IRC is an acronym for Internet Relay Chat, which is a chat system for the Internet. DALnet's services are all donated by companies and individuals to benefit the tens of thousands of people chatting at any given time.

1 · Connecting to IRC
To connect to DALnet, you need an IRC client. Regardless of your operating system, chances are there is at least one IRC client for it. For more information about the wide variety of software you can use to access DALnet, see http://www.dal.net/software/ . If you can't download an IRC client but would like to chat on DALnet, http://www.dal.net/  has a java client available for public use.

2 · What makes DALnet special?
DALnet is different from other IRC networks in a variety of ways. The most important difference is DALnet's custom IRC Services: NickServ, ChanServ, and MemoServ. DALnet's services are coded, maintained, and upgraded by our own staff. They are designed to make your chatting experience more enjoyable; for more information about DALnet's services, please visit http://www.dal.net/services/ .

3 · Basic IRC Commands
Connect to an IRC server
/server server:port
(example: /server irc.dal.net:7000)


Quit IRC with "message"
/quit message
(example: /quit Bye everyone!)


Enters the specified channel
/join #channel
(example: /join #Help)


Leaves the specified channel
/part #channel message
(example: /part #DALnetHelp Thanks for the help!)


Performs an action - * YourNick does something
/me action to perform
(example: /me waves to everyone in the channel)


Lists channels matching *subject*
/list *subject*
(example: /list *help*)

It might be worthwhile to note that all IRC commands can be typed into the commandline of your IRC client, though some have "popups" or similar menu features. For help using your IRC client, try a channel with the same name (e.g. #mIRC for mIRC, #pIRCh for pIRCh) or you can try /help in your IRC client.

One of the most frequently asked questions by new users is how to register a nick. This information can be found through http://docs.dal.net/docs/nsemail.html .

4 · Finding Help
DALnet has a large number of help channels that deal with a variety of different topics, not all of them necessarily IRC related. Therefore, the first step to finding help is to determine the nature of your problem.

For IRC related problems, it's important to know if it's a DALnet related question or not. We do not help with problems on other networks (getting banned, identd problems, server downtime, etc.). For DALnet related questions it's a good idea to visit #DALnetHelp, #IRCHelp or #Help. If you need help in another language, you can visit the following: #DALnetAide (French), #DALnetHilfe (German), #DALnetAyuda (Portuguese and Spanish).

5 · DALnet's IRC Operators
A DALnet IRC Operator assists his or her admin in server maintenance as assigned and helps maintain network stability. IRCops assist users in becoming oriented to the DALnet network, DALnet Services and in the mediation of disputes. They may also participate in various teams as they desire. Please note that DALnet is not a for-profit entity and its staff members are not paid.

For further information about the network's administration, you can visit http://www.dal.net/admin/ .

6 · Channel Operators
Persons with the @ symbol in front of their nick are considered channel operators, who can change some channel settings and keep order. They have the ability to forcefully remove someone from a channel, among other things. DALnet does not take part in how any channel is managed, that is up to the channel's ops, and ultimately, the channel's founder. Most ops behave responsibly, but if there are any problems, you should contact the channel's founder. The founder has the final say in how their channel is run. You can find out who is the founder of a channel with any of the following commands:

/chanserv info #channel


/quote chanserv info #channel


/msg chanserv@services.dal.net info #channel


7 · Security
When using IRC, you should be especially cautious about security. Be very careful when accepting files over IRC, do not share nickname or channel passwords with other users, and make sure to visit http://docs.dal.net/docs/exploits.html  if you're using any form of Microsoft Windows.

8 · Conclusion
The DALnet Documentation Team provides many interesting and helpful topics which you may find useful, see http://docs.dal.net/docs/  for more information.