You
can communicate with other people on the Internet using Internet
Relay Chat (IRC). IRC is similar to using instant messaging in that
the text you type appears on the screen of each person taking part
in the conversation.
Setting up Vision to connect to an IRC Network
The first step in using IRC is to connect to an IRC network. An
IRC network is a collection of computers, called IRC servers, on
the Internet that allow people who connect to the servers to communicate
using IRC. There are many IRC networks that you can use, each having
their own collection of IRC servers.

The first time you start Vision, the Setup Window will appear.
Click on Network Setup..., and you will be able to add an
IRC network. First you set a Network Name, and press Done.
Then press Change servers..., and Add, and you will
be able to add a Server: irc.server.org, and at last you
press Done. You have now set up your first irc server, and
should now add your Preferred Nicks, Real name and
Ident. At last you can choose to Connect to this network
when Vision starts up. You have now added all the information
needed to connect to an IRC network. Vision supports multiple connections
to different IRC network, and you can therefore continue adding
more preferred networks.
Connecting to an IRC network
It may take a few moments for you to establish a connection to the
IRC network. As soon as a connection is etablished, a list of guidlines
and usage instructions displays.
If someone is currently using the IRC network to which you are
attempting to connect is already using the nickname, you must choose
another nickname (if you have set two preferred nicks in the setup
for that network).
Common IRC commands
You must prefix commands in IRC with a forward slash (/).
/quit - disconnects you from the IRC network.
/leave - disconnects you from a channel.
/help - shows you information about IRC commands and usage.
/list - shows you a list over the active channels on the
IRC network.
/nick <name> - assigns you a new nickname.
/server <server> - attachs you to a specific IRC server.
/msg <nick> - sends a message to a specific user.
/query <nick> - opens a chat window with a specific
user.
Some of the commands are also available by right-clicking the mouse.
Chatting on IRC
People are joining discussions (channels) on specific topics, so
for you to take part in a channel discussing Zeta, you will have
to write /join #zeta. Each IRC network has different channels,
and each channel name begins with the sign #. There could
be a few person using one channel or, in the more popular channels,
hundreds of users.
Once you have joined a channel, you can immediately start chatting
with the other users in the channel. Each message appears preceded
by the name of the person who types the message.
Vision displays a list of all users connected to the channel.
Get notified when friends are online
Vision has a Notify List were you can add the people that
you chat most with. You will then be notified when they get online,
like in the instant messanger BeAIM.
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