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IRC Terms

Specific IRC vocabulary

Here's a list of some commonly used terms and expressions with their respective explanation:

• Action: CTCP Action command, executed by a /ME at the beginning of a message.

• Ban: A channel mode set in order to prevent a user or group of users from joining a channel.

• Bot: Short for Robot, a Bot is a script that acts like a user, and can execute a command upon a certain occurance.

• Client: Software that is written for the purpose of connecting to a server, in this case, an IRC server.

• Channel: A group of users on IRC. A channel will have a name (i/e, #AmIRC), and may or may not have a topic of conversation.

• Channel Mode: The properties of a channel that allow or disallow certain activities. Channel Modes can only be changed or set by Channel Operators. The available channel modes are:
  • Invite Only: If active, This mode allows users to join if they have been invited by someone in the channel.

  • Private: If active, the channel is invisible in the global channel list.

  • Lag: The term which is used when the connection to a server or client is delayed.

  • Limit: If active, sets a limit on the number of users allowed to join a channel.

  • Moderated: If active, only Channel Operators and users with voice may type input to the channel.

  • No Messaging: If active, prevents users from sending a message to the channel until they have joined it.

  • Secret: If active, the channel is invisible until it is joined.

  • Topic Protection: If active, only Channel Operators may set or change the topic of a channel.

• Channel Operator (or OP): A user who has control over a channel. A user who creates a channel is given Op status, and in turn can give it to anyone else in the channel.

• Chat Network: A network of computers that are interconnected so that anyone on any server in the network may chat with anyone else on any computer in that same network. Here's some major chat networks:
  • ARCnet: Amiga Relay Chat Network, partially running on Amiga servers.

  • IRCnet: Formerly part of EFnet, now split.

  • EFnet: Eris Free Network. The largest IRC network.

  • DAL-Net: A different IRC network with some specialized functons that do not appear in typical IRC networks.

  • Undernet: An alternative IRC network.

• Command: A message to an IRC server or to a local or remote client. Commands generally begin with a /. See Commands.

• CTCP: Client To Client Protocol, A standard for sending commands from one client to another, usually for the purpose of getting information from the remote client. See CTCP.

• DCC: Direct Client Connection - a standard for creating a direct link between two clients, for the purpose of sending or receiving files, or to carry a more secure conversation. See DCC.

• IdentD: IdentD is software that can be run on the client, allowing an IRC server to corroberate the identity of a client. AmIRC has an IdentD built in, and will automatically disable it if an external IdentD is running.

• IRC: Internet Relay Chat - Any Network of Computers that run IRC servers for the purpose of allowing users to connect to it using client software made for IRC.

• Kick: The occurance of a user being removed from a joined channel by a channel operator.

• Lag: Term to specify that the connection is delayed to some extend.

• MOTD: Message Of The Day, A message that may or may not be updated daily, that is meant to be read when connecting to an IRC server.

• Netsplit: An event that occurs when a server goes down that other servers depend on for network packets. Any servers that are dependant on the crashed server will split from the net, that is, they will still be up and running, with active clients, but any clients on the other side of the crashed unit will appear to have all logged off at once.

• Nick: Short for Nickname, this is an alias that you may pick for yourself.

• Op: See Channel Operator.

• Server: A computer that is Running IRC server software, allowing it to be connected to by IRC clients or other servers.

• Server Operator: A person in control of an IRC server.

• TLA (Three Letter Abreviations): Commonly used acronyms, not entirely restricted to 3 letters:
  • AFAIK: As Far As I Know
  • AFK: Away From Keyboard
  • ASAP: As Soon As Possible
  • ATM: At The Moment
  • BRB: (I'll) Be Right Back
  • BBL: (I'll) Be Back Later
  • BBIAB: (I'll) Be Back In A Bit
  • BTW: By The Way
  • CU: Or Cya, See You
  • CUL: Or CUL8R, See You Later, Catch You Later
  • DL: Or D/L, Download
  • FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
  • FWIW: For What It's Worth
  • FYI: For Your Information
  • IC: I See
  • IIRC: If I Remember Correctly
  • IMHO: In My Humble|Honest Opinion
  • L8R: Later
  • LOL: Laughs Out Loud
  • LTNS: Long Time No See
  • MOTD: Message Of The Day
  • NE1: Anyone
  • NP: No Problem
  • OTL: Out To Lunch
  • PLS: Or PLZ, Please
  • PPL: People
  • POV: Point Of View
  • RE: Welcome back, short for REGARDS
  • ROTFL: Rolls On The Floor Laughing
  • RSN: Real Soon Now
  • RTFM: Read The F***ing Manual
  • TIA: Thanks In Advance
  • TNX: Or Thnx, Thanks
  • TTYL: Talk To You Later
  • TTFN: Ta Ta For Now
  • UL: Or U/L, Upload
  • WB: Welcome Back
  • WTF: What(Why) The F***

• Topic: A heading for a channel that may or may not have anything to do with the conversation at hand.

• User: A person using an IRC Client to connect to a server to chat.

• User Mode: Settings that affect a users properties.
  • Invisible: If this mode is set, a user will be invisible in the global user list. The user will still be visible in the user list of any joined channel, however.

  • Wallops: When set, this mode will allow receiving of messages from the server operator to all operators.
• Userhost: This is the string that defines a user. It consists of the user's chosen nick, login name and domain name. For example:

       Wupper!jwupper@monorail.denet234.de
       |      |       |        |      |_ Domain
       |      |       |        |________ Network
       |      |       |_________________ Machine
       |      |_________________________ Login
       |________________________________ Nick
  

• Voice: Status a normal (not an operator) user must have to type into a moderated channel.