| IRC is millions of people chatting, sharing pictures, music, games, and files, connecting to each other via thousands of
servers on hundreds of networks, all around the world.
Fifteen years after IRC was invented, there are several forms of internet chat - the original free unix server version has
been modified for unix and other operating systems, and copywrited under various names - but they are all basically the same.
Its only the bells and whistles that change.
A computer running irc software (ircd) is called an IRC "server". Your computer talks to the IRC server using software called
an IRC "client".
<----> client
Chat Server <----> client
<----> client
Clients send commands to, and receive information from, the IRC server. The way the user sees this is the ability to talk to
other users in channels and thru private message, and send commands to the server, such as /join, /part, and setting user
modes.
If a client is integrated into a web page or pop-up using java, its called a WebChat. Generally speaking, until fairly
recently java clients were not used to access large IRC networks, but were used to access small, sponsored chatrooms.
Once connected to an IRC server, clients can connect directly to other users, and even send files to each other, with a
process appropriately called DCC, or direct client to client.
{ <----> client \
{ | - DCC conversation, file transfer
Server w/Channel ----} <----> client /
\ {
private message-- \ { <----> client
"Instant Message" services are programs that connect users to a main server (or servers) where connections can be established
between participants so they can talk through private message or DCC.
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