Research Report: IRC By Brian Hwang February 8th, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - IRC ------------------------------------------------------------------- IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat" and is a very popular method of instantaneous communication over the internet. The majority of this communication is done with text in a chatting channel. Users use an IRC client to connect to an IRC server, which then allows a user to connect to a chat channel or individually message other users. IRC has been popularized by the media as being a haven for hackers and illegal file-sharing. While this occurs to some extent, the average IRC user uses IRC to chat with people from around the world. Topics of discussion vary from politics to technology to anything the mind can think of. Unlike popular instant-messaging tools such as AIM, MSN, or Yahoo Messenger, individual IRC servers are run by independent volunteers. Like other popular instant-messaging tools, connecting to an IRC server is free of charge. Background - History of IRC ------------------------------------------------------------------- IRC was created by a research assistant, Jarkko Oikarinen, at the University of Oulu in Oulu, Findand. Oikarinen was inspired by Bitnet Relay Chat, which can be considered the spiritual precursor to Internet Relay Chat. Bitnet Relay Chat operated on the Bitnet Network, which was a cooperative effort among US Universities. At the peak of its popularity, Bitnet was used by nearly 500 different educational organizations, which included over 3000 individual nodes. In 1988, with the rising popularity of the TCP/IP protocol, Oikarinen created IRC. It was created to replace the Unix-based 'talk' communication program on the OuluBox BBS in Finland. Oikarinen won the 1997 Dvorak Award for Excellence in Telecommunications. Description - General IRC Information ------------------------------------------------------------------- IRC, utilizing the TCP/IP protocol, makes use of a client/server model for its communication. A user uses an IRC client, such as mIRC, to connect to an IRC server. A user chooses their own particular nickname to use when connecting to an IRC server. An IRC server is a server run by volunteers. It allows clients to connect free of charge. After a connection is established, a user may join or create IRC channels. IRC servers are connected with each other to form IRC Networks. Depending on which IRC server a user joins, he/she will be connected to a vast network of other users. This can include people from Europe, Asia, and everywhere else in the world. There are current "four big networks," these are known as: EFnet, IRCnet, QuakeNet, and Undernet. Common Terms - Commonly used IRC terms. ------------------------------------------------------------------- op - A channel operator. This user is able to moderate and control the channel they have "ops" in. topic - Every IRC channel can have a topic set for it. This topic will show up when listing all IRC channels on an IRC server. kick - Channel operators are given the privledge of being able to remove users from a channel. ban - In extreme cases, channel operators are able to prevent certain users from joining a particular channel. idle - Remaining in an IRC channel but not doing anything but "idling." Analysis ------------------------------------------------------------------- IRC has been utilized by all sorts of people for all sorts of purposes. Whether it be a teenager trying to download the latest version of Photoshop, a gamer discussing the latest strategies with like-minded individuals, a hacker trying to infiltrate other users, or a Christian sharing their faith, IRC serves millions of users everyday. Unlike instant-messaging tools such as AIM/MSN, IRC provides users the ability to chat with hundreds of users simultaneously. AIM/MSN fosters individual relationships whereas IRC is more community based. In addition, most AIM/MSN users know each other in real life, whereas most IRC users have never met or will ever meet each other. IRC is a mostly "lawless" area of the internet. An average user would be able to find MP3's or applications to download if they tried hard enough. However, channel operators and channel communities are effective at maintaining and self-policing their individual channels. Conclusions ------------------------------------------------------------------- The anonymity of IRC users and the mostly overlooked workings of its channels allowed a tragic suicide to occur while a user was chatting on an IRC server. Brandon Carl Vedas, aka ripper, consumed a vast quantity of prescription drugs while chatting on IRC and broadcasting video from a webcam. When other IRC users grew worried over Brandon's safety, no user was willing to extend the effort to try and save him. Most were too afraid of the repercussions of getting involved in the situation. This event portrays some of the dangers of a mostly anonymous community. Despite some unfortunate events related to IRC, it remains an extremely useful tool with which to communicate with a vast amount of users. It helps build communities amongst users with similar ideas and interests. It maintains relevance in today's modern internet-era due to it's widespread use and simplicity of design. References ------------------------------------------------------------------- Wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_relay_chat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarkko_Oikarinen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netsplit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFnet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRCnet Other http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1459.txt http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/ircprimer.html http://www.mirc.com/ http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-6033_16-4207244.html