 Chat Rooms
First Published: June 1999
Last Update: October 2002
Author: Computer Partners
There are over 100,000 people online chatting at any given
hour of the day. The "chat room", which has created this favorite
world pastime, has been in existence since 1988.
Online chatting gained notoriety during the Gulf War in 1991
when war reports came across the wire. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) users gathered
on a single channel to hear these reports.
More recently chat rooms have become popular for hosting
celebrity chats. But while logging on to chat with stars like Michael Bolton or
Pamela Anderson might sound exciting, it probably isn't as easy as you think.
According to Inc Online, even non-celebrity chats are flooded with participants
trying to make their entry.
According to Helen Trillian Rose, since its inception in
Finland, IRC has been used in over 60 countries around the world.
IRC, which was created by Jarkko Oikarinen, is a multi-user
chat system, where people meet on "channels or "rooms" to talk in
groups, or privately. It gives people all over the world the ability to
communicate with one another in real time.
To be able to chat using IRC, you have to make sure an IRC
client is installed on your system. The one used by most Windows users is a
shareware program called mIRC. You can download this client from the mIRC site
at www.mirc.com for free and evaluate it for
30 days.
The mIRC site is helpful. It provides detailed instructions
on how to download and use the program.
Another client that is popular and used with Windows is pIRC.
You need a specific client for the type of operating system that you're using.
For instance Macintosh users usually use a program called Ircle.
Once you've installed the client that you plan to use, the
program allows you to get connected to an IRC server. You have to be connected
to the Internet through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) first, before you
can use the client program. Once you're connected to your ISP, you then connect
to an IRC Server using mIRC or another client.
According to Helen Trillian Rose, an IRC client reads and
parses the commands and text that you supply to it. It then passes the
information on to your IRC server, which in turn routes it to other users.
The site www.newircusers.com
provides some detailed info about IRC use. It explains that the IRC network is a
collection of multiple servers which are all linked together.
When you log on to an IRC network, you are connecting to one
of the servers on that network. Since all the servers are connected to each
other, you are connected to all the other users.
This gives people all over the world the ability to
communicate with one another in real time. Each user has a nickname and
converses with other users either in private or on a channel known as a chat
room.
Keep in mind, however, that each IRC network is a separate
entity. One network does not connect to another network.
The newircusers.com site points out that networks don't share
common servers. You can't talk to a user that is not on the same network as you.
For instance, if your friend is on the #newbies channel on
EFnet, and you are on the #newbies channel on DALnet, you will not be able to
chat. You have to be on the same channel.
The server you select depends on the IRC Network you choose
and your geographical location. It's a good idea to connect to a server that's
closest to you. If you would like to see a detailed list of IRC servers and
networks, check out this link. www.irchelp.org/irchelp/networks
Another form of chatting is the webpage chat. According to www.newircusers.com
you need to be using a java-capable web browser in order to participate in this
type of chat.
Webpage or browser-based chat has evolved rapidly in a very
short time. What was once very slow and unreliable is now quite fast and
extremely popular. People like being able to chat from anywhere, seeing
that all you need is an internet connection and a browser (which are commonly
found together these days). Yahoo!
Chat has exploded in size, sporting hundreds of chat channels -- all
conveniently located together and easily accessible via super user-friendly
controls.
While webpage chat is quite advanced, it can also very limiting.
You need to be using at least version 4 of Netscape or Explorer, with the latest
Java updates. You can't send
and receive files, and you have no control over anything that goes on in the
chat room. It is also slow compared to other forms of chatting.
Inc. Online points out that some online companies like
America Online, provide an easy transition to the chatroom. You apparently don't
need to download anything special to participate in the chats hosted at AOL.
There are other sites that are specifically created for
chatting. One such site is Chat Web found at www.chat-web.com
Other sites provide their own chat interfaces and the type of
client you need to download could depend on the site hosting the chat room. In
other instances companies like Delphi
Forums provides a free interface for setting up a chat room on your own
site.
Though programs like ICQ and MSN
Messenger are not "pure" chat rooms (they tend to be referred to
as "messaging programs"), they deserve some mention. They tend
to boast the best of both worlds by offering a fast and reliable chat medium
that can also send files and do other nifty things while remaining very
user-friendly.
Some of the search engines actually list upcoming chats. If
you click on net events on yahoo's page at www.yahoo.com
it will give you a list of upcoming chat events.
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