Quantum Leap IRC FAQL

As promised, here is a beginner FAQ in the works. Soon I will try to add pertinent Quantum Leap info from past IRC meetings, etc.
-Mark Bakalor

1. What is IRC anyway?

IRC is a multi-user, multi-channel chatting network. It allows people all over the Internet to talk to one another in real-time. Each irc user has a nickname they use. All communication with other users is either by nickname or by the channel that they or you are on. All IRCII commands begin with a / character. Anything that does not begin with a / is assumed to be a message that is sent to everyone on your channel. Here is a list of basic commands to help you get started: 
    /LIST               Lists all current irc channels, number of
                        users, and topic.

    /NAMES              Shows the nicknames of all users on each
                        channel
    
    /JOIN <channel>     Join the named channel.  All non-commands
                        you type will now go to everyone on that
                        channel

    /MSG <nick> <msg>   Sends a private message to the specified
                        person.  Only the specified nickname will
                        see this message.

    /NICK               Change your nickname

    /QUIT               Exits irc.

    /HELP <topic>       Gets help on all IRCII commands.

    /WHO <channel>      Shows who is on a given channel,
                        including nickname, user name and host,
                        and realname.

    /WHOIS <nick>       Shows the "true" indentity of someone
                        Use this often to make sure you know who
                        you are talking to, because nicknames are
                        NOT owned so any number of people could
                        use a nickname.

These commands should get you started on irc. Use the /HELP command to find out more about things on irc, or ask question of people... most would be happy to help you out.

This file contains some caveats for people new to IRC. It is not a guide to commands for IRC. For a brief guide to commands for new users, see /HELP INTRO.

See /HELP ETIQUETTE for a guide to good manners on IRC.

2. Okay, okay, before going overboard on rules and info once on IRC, tell me more general info about it.

Okay, IRC is an international network servicing 20 or more countries. There are over 10,000 users.

Do not expect everybody to speak English.

The primary means of identification is currently by nickname. If you have any doubts about the identity of somebody using a given nick, use /WHOIS NickName to find out more. This gives detailed information on the person using the NickName. For example, if you are getting abusive messages from "Fred", type:

/WHOIS Fred

If the information displayed is not the same as that which you would expect for Fred, it is probably a case of impersonation.

Recently some users have been tricking others into allowing them to control their IRC sessions or damaging their files. If somebody asks you to type a command and you don't know what it does, use /HELP CommandName to find out more about it first. In particular, /ON has been used to cause trouble and is now initially disabled for new users. Additionally, /QUI is short for /QUIT and will terminate your IRC session. If you see any message asking you to type /QUI or /QUIT, ignore it.

Some new users have been baffled by "CTCP" messages appearing on the IRC session. These are messages from other users, asking your client to perform some service for them. They are generally generated by somebody typing in a CTCP command. See /HELP CTCP.

3. Okay, now I'm kind of on IRC but it says I need a server or something?

Possibly, if you are in the U.S. then I have compiled a server list. To get on any on of these (note you don't have to be in California to use a California server, it just may be slower than one closer to you.) you type (once in IRC) /server [server address]

The following is a partial list of United States servers:

Arizona 

  irc.primenet.com	2.8.21	Primenet, Phoenix, AZ
  irc.HACKS.Arizona.EDU	2.8.21	Home of the Arizona Wildcats

California 

  irc.netcom.com	2.8.21	NETCOM Online Communications Services, Inc.
  irc2.netcom.com	2.8.21	NETCOM Online Communications Services, Inc.
  irc.portal.com	2.8.21	Traffic Jam on the Superhighway
  irc1.portal.com	2.8.16	Road construction
  harp.aix.calpoly.edu	2.8.20.rf.KHS	The Mighty Morphin Cal Poly server...
  B-w6yx.stanford.edu	ircd2.8/dog3-super.pl7+ident	Stanford Client server No
  w6yx.stanford.edu	2.8.21.dont_you_have_something_better_to_do_than_look_  at_my_ircd_version? From DC to Daylight
  irc.ucsd.edu		2.8.21beta+th	University of California at San Diego

Colorado 

  cuboulder.colorado.edu  2.8.20     Univ of Colorado Server

Connecticut 

  joyce.eng.yale.edu      2.8.21     Yale College IEEE irc server

Florida 

  irc.gate.net            2.8.21+E1  CyberGate, Inc.

Illinois 

  irc.ecn.bgu.edu	2.8.20	Board Of Governors, Educational Computing N
  irc.uiuc.edu		2.8.21	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  irc.ais.net		2.8.21	American Information Systems - Chicago
  irc.mcs.net		2.8.21	MCSNet Services - +1 312-248-8649

Indiana 

  irc.indiana.edu	ircd2.8/dog3-super.pl7+ident	IU Campus-Wide Irc Server
  copper.ucs.indiana.edu	ircd2.8/dog3-super.pl8	IU Campus-Wide Irc Server

Iowa 

  irc.iastate.edu         2.8.21.me+CS+Jon2 Iowa State Alternate Reality Server

Kansas 

  irc.ksu.edu             2.8.21     Kansas Regional IRC Server

Kentucky 

  t8.mscf.uky.edu	2.8.20	The Hole in the Rock Server at the Univ. of

Maryland 

  irc.digex.net           2.8.21     Digital Express Group

Massachusetts 

 irc.delphi.com          2.8.20     Delphi Internet Services
 world.std.com           2.8.20     The World @ Software Tool & Die
 cs-pub.bu.edu           2.8.21     Boston University CS Dept
 irc.harvard.edu         2.8.20     If we're up, then all is well ;>
 irc.mit.edu             2.7.2g     MIT Project Athena
 irc-2.mit.edu           ircd2.8/dog3-super.pl7 Mass. Institute of Technology,

Michigan 

 pegasus.ccs.itd.umich.edu 2.8.21.WH6 The White Horse

Minnesota 

 irc.tc.umn.edu          2.8.21+E1  University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Missouri 

 irc.mo.net              2.8.20     P-Net, Inc.

New Jersey 

 hertz.njit.edu          2.8.21     NJIT Computing Services Department,Newark
 bazooka.rutgers.edu     2.8.16.pilot+bp2 The 5 cent piece of gum holding the e
 irc.rutgers.edu         2.8.16.pilot+bp2 Rutgers University, New Brunswick
 irc.interactive.net     2.8.21/pimp.daddy.mack-pl6+note InterActive Networks,

New York 

 irc.escape.com          2.8.21.me+digi Escape - New York City
 azure.acsu.buffalo.edu  2.8.20     University at Buffalo, Buffalo
 organ.ctr.columbia.edu  2.8.20     Columbia University IRC
 red-dwarf.cit.cornell.edu 2.8.16   The CIT IRC
 mcnet02.med.nyu.edu     2.8.21     The Mid-Manhattan Link
 colossus.cs.rpi.edu     2.8.20     Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute IRC Server

North Carolina 

 hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu    2.8.21.kline.Daemon's.fixes North Carolina IRC Server

Ohio 

 slc9.ins.cwru.edu       new        CWRU IRC Server
 irc.apk.net             2.8.21     APK Net, Ltd IRC server

Oklahoma 

irc.ecn.uoknor.edu      2.8.20     SOONER ALPHA SERVER, SOONER THAN THE REST!

Pennsylvania 

 irc.pitt.edu            2.8.21     University of Pittsburgh

Texas 

 irc.neosoft.com         2.8/dog3-super.pl8+ident+CS NeoSoft - Houston
 acme.etsu.edu           2.8.20     The Magical Realms Server
 portal.tamu.edu         2.8.20     Da' Maroon Lagoon of Aggieland!
 dewey.cc.utexas.edu     2.8.21.me.Daemon's.fixes UT's "I Repeat Class" server
 mickey.cc.utexas.edu    2.8.21.me.Daemon's.fixes UT's 2nd "I Repeat Class" ser
 minnie.cc.utexas.edu    2.8.21.me.Daemon's.fixes UT's 3rd "I Repeat Class" ser
 irc.texas.net           2.8.21+ian Texas Networking, INC

Utah 

 irc.math.byu.edu        2.8.20     Brigham Young University Math Dept

Virginia 

 irc02.irc.aol.com       2.8.21     America Online Routing Server
 poe.acc.Virginia.EDU    2.8.20     University of Virginia

Washington 

 irc.eskimo.com          ircd2.8/dog3-super.pl8+ident Eskimo North -- Seattle
 alfred1.u.washington.edu 2.8.20/d3s+id+CS U of W IRC Server

Washington, D.C. 

 eff.org                 2.8.21     Electronic Frontier Foundation, G. St NW

4. So where is all the rest of the IRC or Quantum Leap info for me to see in this FAQ?

Well, thanks a whole bunch for your consideration ;) This is only in the works. I just thought I'd add some info that hasn't been added. At a later date maybe others can help me put together a real FAQ and we can add transcripts and the whole sh'bang. Okay? Okay!