwise not responding, try another server. If the server says "Nickname in use", change your nickname on the fly with /NICK mynick. The server should then display its MOTD (message of the day) file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-3) Are there any IRC telnet sites? This question pops up with frightening regularity on the irc newsgroups. IRC telnet sites are absolutely not recommended except as a *last ditch* effort when compiling a client doesn't work for you, or if you are simply unable to use a client for lack of an account/diskspace/etc. Before answering this question, you should consider the following *disadvantages* of using a telnet client site for IRC: * It is much much slower than using your own client. In cases, you may be connecting all across a continent to use IRC. * It is usually limited by a maximum number of users allowed on it. * It is not possible to send or receive files over irc when using a telnet client. * It is not possible to customise and tailor the client to suit your needs. * And finally, a telnet client site may simply stop providing service due to the huge abuse that often results from the client. This is more often the case than the exception. So, you are left stranded and have to hunt for new telnet sites. In short, GET YOUR OWN CLIENT. Under Unix, a client can be installed in as little as 150-200K of free diskspace. At best, telnet client sites should be used as a temporary solution until you are able to get your own client. It is with this goal in mind that the foll. list is provided: wildcat.ecn.uoknor.edu 6677 or 129.15.22.174 6677 vinson.ecn.uoknor.edu 6677 or 129.15.22.174 6677 [ ACCESS'NOTE : The 2 Above -> SLOW & VERY UNSTABLE! ] sci.dixie.edu 6677 or 144.38.16.2 6677 caen.fr.eu.undernet.org 6677 or 192.93.101.16 6677 obelix.wu-wien.ac.at 6677 or 137.208.8.6 6677 (obelix also runs on ports 7766, 6969 and 6996) [ ACCESS'NOTE : The Above -> VERY Limited Number Of Users ] Sites coming up: rodica.arnes.si 6677 cyprus.csd.uch.gr 6677 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-4) Hmm..I'm confused. What does a client do? What's a server? An irc client reads in the commands that you give it, and parses them. It filters them and performs the appropriate actions, and if necessary, passes them on to a 'server'. An IRC server can serve many other clients. The server holds information about the channels and people on IRC, amongst other pieces of information. It is also responsible for routing your messages to other people on IRC. The IRC network itself consists of multiple servers which connect to one another in a 'tree'-like fashion (as an undirected acyclic graph to be precise). It is usually best if you select a server close to the site that you irc from. Here's a partial list of servers to try: us.undernet.org - Central USA pasadena.ca.us.undernet.org - West coast USA boston.ma.us.undernet.org - East coast USA eu.undernet.org - Europe ca.undernet.org - Canada au.undernet.org - Australia Usually, a countrycode.undernet.org should get you to one of the servers in your region. If not, you can try one of the servers listed above. To find out which server is closest to you once you're on IRC, use the /links command to get a list of servers. To switch to the closest server, try /server servername. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-5) What do I do next, once I'm connected to IRC? Is there a way to get online help? Why won't /help work for me? Thumb rule: All ircII commands must be preceded by a / Thus, typing /help gives you a list of available ircII commands. [If you're using ircII, and /help won't work for you, it's quite possible that your local help files have not been set up right. Try /set help_path <path-to-helpfiles> and if that won't fix it, try ______________________________________________________________________________ 3) More Informations About IRC ( MIT.Edu ) ------------------------------------------ Document : irc-faq Last-modified: 1994/08/31 Version: 1.39 (1) What is IRC? IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". It was originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen (jto@tolsun.oulu.fi) in 1988. Since starting in Finland, it has been used in over 60 countries around the world. It was designed as a replacement for the "talk" program but has become much much more than that. IRC is a multi-user chat system, where people convene on "channels" (a virtual place, usually with a topic of conversation) to talk in groups, or privately. IRC is constantly evolving, so the way things to work one week may not be the way they work the next. Read the MOTD (message of the day) every time you use IRC to keep up on any new happenings or server updates. IRC gained international fame during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, where updates from around the world came accross the wire, and most irc users who were online at the time gathered on a single channel to hear these reports. IRC had similar uses during the coup against Boris Yeltsin in September 1993, where IRC users from Moscow were giving live reports about the unstable situation there. (2) How is IRC set up? The user runs a "client" program (usually called 'irc') which connects to the IRC network via another program called a "server". Servers exist to pass messages from user to user over the IRC network. (3) How do I use a client? First, check to see if irc is installed on your system. Type "irc" from your prompt. If this doesn't work, ask your local systems people if irc is already installed. This will save you the work of installing it yourself. If an IRC client isn't already on your system, you either compile the source yourself, have someone else on your machine compile the source for you, or use the TELNET client. "telnet ircclient.itc.univie.ac.at 6668". Please only use the latter when you have no other way of reaching IRC, as this resource is quite limited, slow, and *very* unreliable. (4) Where can I get source for an IRC client? You can anonymous ftp to any of the following sites (use the one closest to you): *** If you don't know what anonymous ftp is, ask your local systems people to show you *** UNIX client-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients ftp.acsu.buffalo.edu /pub/irc ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/clients slopoke.mlb.semi.harris.com /pub/irc there is also a client avaliable with the server code. EMACS elisp-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/elisp ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/Emacs ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/clients slopoke.mlb.semi.harris.com /pub/irc/emacs cs.hut.fi /pub/irchat X11 client-> catless.ncl.ac.uk /pub harbor.ecn.purdue.edu /pub/tcl/code VMS -> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/vms coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc/vmsirc ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/vms ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/net/irc REXX client for VM-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/rxirc ftp.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de /pub/irc/rxirc ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/net/irc/VM coombs.anu.edu.au /pub/irc/rxirc ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/rxirc MSDOS-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/pc/msdos ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/msdos MSWindows-> cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/clients/pc/windows ftp.demon.co.uk:/pub/ibmpc/winsock/apps/wsirc Macintosh-> cs-ftp.bu.edu /irc/clients/macintosh sumex-aim.stanford.edu /info-mac/comm ftp.funet.fi /pub/unix/irc/mac ftp.ira.uka.de /pub/systems/mac (5) Which server do I connect to? It's usually best to try and connect to one geographically close, even though that may not be the best. You can always ask when you get on IRC. Here's a list of servers avaliable for connection: USA: irc.bu.edu irc.colorado.edu irc.uiuc.edu Canada: sol.csd.unb.ca Europe: irc.funet.fi cismhp.univ-lyon1.fr disuns2.epfl.ch irc.nada.kth.se sokrates.informatik.uni-kl.de bim.itc.univie.ac.at Australia: jello.qabc.uq.oz.au This is, by no means, a comprehensive list, but merely a start. Connect to the closest of these servers and join the channel #Twilight_Zone When you get there, immediately ask what you want. Don't say "I have a question" because then hardly anyone will talk. (6) OK, I've got a client and I'm connected to a server, now what? It's probably best to take a look around and see what you want to do first. All IRC commands start with a "/", and most are one word. Typing /help will get you help information. /names will get you a list of names, etc. The output of /names is typically something like this-> Pub: #hack zorgo eiji Patrick fup htoaster Pub: #Nippon @jircc @miyu_d Pub: #nicole MountainD (Note there are LOTS more channels than this, this is just sample output -- one way to stop /names from being too large is doing /names -min 20 which will only list channels with 20 or more people on it, but you can only do this with the ircII client). "Pub" means public (or "visible") channel. "hack" is the channel name. "#" is the prefix. A "@" before someone's nickname indicates he/she is the "Channel operator" (see #7) of that channel. A Channel Operator is someone who has control over a specific channel. It can be shared or not as the first Channel Operator sees fit. The first person to join the channel automatically receives Channel Operator status, and can share it with anyone he/she chooses (or not). Another thing you might see is "Prv" which means private. You will only see this if you are on that private channel. No one can see Private channels except those who are on that particular private channel. (7) What is a channel operator? What is an IRC operator? A channel operator is someone with a "@" by their nickname in a /names list, or a "@" by the channel name in /whois output. Channel operators are kings/queens of their channel. This means they can kick you out of their channel for no reason. If you don't like this, you can start your own channel and become a channel operator there. An IRC operator is someone who maintains the IRC network. They cannot fix channel problems. They cannot kick someone out of a channel for you. They cannot /kill (kick someone out of IRC temporarily) someone just because you gave the offender channel operator privileges and said offender kicked *you* off. (8) What is a "bot"? "bot" is short for "robot". It is a script run from an ircII client or a separate program (in perl, C, and sometimes more obscure languages). StarOwl@uiuc.edu (Michael Adams) defined bots very well: "A bot is a vile creation of /lusers to make up for lack of penis length". IRC bots are generally not needed. See (10) below about "ownership" of nicknames and channels. It should be noted that many servers (especially in the USA) have started to ban ALL bots. Some ban bots so much that if you run a bot on their server, you will be banned from using that server (see segment below on K: lines). (9) What are good channels to try while using IRC? #hottub and #initgame are almost always teeming with people. #hottub is meant to simulate a hot tub, and #initgame is a non-stop game of "inits" (initials). Just join and find out! To get a list of channels with their names and topics, do /list -min 20 (on ircII) which will show you channels with 20 or more members. You can also do this for smaller numbers. Many IRC operators are in #Twilight_Zone ... so if you join that channel and don't hear much talking, don't worry, it's not because you joined, operators don't talk much on that channel anyways! (10) Someone is using my nickname, can anyone do anything about it? Someone is using my channel, can anyone do anything about it? Even while NickServ (see (13) below) registered nicknames, there are not enough nicknames to have nickname ownership. If someone takes your nickname while you are not on IRC, you can ask for them to give it back, but you can not *demand* it, nor will IRC operators /kill for nickname ownership. There are, literally, millions of possible channel names, so if someone is on your usual channel, just go to another. You can /msg them and ask for them to leave, but you can't *force* them to leave. (11) There aren't any channel operators on my channel, now what? Channel operators are the owner(s) of their respective channels. Keep this in mind when giving out channel operator powers (make sure to give them to enough people so that all of the channel operators don't unexpectedly leave and the channel is stuck without a channel operator). On the other hand, do not give out channel operator to *everyone*. This causes the possibility of mass-kicking, where the channel would be stuck without any channel operators. You have one option. You can ask everyone to leave and rejoin the channel. This is a good way to get channel operator back. It doesn't work on large channels or ones with bots, for obvious reasons. (12) What if someone tells me to type something cryptic? Never type anything anyone tells you to without knowing what it is. There is a problem with typing certain commands with the ircII client that give anyone immediate control of your client (and thus can gain access to your account). (13) What was NickServ? Is NickServ ever coming back? NickServ was a nickname registration service run in Germany. It was a bot that told people who used a registered nickname to stop using that nickname. NickServ has been down since the Spring of 1994. It is not likely that NickServ will be back. Remember, nicknames aren't owned. (14) What does "*** Ghosts are not allowed on IRC." mean? What does "*** You are not welcome on this server." mean? On IRC, you cannot be banned from every single server. Server-banning exists only on a per-server basis (being banned on one server does not mean you are automatically banned from another). "Ghosts are not allowed on IRC" means that you are banned from using that server. The banning is in one of three forms: * You are banned specifically, you yourself. Only you can be responsible for this (if you are using a shared account, this obviously does not apply). Thus the responsibility lies completely with you and you have noone to complain to. * Your machine is banned. Chances are it wasn't you who committed the wrongdoing. Try using another machine on campus and seeing if you can use that particular irc server then. * Your whole site is banned (where "site" == "school", "company", "country"). This almost certainly wasn't your fault. And chances are you won't be able to get the server-ban lifted. Try using another server. The most general answer is "use another server", but if it bothers you, try writing to the irc administrator of that site --> /admin server.name.here -- plead your case. It might even get somewhere! (15) What does "You have new email." mean? What does it mean when I see "[Mail: 5]" in my status bar? IRC does not have its own mail. However, if your client tells you that you have new email, it simply means that you have received mail in your account. Leave irc (either by suspending it or quitting it), and read the mail. You might also see "You have new email." when you start irc. IRC does not keep track of email between sessions, so when you start irc and have something in your mailbox, irc will tell you you have new email. The "[Mail: 5]" in your status bar tells you how many email messages you have in your mailbox. Again, to access them, leave irc and read them using your normal mail reader. (16) Where can I find GIF archives of IRC people? GIF archives of IRC people are available: ftp.funet.fi:/pub/pics/people/misc/irc (NORDUnet only) ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/comp/networking/irc/RP (17) Where can I learn more? The best, basic, IRC user's manual is the IRC Primer, available in plain text, PostScript, and LaTeX from cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/support ... Another good place to start might be downloading the IRC tutorials. They're avaliable via anonymous ftp from cs-ftp.bu.edu in /irc/support/tutorial.* You can also join various IRC related mailing lists: * "operlist" is a list that discusses current (and past) server code, routing, and protocol. You can join by mailing operlist-request@kei.com. * "ircd-three" is a list that exists to discuss protocol revisions for the 3.0 release of the ircd (irc server), currently in planning. Mail ircd-three-request@kei.com to be added. NOTE! These are not "Help me, where can I get started?" lists. For that information, read the IRCprimer noted above. Those looking for more technical information can get the IRC RFC (rfc1459) available at all RFC ftp sites, as well as cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/support/rfc1459.txt (18) Where can I get an updated copy of this FAQ? this FAQ is available from several sources: cs-ftp.bu.edu:/irc/support/alt-irc-faq ftp.kei.com:/pub/irc/alt-irc-faq The latest copy will always be posted to these two ftp sites. (18) What do I do if I'm still confused or have additions to this posting? email hrose@kei.com or ask for help (in #Twilight_Zone) on IRC. -- Helen Trillian Rose <hrose@kei.com, hrose@eff.org> Kapor Enterprises, Inc. Check out my homepage! --> Systems and Networks Administration http://www.kei.com/homepages/hrose.html I like: DL, WN, Boeing I don't like: NW, HP, Airbus _________________________________________________________________________ 4) More & More Informations About IRC, MUDs ------------------------------------------- Chapter Eleven: IRC, MUDs and other things that are more fun than t... Chapter 11: IRC, MUDs AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE MORE FUN THAN THEY SOUND Many Net systems provide access to a series of interactive services that let you hold live "chats" or play online games with people around the world. To find out if your host system offers these, you can ask your system administrator or just try them -- if nothing happens, then your system does not provide them. In general, if you can use telnet and ftp, chances are good you can use these services as well. 11.1 TALK This is the Net equivalent of a telephone conversation and requires that both you and the person you want to talk to have access to this function and are online at the same time. To use it, type talk user@site.name where user@site.name is the e-mail address of the other person. She will see something like this on her screen: talk: connection requested by yourname@site.name talk: respond with: talk yourname@site.name To start the conversation, she should then type (at her host system's command line): talk yourname@site.name where that is your e-mail address. Both of you will then get a top and bottom window on your screen. She will see everything you type in one window; you'll see everything she types in the other. To disconnect, hit control-C. One note: Public-access sites that use Sun computers sometimes have trouble with the talk program. If talk does not work, try typing otalk or ntalk instead. However, the party at the other end will have to have the same program online for the connection to work. 11.2 INTERNET RELAY CHAT IRC is a program that lets you hold live keyboard conversations with people around the world. It's a lot like an international CB radio - it even uses "channels." Type something on your computer and it's instantly echoed around the world to whoever happens to be on the same channel with you. You can join in existing public group chats or set up your own. You can even create a private channel for yourself and as few as one or two other people. And just like on a CB radio, you can give yourself a unique "handle" or nickname. IRC currently links host systems in 20 different countries, from Australia to Hong Kong to Israel. Unfortunately, it's like telnet -- either your site has it or it doesn't. If your host system does have it, Just type irc and hit enter. You'll get something like this: *** Connecting to port 6667 of server world.std.com *** Welcome to the Internet Relay Network, adamg *** Your host is world.std.com, running version 2.7.1e+4 *** You have new mail. *** If you have not already done so, please read the new user information with +/HELP NEWUSER *** This server was created Sat Apr 18 1992 at 16:27:02 EDT *** There are 364 users on 140 servers *** 45 users have connection to the twilight zone *** There are 124 channels. *** I have 1 clients and 3 servers MOTD - world.std.com Message of the Day - MOTD - Be careful out there... MOTD - MOTD - ->Spike * End of /MOTD command. 23:13 [1] adamg [Mail: 32] * type /help for help ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________________ You are now in channel 0, the "null" channel, in which you can look up various help files, but not much else. As you can see, IRC takes over your entire screen. The top of the screen is where messages will appear. The last line is where you type IRC commands and messages. All IRC commands begin with a /. The slash tells the computer you are about to enter a command, rather than a message. To see what channels are available, type /list and hit enter. You'll get something like this: *** Channel Users Topic *** #Money 1 School CA$H (/msg SOS_AID help) *** #Gone 1 ----->> Gone with the wind!!! ------>>>>> *** #mee 1 *** #eclipse 1 *** #hiya 2 *** #saigon 4 *** #screwed 3 *** #z 2 *** #comix 1 LET'S TALK 'BOUT COMIX!!!!! *** #Drama 1 *** #RayTrace 1 Rendering to Reality and Back *** #NeXT 1 *** #wicca 4 Mr. Potato Head, R. I. P. *** #dde^mhe` 1 no'ng chay? mo*? ...ba` con o*iiii *** #jgm 1 *** #ucd 1 *** #Maine 2 *** #Snuffland 1 *** #p/g! 4 *** #DragonSrv 1 Because IRC allows for a large number of channels, the list might scroll off your screen, so you might want to turn on your computer's screen capture to capture the entire list. Note that the channels always have names, instead of numbers. Each line in the listing tells you the channel name, the number of people currently in it, and whether there's a specific topic for it. To switch to a particular channel, type /join #channel where "#channel" is the channel name and hit enter. Some "public" channels actually require an invitation from somebody already on it. To request an invitation, type /who #channel-name where channel-name is the name of the channel, and hit enter. Then ask someone with an @ next to their name if you can join in. Note that whenever you enter a channel, you have to include the #. Choose one with a number of users, so you can see IRC in action. If it's a busy channel, as soon as you join it, the top of your screen will quickly be filled with messages. Each will start with a person's IRC nickname, followed by his message. It may seem awfully confusing at first. There could be two or three conversations going on at the same time and sometimes the _________________________________________________________________________ 28% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > three conversations going on at the same time and sometimes the messages will come in so fast you'll wonder how you can read them all. Eventually, though, you'll get into the rhythm of the channel and things will begin to make more sense. You might even want to add your two cents (in fact, don't be surprised if a message to you shows up on your screen right away; on some channels, newcomers are welcomed immediately). To enter a public message, simply type it on that bottom line (the computer knows it's a message because you haven't started the line with a slash) and hit enter. Public messages have a user's nickname in brackets, like this: <tomg> If you receive a private message from somebody, his name will be between asterisks, like this: *tomg* _________________________________________________________________________ 30% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > *tomg* 11.3 IRC COMMANDS Note: Hit enter after each command. /away When you're called away to put out a grease fire in the kitchen, issue this command to let others know you're still connected but just away from your terminal or computer for awhile. /help Brings up a list of commands for which there is a help file. You will get a "topic:" prompt. Type in the _________________________________________________________________________ 33% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > file. You will get a "topic:" prompt. Type in the subject for which you want information and hit enter. Hit enter by itself to exit help. /invite Asks another IRC to join you in a conversation. /invite fleepo #hottub would send a message to fleepo asking him to join you on the #hottub channel. The channel name is optional. /join Use this to switch to or create a particular channel, like this: /join #hottub _________________________________________________________________________ 36% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > /join #hottub If one of these channels exists and is not a private one, you will enter it. Otherwise, you have just created it. Note you have to use a # as the first character. /list This will give you a list of all available public channels, their topics (if any) and the number of users currently on them. Hidden and private channels are not shown. /m name Send a private message to that user. /mode This lets you determine who can join a channel you've created. _________________________________________________________________________ 39% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > created. /mode #channel +s creates a secret channel. /mode #channel +p makes the channel private /nick This lets you change the name by which others see you. /nick fleepo would change your name for the present session to fleepo. People can still use /whois to find your e-mail _________________________________________________________________________ 41% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > fleepo. People can still use /whois to find your e-mail address. If you try to enter a channel where somebody else is already using that nickname, IRC will ask you to select another name. /query This sets up a private conversation between you and another IRC user. To do this, type /query nickname Every message you type after that will go only to that person. If she then types /query nickname where nickname is yours, then you have established a private conversation. To exit this mode, type _________________________________________________________________________ 44% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > private conversation. To exit this mode, type /query by itself. While in query mode, you and the other person can continue to "listen" to the discussion on whatever public channels you were on, although neither of you will be able to respond to any of the messages there. /quit Exit IRC. /signoff Exit IRC. /summon Asks somebody connected to a host system with IRC to join you on IRC. You must use the person's entire e-mail address. _________________________________________________________________________ 47% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > address. /summon fleepo@foo.bar.com would send a message to fleepo asking him to start IRC. Usually not a good idea to just summon people unless you know they're already amenable to the idea; otherwise you may wind up annoying them no end. This command does not work on all sites. /topic When you've started a new channel, use this command to let others know what it's about. /topic #Amiga would tell people who use /list that your channel is meant for discussing Amiga computers. _________________________________________________________________________ 50% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > for discussing Amiga computers. /who <chan> Shows you the e-mail address of people on a particular channel. /who #foo would show you the addresses of everybody on channel foo. /who by itself shows you every e-mail address for every person on IRC at the time, although be careful: on a busy night you might get a list of 500 names! /whois Use this to get some information about a specific IRC user or to see who is online. _________________________________________________________________________ 52% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > user or to see who is online. /whois nickname will give you the e-mail address for the person using that nickname. /whois * will list everybody on every channel. /whowas Similar to /whois; gives information for people who recently signed off IRC. 11.4 IRC IN TIMES OF CRISIS _________________________________________________________________________ 55% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > IRC has become a new medium for staying on top of really big breaking news. In 1993, when Russian lawmakers barricaded themselves inside the parliament building, some enterprising Muscovites and a couple of Americans set up a "news channel" on IRC to relay first-person accounts direct from Moscow. The channel was set up to provide a continuous loop of information, much like all-news radio stations that cycle through the day's news every 20 minutes. In 1994, Los Angeles residents set up a similar channel to relay information related to the Northridge earthquake. In both cases, logs of the channels were archived somewhere on the Net, for those unable to "tune in" live. How would you find such channels in the future? Use the /list command to scroll through the available channels. If one has been set up to discuss a particular breaking event, chances are you'll see a brief description next to the channel name that will tell you that's the place to tune. _________________________________________________________________________ 58% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > to tune. 11.5 MUDs Multiple-User Dimensions or Dungeons (MUDs) take IRC into the realm of fantasy. MUDs are live, role-playing games in which you enter assume a new identity and enter an alternate reality through your keyboard. As you explore this other world, through a series of simple commands (such as "look," "go" and "take"), you'll run across other users, who may engage you in a friendly discussion, enlist your aid in some quest or try to kill you for no apparent reason. Each MUD has its own personality and creator (or God) who was willing to put in the long hours required to establish the particular MUD's rules, laws of nature and information databases. Some MUDs stress the social aspects of online communications -- users frequently _________________________________________________________________________ 61% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > stress the social aspects of online communications -- users frequently gather online to chat and join together to build new structures or even entire realms. Others are closer to "Dungeons and Dragons" and are filled with sorcerers, dragons and evil people out to keep you from completing your quest -- through murder if necessary. Many MUDs (there are also related games known as MUCKs and MUSEs) require you to apply in advance, through e-mail, for a character name and password. One that lets you look around first, though, is HoloMuck at McGill University in Montreal. The premise of this game is that you arrive in the middle of Tanstaafl, a city on the planet Holo. You have to find a place to live (else you get thrown into the homeless shelter) and then you can begin exploring. Magic is allowed on this world, but only outside the city limits. Get bored with the city and you can roam the rest of the world or even take a trip into orbit (of course, all this takes money; you can either wait for your weekly salary or take a trip to the city casino). Once you become familiar with the city and get your own character, you can even begin _________________________________________________________________________ 64% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > familiar with the city and get your own character, you can even begin erecting your own building (or subway line, or almost anything else). To connect, telnet to collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu 5757 When you connect, type connect guest guest and hit enter. This connects you to the "guest" account, which has a password of "guest." You'll see this: The Homeless Shelter(#22Rna) You wake up in the town's Homeless Shelter, where vagrants are put for protective holding. Please don't sleep in public places-- there are plenty of _________________________________________________________________________ 66% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > protective holding. Please don't sleep in public places-- there are plenty of open apartments available. Type 'apartments' to see how to get to an apartment building with open vacancies. There is a small sign on the wall here, with helpful information. Type 'look sign' to read it. The door is standing open for your return to respectable society. Simply walk 'out' to the center. Of course, you want to join respectable society, but first you want to see what that sign says. So you type look sign and hit enter, which brings up a list of some basic commands. Then you type out _________________________________________________________________________ 69% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > followed by enter, which brings up this: You slip out the door, and head southeast... Tanstaafl Center This is the center of the beautiful town of Tanstaafl. High Street runs north and south into residential areas, while Main Street runs east and west into business districts. SW: is Tanstaafl Towers. Please claim an apartment... no sleeping in public! SE: the Public Library offers both information and entertainment. NW: is the Homeless Shelter, formerly the Town Jail. NE: is Town Hall, site of several important services, including: Public Message Board, Bureau of Land Management (with maps and regulations), and other governmental/ bureaucratic help. Down: Below a sign marked with both red and blue large letter 'U's, a staircase leads into an underground subway passage. (Feel free to 'look' in any direction for more information.) _________________________________________________________________________ 72% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > (Feel free to 'look' in any direction for more information.) [Obvious exits: launch, d, nw, se, w, e, n, s, ne, sw] Contents: Instructions for newcomers Directional signpost Founders' statue To see "Instructions for newcomers", type look Instructions for newcomers and hit enter. You could do the same for "Directional signpost" and "Founders' statue." Then type SW and enter to get to Tanstaafl Towers, the city housing complex, where _________________________________________________________________________ 75% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > and enter to get to Tanstaafl Towers, the city housing complex, where you have to claim an apartment (you may have to look around; many will already) be occupied. And now it's off to explore Holo! One command you'll want to keep in mind is "take." Periodically, you'll come across items that, when you take them will confer certain abilities or powers on you. If you type help and enter, you'll get a list of files you can read to learn more about the MUD's commands. The "say" command lets you talk to other players publicly. For example, say Hey, I'm here! would be broadcast to everybody else in the room with you. If you _________________________________________________________________________ 77% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > would be broadcast to everybody else in the room with you. If you want to talk to just one particular person, use "whisper" instead of "say." whisper agora=Hey, I'm here! would be heard only by agora. Another way to communicate with somebody regardless of where on the world they are is through your pager. If you suddenly see yours go off while visiting, chances are it's a wizard checking to see if you need any help. To read his message, type page To send him a message, type page name=message _________________________________________________________________________ 80% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > page name=message where name is the wizard's name (it'll be in the original message). Other MUDs and MUCKs may have different commands, but generally use the same basic idea of letting you navigate through relatively simple English commands. When you connect to a MUD, choose your password as carefully as you would one for your host system; alas, there are MUD crackers who enjoy trying to break into other people's MUD accounts. And never, never use the same password as the one you use on your host system! MUDs can prove highly addicting. "The jury is still out on whether MUDding is 'just a game' or 'an extension of real life with gamelike qualities'," says Jennifer Smith, an active MUD player who wrote an FAQ on the subject. She adds one caution: "You shouldn't do anything that you wouldn't do in real life, even if the world is a fantasy world. The important thing to remember is that it's the fantasy world of possibly _________________________________________________________________________ 83% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > important thing to remember is that it's the fantasy world of possibly hundreds of people, and not just yours in particular. There's a human being on the other side of each and every wire! Always remember that you may meet these other people some day, and they may break your nose. People who treat others badly gradually build up bad reputations and eventually receive the NO FUN Stamp of Disapproval." 11.6 GO, GO, GO (AND CHESS, TOO)! Fancy a good game of go or chess? You no longer have to head for the nearest park with a board in hand. The Internet has a couple of machines that let you engage people from around the world in your favorite board games. Or, if you prefer, you can watch matches in progress. To play go, _________________________________________________________________________ 86% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > To play go, telnet hellspark.wharton.upenn.edu 6969 log on as: guest You'll find prompts to various online help files to get you started. For a chess match, telnet news.panix.com 5000 log on as: guest You'll find prompts for online help files on the system, which lets you choose your skill level. 11.7 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN _________________________________________________________________________ 88% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > All is not fun and games on the Net. Like any community, the Net has its share of obnoxious characters who seem to exist only to make your life miserable (you've already met some of them in chapter 4). There are people who seem to spend a bit more time on the Net than many would find healthy. It also has its criminals. Clifford Stoll writes in "The Cuckoo's Egg" how he tracked a team of German hackers who were breaking into U.S. computers and selling the information they found to the Soviets. Robert Morris, a Cornell University student, was convicted of unleashing a "worm" program that effectively disabled several thousand computers connected to the Internet. Of more immediate concern to the average Net user are crackers who seek to find other's passwords to break into Net systems and people who infect programs on ftp sites with viruses. There is a widely available program known as "Crack" that can decipher user passwords composed of words that might be found in a _________________________________________________________________________ 91% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > decipher user passwords composed of words that might be found in a dictionary (this is why you shouldn't use such passwords). Short of that, there are the annoying types who take a special thrill in trying to make you miserable. The best advice in dealing with them is to count to 10 and then ignore them -- like juveniles everywhere, most of their fun comes in seeing how upset you can get. Meanwhile, two Cornell University students pleaded guilty in 1992 to uploading virus-infected Macintosh programs to ftp sites. If you plan to try out large amounts of software from ftp sites, it might be wise to download or buy a good anti-viral program. But can law enforcement go too far in seeking out the criminals? The Electronic Frontier Foundation was founded in large part in response to a series of government raids against an alleged gang of hackers. The raids resulted in the near bankruptcy of one game company never alleged to have had anything to do with the hackers, when the government seized its computers and refused to give them back. The case against another alleged participant collapsed in court _________________________________________________________________________ 94% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > back. The case against another alleged participant collapsed in court when his attorney showed the "proprietary" and supposedly hacked information he printed in an electronic newsletter was actually available via an 800 number for about $13 -- from the phone company from which that data was taken. 11.8 FYI You can find discussions about IRC in the alt.irc newsgroup. "A Discussion on Computer Network Conferencing," by Darren Reed (May, 1992), provides a theoretical background on why conferencing systems such as IRC are a Good Thing. It's available through ftp at nic.ddn.mil in the rfc directory as rfc1324.txt. Every Friday, Scott Goehring posts a new list of MUDs and related games and their telnet addresses in the newsgroup rec.games.mud.announce. There are several other mud newsgroups related to specific types of MUDs, _________________________________________________________________________ 97% seen P=prev-page N=next-page T=top B=bottom H=help X=exit > There are several other mud newsgroups related to specific types of MUDs, including rec.games.mud.social, rec.games.mud.adventure, rec.games.mud.tiny, rec.games.mud.diku and rec.games.mud.lp. For a good overview of the impact on the Internet of the Morris Worm, read "Virus Highlights Need for Improved Internet Management," by the U.S. General Accounting Office (June, 1989). You can get a copy via ftp from cert.sei.cmu.edu in the pub/virus-l/docs directory. It's listed as gao_rpt. Clifford Stoll describes how the Internet works and how he tracked a group of KGB-paid German hackers through it, in "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy through the Maze of Computer Espionage," Doubleday (1989). _________________________________________________________________________