What's IRC?
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat, it's an oldie but a goodie. Still going strong over 15 years since its conception, it's a simple but solid chat protocol. Nothing as scary as protocols here though, we'll show you how to get chatting in just a moment, ready to meet some awful nice folks?
Things To Know
There are a few things you should know before connecting to Thinstack. First of all you should read our terms of service and acceptible use policy, just so you know what's reasonable and what not to do, it's not as scary as it sounds, but it's there so we can all enjoy our time on Thinstack. Here's a few extra hints, some you might already know, just to help your stay run as smooth as possible:
Typing in all CAPS is generally regarded as shouting, it's surprisingly annoying, so please don't do it. We're all in the same room, no need to shout. MiXeD cAsE iS iRrItAtInG tOo, isn't it? Please refrain from switching up your letters and keep colours to a minimum too (some channels will strip colours). Speak English (or an appropriate language for the channel you're in), TXT spk and 1337 may result in people throwing screwed up bits of paper and plastic cups at you, don't do it.
It's good practice to idle a little if you're new to a channel, watch the conversation for a while, find a chair and settle in, every channel has its own atmosphere much like homes or shops might. If you're asking a question, please do it respectfully and don't demand answers. Try not to jump right into the conversation with your question, try a greeting first, maybe some small talk. Seems silly, but people like to get to know you a little before helping you, no harm in giving a little back, right? Staff and other users are usually more than happy to help, but play nice and they'll be extra helpful. Sometimes people will be busy, if you don't get a reply immediately then be aware that people aren't just ignoring you, they have other things to do and other people to talk to as well. Be patient, they'll get to you. If they don't, don't ask your question again immediately, repeated questions get really annoying, so take it easy and wait a while, maybe try again later when different people are around. Pleases and thank yous will also stand you in good stead for next time you ask, people will help you more when you use basic manners.
If you're wondering what is and isn't acceptable on Thinstack, why not read our Acceptable Use Policy and find out?
So how do I use it?
Here's the fun part! The easiest way to get started with Thinstack is to browse on over to http://chat.thinstack.net where you'll be greeted with a simple chat page that works right in your browser. Simply enter a nickname and a channel (the channel is the room name, it begins with a # sign) and you'll find yourself ready to chat. If you don't know which channel you'd like to be in, don't enter a channel, just a nickname, and when the text stops scrolling type "/list" and hit Enter (without quotes) to see a list of channels available to you. To join one simply click its name.
Some people, often more experienced chatters, prefer a real IRC chat client which doesn't run inside their browser. Here we'll list a few that you might like to try if the Thinstack online client doesn't tickle your fancy. Note: TOR, public proxies and Mibbit are banned on Thinstack.
You'll need to know the settings for Thinstack, the server is irc.thinstack.net, the port is 6667 (SSL is available on port 6697).
Windows
mIRC is a very popular IRC client for Windows. It works very well, it's nice and configurable and quite user friendly. Shareware, but never expires.
X-Chat is available for Windows, though unfortunately it's shareware. There are however unofficial free builds (see link, now called Y-Chat) for Windows. Decent client, does everything you need and then some, doesn't look terrible either.
KVirc is a cross platform client, great if you like your graphics and as many features as you can cram in a single app.
Opera and Firefox both have the ability to connect to IRC, Opera natively and Firefox with ChatZilla. No frills here, just the basics, it'll get you where you want to be but it won't be pretty. Saves running yet another application, though, so if you're that way inclined then you're in luck.
Trillian and Pidgin both support IRC, among other protocols, so if you like all your communications in the same place, these are the way to go. They don't play well with IRC though, so one of the clients above would be preferable.
*nix
KVirc is a cross platform client. Like the one for Windows, but... not for Windows.
BitchX is a popular *nix command line IRC client. Perhaps less popular than irssi (see below) but still worth checking out if you like your text based comms... well, text based.
X-Chat appears again here only this time it's a *nix flavoured version. Knock yourselves out. If you like the little short, always unmoving men with fishing poles, there's always X-Chat Gnome.
irssi is another popular command line client. Scary for new users, perhaps, but great for die-hard CLI fans.
Konversation for Linux/KDE is free, provided with kubuntu out of the box and works well enough. Quite IM-like but it'll do the trick.
Pidgin and Firefox/Opera's plugins apply here too, they're all cross-platform.
Mac
XIRC for OSX works well enough but unfortunately is only a 30-day shareware trial. Enough features for most users and not bad looking. Feels a little more like an IM client, so the IM folks out there might like to give this one a shot.
X-Chat Aqua (X-Chat for OSX) is X-Chat but for OSX. What more can you say? Very popular Mac client, totally free and well worth a look.
Another shareware client, the bitesized Snak, Available for OSX and OS9 if you're rocking a PowerPC Mac.
Ircle is available for Classic Macs so it'll run on even older machines than Snak will, available for System 7 up through OSX. Shareware again, but if you have a Classic Mac then this'll do you just fine.
Colloquy is another reasonably popular free client for OSX. Does the job just fine, give it a try, see if it's your thing.
Palm
upIRC is a shareware (never expires or nags) IRC client for the Palm OS. Won't work on your Pre, but if you have an older PalmOS device it's just the ticket.
iPhone
FlowChat (Warning: Link opens Apple Store) is the way to go for iPhone and iPod Touch, fully featured and looks tasteful. It will cost you a couple of bucks, though.
Mobile Colloquy isn't free either, but it is a decent iPhone/iPod Touch client.
Windows Mobile / Pocket PC
zsIRC for Windows Mobile is totally free and quite pleasant to use, laid out much like a desktop client it'll seem familiar to anyone who's used any GUI IRC client before.
Android
AndroidIRC and Yet Another Android IRC Client should do the trick, both easy to use and very slick, fully functional IRC clients. IRC Radio is another nice client, it also supports Text To Speech, though, so if you like your IRC spoken to you then IRC Radio's the way to go.
J2ME and Blackberry
jmirc is a J2ME-based client for cell phones. Works fine if you're into that small screen stuff or if you have a slightly older or somewhat less than smart phone.
WLirc is another J2ME client which also works on Java-capable Blackberry phones.
Any questions? Come on over and ask us, just click here, enter a nickname and hit Connect, we'll see what we can do.
It's easy when you know how! Enjoy your stay on Thinstack, we'll see you there!
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat, it's an oldie but a goodie. Still going strong over 15 years since its conception, it's a simple but solid chat protocol. Nothing as scary as protocols here though, we'll show you how to get chatting in just a moment, ready to meet some awful nice folks?
Things To Know
There are a few things you should know before connecting to Thinstack. First of all you should read our terms of service and acceptible use policy, just so you know what's reasonable and what not to do, it's not as scary as it sounds, but it's there so we can all enjoy our time on Thinstack. Here's a few extra hints, some you might already know, just to help your stay run as smooth as possible:
Typing in all CAPS is generally regarded as shouting, it's surprisingly annoying, so please don't do it. We're all in the same room, no need to shout. MiXeD cAsE iS iRrItAtInG tOo, isn't it? Please refrain from switching up your letters and keep colours to a minimum too (some channels will strip colours). Speak English (or an appropriate language for the channel you're in), TXT spk and 1337 may result in people throwing screwed up bits of paper and plastic cups at you, don't do it.
It's good practice to idle a little if you're new to a channel, watch the conversation for a while, find a chair and settle in, every channel has its own atmosphere much like homes or shops might. If you're asking a question, please do it respectfully and don't demand answers. Try not to jump right into the conversation with your question, try a greeting first, maybe some small talk. Seems silly, but people like to get to know you a little before helping you, no harm in giving a little back, right? Staff and other users are usually more than happy to help, but play nice and they'll be extra helpful. Sometimes people will be busy, if you don't get a reply immediately then be aware that people aren't just ignoring you, they have other things to do and other people to talk to as well. Be patient, they'll get to you. If they don't, don't ask your question again immediately, repeated questions get really annoying, so take it easy and wait a while, maybe try again later when different people are around. Pleases and thank yous will also stand you in good stead for next time you ask, people will help you more when you use basic manners.
If you're wondering what is and isn't acceptable on Thinstack, why not read our Acceptable Use Policy and find out?
So how do I use it?
Here's the fun part! The easiest way to get started with Thinstack is to browse on over to http://chat.thinstack.net where you'll be greeted with a simple chat page that works right in your browser. Simply enter a nickname and a channel (the channel is the room name, it begins with a # sign) and you'll find yourself ready to chat. If you don't know which channel you'd like to be in, don't enter a channel, just a nickname, and when the text stops scrolling type "/list" and hit Enter (without quotes) to see a list of channels available to you. To join one simply click its name.
Some people, often more experienced chatters, prefer a real IRC chat client which doesn't run inside their browser. Here we'll list a few that you might like to try if the Thinstack online client doesn't tickle your fancy. Note: TOR, public proxies and Mibbit are banned on Thinstack.
You'll need to know the settings for Thinstack, the server is irc.thinstack.net, the port is 6667 (SSL is available on port 6697).
Windows
mIRC is a very popular IRC client for Windows. It works very well, it's nice and configurable and quite user friendly. Shareware, but never expires.
X-Chat is available for Windows, though unfortunately it's shareware. There are however unofficial free builds (see link, now called Y-Chat) for Windows. Decent client, does everything you need and then some, doesn't look terrible either.
KVirc is a cross platform client, great if you like your graphics and as many features as you can cram in a single app.
Opera and Firefox both have the ability to connect to IRC, Opera natively and Firefox with ChatZilla. No frills here, just the basics, it'll get you where you want to be but it won't be pretty. Saves running yet another application, though, so if you're that way inclined then you're in luck.
Trillian and Pidgin both support IRC, among other protocols, so if you like all your communications in the same place, these are the way to go. They don't play well with IRC though, so one of the clients above would be preferable.
*nix
KVirc is a cross platform client. Like the one for Windows, but... not for Windows.
BitchX is a popular *nix command line IRC client. Perhaps less popular than irssi (see below) but still worth checking out if you like your text based comms... well, text based.
X-Chat appears again here only this time it's a *nix flavoured version. Knock yourselves out. If you like the little short, always unmoving men with fishing poles, there's always X-Chat Gnome.
irssi is another popular command line client. Scary for new users, perhaps, but great for die-hard CLI fans.
Konversation for Linux/KDE is free, provided with kubuntu out of the box and works well enough. Quite IM-like but it'll do the trick.
Pidgin and Firefox/Opera's plugins apply here too, they're all cross-platform.
Mac
XIRC for OSX works well enough but unfortunately is only a 30-day shareware trial. Enough features for most users and not bad looking. Feels a little more like an IM client, so the IM folks out there might like to give this one a shot.
X-Chat Aqua (X-Chat for OSX) is X-Chat but for OSX. What more can you say? Very popular Mac client, totally free and well worth a look.
Another shareware client, the bitesized Snak, Available for OSX and OS9 if you're rocking a PowerPC Mac.
Ircle is available for Classic Macs so it'll run on even older machines than Snak will, available for System 7 up through OSX. Shareware again, but if you have a Classic Mac then this'll do you just fine.
Colloquy is another reasonably popular free client for OSX. Does the job just fine, give it a try, see if it's your thing.
Palm
upIRC is a shareware (never expires or nags) IRC client for the Palm OS. Won't work on your Pre, but if you have an older PalmOS device it's just the ticket.
iPhone
FlowChat (Warning: Link opens Apple Store) is the way to go for iPhone and iPod Touch, fully featured and looks tasteful. It will cost you a couple of bucks, though.
Mobile Colloquy isn't free either, but it is a decent iPhone/iPod Touch client.
Windows Mobile / Pocket PC
zsIRC for Windows Mobile is totally free and quite pleasant to use, laid out much like a desktop client it'll seem familiar to anyone who's used any GUI IRC client before.
Android
AndroidIRC and Yet Another Android IRC Client should do the trick, both easy to use and very slick, fully functional IRC clients. IRC Radio is another nice client, it also supports Text To Speech, though, so if you like your IRC spoken to you then IRC Radio's the way to go.
J2ME and Blackberry
jmirc is a J2ME-based client for cell phones. Works fine if you're into that small screen stuff or if you have a slightly older or somewhat less than smart phone.
WLirc is another J2ME client which also works on Java-capable Blackberry phones.
Any questions? Come on over and ask us, just click here, enter a nickname and hit Connect, we'll see what we can do.
It's easy when you know how! Enjoy your stay on Thinstack, we'll see you there!
