The How To Guide to IRC
14/04/09
First of all, I’ll start off and say our channel is #ob @ irchighway.net. That’s channel #ob, in the IRCHighway server.
What is IRC and how does it work?
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. You’re basically connected to a server, and in that server you go into room/channel (channels are represented with a # in front of it. So #ob is our channel), and there you can talk with everyone in the channel. It works amazingly well for group conversations. You can also contact other users connected to the server via PMs and other neat features. Best of all, it’s 100% free!
What are the cons to IRC?
The things most people find hard about IRC are the comamnds. They can be intimididating, but once you find some spare time to try to learn the basic commands, you’re ready to cruise. Personally, when I first started going on IRC, I found it it a bit troublesome, but after spending some time on there, I started to learn the basic commands, features, etc etc from other users and whatnot, and begun to experience the greatness of IRC. After that, I just thought “Whoa, where have you been all these years?
What can you do on IRC?
You can do many things on IRC, but I won’t go into too much detail. Instead, I’ll just tell you what you can do on our IRC channel.
You can download the latest (and past) releases through our XDCC Bot (how to download off the bot is explaining later on in this guide), talk to the staff members, discuss the series, etc etc. (Remember, some of our releases are IRC-only!) Personally, any leecher that goes on IRC, I get more motivated to work harder. 50 people going onto our IRC channel have more worth than 3000 download hits on one of our release. I just adore IRC, and want everyone else to discover the greatness of it. Oh, also, #lurk @ irchighway.net is possibly the best place to get manga from. Once you find lurk, you’ll never again use Mangatraders or all those other sites. Lurk ftw. For the effing win.
What are some basic IRC commands?
These are the commands I’ve gotten lots of questions on during my time on IRC… heh…
To change your nick, you type in /nick <desired nick>. So if I wanted to change my nick to “Bob”, I’d type in /nick Bob, and my nick would get changed to Bob.
To PM someone, you type in /msg <nick> <message>. So if I wanted to send “Bob” a message saying “hello”, I’d type in /msg Bob hello, and Bob would get the message.
To do an action command , you type in /me <action>. So if I (Bob for constancy) wanted to sigh, I’d type in /me sighs, and it would come up as *Bob sighs.
To connect to a server, I’d type in /server <servername>. So if I wanted to connect to IRChighway (irchighway.net), where our channel is located, I’d type in /server irc.irchighway.net, and wait for the server to load. Once you get the MOTD (Message of the Day), you’ll know you’re in.
To join a channel, you type in /join #channel after being connected to a server. If I wanted to join #ob, I’d type in in /join #ob, and as soon as the topic of the channel comes up, and the user list loads, I’ll know I’m in. 
If you need any more help, just come onto our channel and ask, and we’ll be glad to help you. You can also join #help, and I’m sure people there would be more than glad to help.
How do I download a release of yours off IRC?
Now this is where it gets tricky~ First of all, in our channel, we don’t allow !list or @find. Any of those commands will get you automatically kicked from the channel (it’s even in the channel topic!), and twice will get you banned. Don’t do it!
Instead, you’ll need to follow the packlist link we provide in our topic. But for the hell of it, this is our packlist.
Intimidated yet? Hope not. Let’s continue.
Our XDCC bot is [XDCC]`Flubby, though of course that’s subject to change anytime, so keep an eye out for that. Now, Flubby hosts all our releases, so you’ll need to go through him (or her – no one knows Flubby’s gender) to get your release.
To get a pack (file), you need to type in the command /msg <bot> xdcc send <pack#>. As I said, Flubby is our bot, so just substitute Flubby in.
Now our packlist… Our packlist lists the series & pack #s, so hopefully you can find those easily. Here’s an example:
#1 0x [9.0M] SeriesX_v1_c1_[OB] #2 0x [9.0M] SeriesX_v1_c2_[OB] #3 0x [9.0M] SeriesY_v1_c1_[OB] #4 0x [9.0M] SeriesY_v1_c2_[OB]
Let’s say I wanna get Series X, volume 1, chapter 2. That would be pack #2. I would then go on to /msg [XDCC]`Flubby xdcc send 2. The bot would get my command, and I will receive a notification window, quering me to accept the send. After accepting, the transfer begins, and after it’s complete, there’s your chapter.
It’s not that hard to download off IRC. I actually find it much easier. Hopefully you guys do too. When going into other groups’ IRC channels, just remember to 1) identify the XDCC bot (some groups have more than one), and 2) identify the packlist (sometimes you might have to /msg <bot> xdcc list, and it’ll give you the packlist).
Hopefully that works out for you guys! If you have any questions, just ask – there’s nothing wrong with asking. For more thorough IRC-beginner help, see here.
Hope to see you in our channel soon. 
Note: Comments for this page are open. If you have a question, just post a comment, and we’ll edit in a response when we get the chance.
3 Comments »
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can not view the packet list under how to download from irc. i am new at it and don’t want to get in to trouble.
Comment by draco — June 29, 2009 @ 6:14 am
None of your links to the XDCC pack list work on this website or on irc (NOT FOUND ON THIS SERVER). Is the list being edited now or has it just been taken down? If it’s because your about to release some new chapters keep up the good work!!
Comment by DaemonlordX — October 3, 2009 @ 6:13 pm
How do you access IRC period?
Comment by Vincanity — December 23, 2009 @ 10:12 pm