To join, type "/join #ubuntu." Graphical clients have clickable channel lists. Most of the channels start with a "#", so Ubuntu would be "#ubuntu," for example. The larger networks usually have searchable channel lists. You can type "/list" into your client, but a lot of servers with lots of channels consider it abuse.
Most networks have software that will let you register a nickname with a password, and most clients are pretty smart about saving it for you. Alternatively, you can pick a server that’s geographically closest to you. This is often a good choice, because servers occasionally go down, and this way you’ll always be connected to a good server. The networks typically also have a "round-robin" server that will connect you to a random server in the network. You’ll see a list of servers you can connect to on the network’s home page. IRC tends a be a rough neighborhood in internet terms. There are other major networks, including EFnet, Quakenet, DALnet and others, but you’re going to have to dig. (For more on Ubuntu, see Ubuntu on Windows: What's the Big Deal?) The Wikimedia Foundation also hosts channels for its various projects, including Wikipedia in all of its languages, there. Canonical runs its official Ubuntu channels there. This IRC network specializes in peer-directed projects. If you’re interested in contributing to an open-source project or getting support, Freenode is your best bet. Step 2: Pick a Network, Server and ChannelĪfter you pick a client, the next step is to pick a network, a server and a channel. IRC functionality is also built into several major instant messaging clients, like Trillian, Pidgin and Adium. It used to be standard with the original Mozilla suite, and it’s still part of the Seamonkey suite. Yes, there’s an IRC client for Firefox as well.
The advantage of doing it this way is that you avoid having to install anything and your settings will follow you from machine to machine. Mibbit: If you truly insist on using a web browser, you can use Mibbit.If you detach your session, log out and log in from another computer, your session will be waiting for you. You can log in via SSH to a remote machine, start tmux or Screen, and start Irssi. One advantage the text-based clients have over GUIs is that they work with programs like GNU Screen and tmux. Although its looks might betray its claim to be "the client of the future," it’s a fast and flexible client. Irssi: For Unix and Linux command line die-hards, this is often the text-based client of choice.
It’s also available for Mac OS X (in an unofficial version) and Windows.
In the Linux world, XChat is the graphical client of choice.
mIRC: This is the premier client for Windows.Here are some of the major ones for modern platforms
(You can even get a client for the Amiga!) If there’s a computer capable of getting on the internet, chances are there’s an IRC client for it. There’s a real embarrassment of riches in terms of clients available. To get onto IRC, the first thing you need is a client.
How To Get Onto IRC Step 1: Pick a Client