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Internet Relay Chat is much like your instant messengers, but is devoid of spam or general security risks that other IM services not only allow but are built to accept. Screenshots were made from actual logons and were not "doctored" in any way, so you can join any channels, public or hypothetical, displayed in any screenshot here. All IRC addresses and/or examples are valid and accessible for the purpose of learning how to use the system, to the best of my knowledge. You are a user until made an operator, so don't try to kick ops from public channels or your client will laugh at you. For those new to IRC, please read this project and it's comments anyway to make sure you know the basics. If you have more wisdom to add, please post it as a new comment. If you are looking for help with a specific client, see FAQ's related to your client specifically. Even if you do not choose to use Chatzilla or Firefox, some information here may be useful to new IRC users with general commands supported by most IRC clients. This project is not intended to cover the entire scope of IRC and each individual client's capabilities, but is targeted to the windows user who is new to IRC, and this project aims to help those users to get started with IRC as a superior form of communication over IM clients such as AIM or YIM, which require installing software already proven to be a security-risk. This is an Instructable intended as a starter for those who do not yet understand Internet Relay Chat, or IRC.
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