Hi there! I'm zengat, someone who frequents the IRC.
The following is a post that'll outline how to join the Dollars BBS IRC and chat with us, alongside some stuff about what IRC is and does.
If you have any questions/considerations/whatever during or after reading this, you can reply down below or even better come on down to the IRC (and don't be afraid to send a message/tag someone). The old IRC post had some outdated info so this can count as an update and a kind of "we're still alive" beacon for interested parties.
TL;DR click the link in the sidebar under "IRC Channel:" to join and talk in the IRC chat.
What is IRC?IRC or Internet Relay Chat is a system of text-based chatting started back in the days of BBS. It works by sending messages from an IRC client (installed on a system or running in the browser) to a server which sends each of those messages to other clients in the same group or "channel". IRC and BBS have been integral to one-other from the very beginning.
Further reading: IRC Wikipedia Page (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat)
What's so good about IRC?Anonymity and privacy are some of the biggest concerns which IRC has addressed continuously since its inception in the late 80's.
There is no registration required. Even as more desirable options have sprouted up, these two considerations have kept IRC prevalent throughout the years.
Otherwise, and I'll rely on catbug (the current operator of #dollars-bbs) for this bit (they've been around a long while):
The best part about IRC is longevity. Rizon, #dollars-bbs' host, has been around for 17 years and the #dollars-bbs channel itself has been around for nearly half of that time on its own.
Alongside that, the users themselves stay around for a long time. This due in part to the absence of the volatility that plagues other, more modern chat platforms.
Further reading: Why IRC is still good in $CURRENT_YEAR (
https://blog.apnic.net/2020/09/21/why-irc-is-still-good-in-current_year/)
Alright, fine. How do I join the IRC?Haha, that's what I like to hear!
The fastest way is to click the link in the sidebar under "IRC Channel:" which will take you to KiwiIRC's browser-based client. Just type in your desired nick and you will be automatically connected to the dollars-bbs IRC channel once you're in.
Don't be afraid to say hi and tag one of us! (Send /n at any point to be sent a list of online users, or check the sidebar of your client for the same.)
How do I join with my preferred client?Make sure you set "irc.rizon.net"* as your server, leave the port to default or anywhere from 6660-7000. Once connected with a set username, send "/join #dollars-bbs"* and you'll be connected to the channel. Below are a few clients to choose from if you aren't sure where to start:
*
without the quotes, ofc You can install PC clients such as HexChat (
https://hexchat.github.io/; download:
https://hexchat.github.io/downloads.html) or even connect through a software like Emacs (
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/), if you feel like going a more retro route.
For mobile, here's a couple free clients:
- AndroIRC (Android)
- IRCCloud (iOS, Android & Web)
And a few paid clients:
- Android IRC (Android)
- Colloquy (iOS)
- LimeChat (iOS)
Any cool stuff to do once I'm in?A few things. First, you can
register your nickname. This will bind whatever nickname you've decided to use to you and require your email for verification. You'll find Rizon's official guide for doing this here:
https://wiki.rizon.net/index.php?title=Register_your_nickname.
After registering your nick you will be able to
request a VHOST. This replaces your host (this is not normally visible, but can be found out by any users connected to the same channel as you- it is seen as your-nick@host, where the 'host' portion is determined by whatever ISP you use and from where) with a custom address. Mine is "the.dollars" if you'd like to also use that one.
The full guide is here:
https://wiki.rizon.net/index.php?title=VHost#Requesting_a_vHost.
You can also join various IRC channels and even other servers such as
freenode.
Anything else you should be able to find pretty easily on your own, so good luck and I hope we see you around!
