This page will give you all you need to start chatting on the AustNet IRC Network.

AustNet is a multi-user, multi-channel chat network. It allows people all over the internet to talk to one another in real-time. Each AustNet user has a nickname they use. All communication with another user is either by nickname or by the channel that they or you are on (A channel is a specific forum comprising of users).

In order to connect to AustNet, you need an IRC "client". An IRC client is a software program that allows you to connect to IRC servers. If you do not have a client, you can download a suitable client from our software library.

Once you have downloaded a suitable client, you need to install it. Installation via Windows is done by simply opening the file you downloaded. For Macintosh and Unix users, you will need to uncompress your downloaded files and then install or compile them. Once you have successfully installed your IRC client, its time to advance to the next stage.

Now that you have your own IRC client, you need to connect your client to an official AustNet IRC server. Browse through the IRC servers listed in our server catalogue and look for an AustNet server closest to you. It is strongly recommended that the server you select is geographically located as close as possible to where you are situated.

Now that you have connected, you can join in the fun of chatting to other users world-wide.
All IRC commands begin with a "/" character.
Anything that does not begin with a "/" character is assumed to be a message to someone and sent to your current channel or query window.

In the column on your right are everyday IRC-life commands, that are essential for you to be successful move around AustNet. For extremely new users, it is recommend that you print them out and keep them beside you for future reference.

On AustNet, there are a lot of places to hang out; those places are called channels. Try checking out your country or state/region channels (example /join #australia or /join #brisbane). All channels on the network are prefixed with a # (hash) mark to indicate they are channels, not nicknames.

This should get you started, but there are a lot more to learn. Have a look in the rest of our support section for more links and tutorials on IRC.
 

/list
List AustNet channels, number of users and topic.

/join #[channel]
Allows you to join in a conversation with other people who are also in the channel.

/part #[channel]
Leave the specified channel.

/nick [nickname]
Change your nickname to something new.

/whois [nickname]
Find out information about the user specified.

/msg [nickname] hi
Sends the message "hi" to the nickname.

/away [reason]
Sets your status to away with the reason given.

/away
Sets your status to not away (Here).

/mode #channel mode
Changes the mode of a channel. You must be an op to do this.

Modes:
+m: moderation (only ops can talk)
+t: only ops can change topic
+n: no external messages
+s: secret (not in the /list)
+p: private (in /list but not in /whois)
+l: limit the number of users
+i: invite only channel
+k: specify a password needed to join the channel.
Austnet-only Modes:
+r:lets only ops/voices see users messages in the channel.
+e: event mode: only ops/voiced can change nickname and part and quit messages are suppressed.