IRC

In my opinion there is only one decient IRC client. mIRC. All others are useless noviltieys pIRCh, ComicCHat etc. mIRC is excellent for its expandbility alone. You can download Scripts to run through mIRC to enhace its features sometimes for good some times for bad. IRC is another world. No one is who they seem. Everyone is wearing a mask. It is just one big Masquerade. Everyone acts differently there are different rules that apply. Things that are not excepted in the outside world is in common practice there. This is pretty much true to the whole Internet when you think about it. Some people will say that they are not effected, are not changed, are the same in real life. But this cannot be certian. Because the way someone even looks at you is differnt. Through IRC no one can tell of your Apearace. As I said IRC is a world of its own. With Servers like Austnet DALnet IRCnet being the kingdoms, and the IRCop's in each of these the respective Leaders. Each channel is like a small town. Each with its own set of friends. Each with its oun Mayor or town head. Indeed some channels are like citys with people always coming and going. Others just like little vilages with a select group of friends. It is interesting although, The citys are always busy but you never seem to be talked to properly. But once you go to the smaller villages You seem to almost always get a respose. Anyway enough of my rantings about IRC.
Only one more thing to say and that is how to connect to Austnet (My Server). First of all find an apropriate sever, somewhere close is usally good but if you cannot connect you will have to try somewhere else. You can go to the Austnet homepage to get a list of servers or I have listed some here:
SERVER                       PORT             LOCATION
iris.sg.austnet.org          6667             Singapore
ozemail.nsw.au.AUSTnet.org   6667             Australia
wantree.wa.au.austnet.org    6667             Australia
sound.mo.us.austnet.org      6667             USA
ntu.sg.austnet.org           6667             Singapore
scv.sg.austnet.org           6667             Singapore
cyberway.sg.austnet.org      6667             Singapore
nildram.uk.eu.austnet.org    6667             UK
voyager.nz.austnet.org       6667             New Zealand
olympic.ca.us.austnet.org    6667             USA
tassie.au.austnet.org        6667             Australia
aussie.au.austnet.org        6667             Australia
sydney.au.austnet.org        6667             Australia
insane.ca.austnet.org        6667             Canada
webmaster.us.austnet.org     6667             USA
ocean.us.austnet.org         6667             USA
ausbone.vic.au.austnet.org   6667             Australia  (Vic)
ausbone.nsw.au.austnet.org   6667             Australia  (NSW)
ausbone.qld.au.austnet.org   6667             Australia  (QLD)
minneapolis.mn.us.austnet.org 6667            USA
services.austnet.org         6667             Austnet services
au.austnet.org               6667             Australia (Main)
nz.austnet.org               6667             New Zealand  (Main)
sg.austnet.org               6667             Singapour  (MAin)
aone.vic.au.austnet.org      6667             Australia
ils.alphalink.austnet.org    6667             Alphalink  (My ISP)
firstlink.nsw.au.austnet.org 6667             Australia
aussie.nsw.au.austnet.org    6667             Australia
iinet.wa.au.austnet.org      6667             Australia
webmaster.ca.us.austnet.org  6667             USA
cyberverse.ca.us.austnet.org 6667             USA
explorer.ca.us.austnet.org   6667             USA
atlas.oh.us.austnet.org      6667             USA
tavern.oh.us.austnet.org     6667             USA
firstlink.au.austnet.org     6667             Australia
us.austnet.org               8888             USA
ca.austnet.org               6667,6668,8888   Canada
firstlink.nsw.au.austnet.org 6667             NSW
aone.vic.au.austnet.org      6667,6668        Vic


next you need to get yourself to the setup
by clicking File>> Setup
on the IRC Servers Tab
click the button that says Add
Insert the information above in for your desired server.
Click Add
Click connect to IRC server!

Thats it.
Now you will be connected
To get a list of open channels type /list
to join a channel type  /join #channelname
ok now you can start chatting.