IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

IRC, as with most downloading techniques, is accessed through a client (networking program) which connects the user’s machine to a server. There are thousands of Internet Relay Chat servers around the world which can either be independent setups, or part of a public network such as EFNet, DALNet or UnderNet.

How it works

Once connected to a server, you choose a relevant channel (chat room) where you can observe what's on offer, search for files, or join in with discussions. Channel names usually explain their general topic, so if you are looking for one offering movies, you should use terms such as ‘movies’, ‘divx’, and avi’ etc in your channel searches.

Entering a 'downloading' channel for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. Usually you will get numerous lines of text scrolling quickly down the screen that look random and confusing, but with practice it becomes straightforward and you will be able to chat, run file searches and, request files with ease.

The scrolling text mostly consists of automated messages called bots which advertise people’s File Servers (FServes), and provide instructions on how to log in, and download the files you want.

When you select a file to download, your client will initiate a DCC (Direct Client-to-Client) connection for the file transfer, which is carried out independently of the IRC server.

Although 'Internet Relay Chat' was never meant to be used in this way, it performs pretty well and possesses many advanced file transfer mechanisms, including the ability to resume a download if it becomes interrupted.

Learn the important IRC terminology.

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