WHAT IS USENET?
A Usenet is an enormous bulletin board type of messaging system. People can exchange messages that are available to anyone who wants to read them on the Usenet. The messages are divided into groups according to subject. The groups are most often called newsgroups, discussion groups, or forums. The messages on the Usenet may be about any subject. The message may ask a question, open a discussion, or it may be a reply to another message. There may be a group of messages that started with one question. The group referred to as a thread, consists of re[lies to the question, then replies to the replies, and so on. The Usenet is organized into sections and subsections that help in keeping related messages together.
ORGANIZATION OF NEWSGROUPS
Newsgroups are arranged into hierarchies and a naming convention is used for the hierarchies. In this method of organization; each newsgroup has a two-or-more-part name. The first part of the name, often called the top-level, gives the main area of interest and each subsequent part of the name narrows the focus of the subject. For example a newsgroup with the name rec.music.reggae would tell you that that the group has to do with recreation. The second part would tell you that it has to do with music, and the third part would narrow the focus to reggae. There are “main” hierarchies, called mainstream hierarchies and “non-mainstream” newsgroups.
Top-level names of the mainstream newsgroups:
comp – computers (hardware, software, networks, databases, languages, etc.)
humanities – literature, fine arts, etc.
misc – those groups that don’t fit anywhere else, but
still belong in the mainstream groups
news – having to do with Usenet news itself
(administrative issues, FAQs, announcements, general information, questions and answers)
rec – recreation (sports, hobbies, arts, entertainment, etc.)
sci – science (science, research, engineering, medicine etc.)
soc – social (issues, politics, culture, culture, socializing – but not chit-chat!)
talk – debates and discussions (politics, religion, environment, etc.)
ORGANIZATION OF NEWSGROUPS
Top – level names of non-mainstream newsgroups.
alt – those that clearly don’t belong in the main groups;
no restrictions on what these can be
bionet – biology
biz – business product information
be – German language and culture
va – Virginia
umich – University of Michigan
In addition there are some fee-based newsgroups. The fee is paid by your ISP to maintain the groups at its site. Your provider may or may not pass a fee along to you for accessing the groups.
Two such top-level hierarchies are:
clari – Clarinet subscription service; UPI feeds, columnists, stock reports scores
msen – subscription service; Reuters articles
NEWS SERVER
A news server is a computer with software which receives news articles of Usenet’s newsgroups from other news servers, propagates them to yet other news servers, stores them locally for a certain period of time, and provides them to news readers that connect to it. It also allows news readers to post new articles which it stores and propagates as well.
The propagation of news articles is configured at the feeding or sending news server. This means that each news server has a list of other news servers to which it propagates news articles. The propagation is not done to those news servers that already have the name of the feeding news server in their Path: header. This in turn means that to operate a news server you’ll need to find an operator of an already working news server who is willing to feed you or include your news servers is feeding.
The news server software that is installed on the news server must provide an effective means to store and deal with articles. It also has to take care that old articles are deleted regularly or expired so that there is enough space on the hard disks to store new ones.
WHAT IS ONLINE CHAT?
Online chat is a method by which two or more computer users connected to the internet communicate with each other in real time. When you chat on the Internet, you “talk” to others using your keyboard to type text messages. Although there are different types of Internet chat, they all follow the same basic principles, Typically the users will connect to a chat server using a chat client and meet in a chat room. A “chat room” is a virtual environment where chatters gather. Once the users are in the same chat room, they can converse with one another by typing messages into a window where all of the other users in the chat room can see the message. Conversations are then carried on by reading the messages entered by the other users in the chat room and responding to them.
WHAT IS A CHAT SERVER?
A chat server is a specially equipped computer connected to the internet that allows users with chat clients to converse with one another through typed messages in real time. There are a great number of chat servers which let users connect for free. Some of the more popular chat servers are dal.net, under.net, etc.
INTERNET RELAY CHAT SOME BACKGROUND ON IRC
In 1988, Jarkko Oikarinen of Finland developed the multi-user text chat program known as IRC. IRC was not the beginning of text chat but it was the beginning of a global network, known as EFNet. EFNET allowed physically dissimilar computers to link together for the purpose of text chat. Today, there are more than 50 known ERC networks. That number has matured as IRC’s popularity soars and new, user-friendly software brings the creativity of sound, video, animation, and real-time file transfers to us.
IRC CLIENTS AND SERVERS
Accessing IRC is an example of using specialized software, called a client that allows your computer to access another computer, called a server. The server is a program that processes your IRC client’s requests for information and allows you to utilize the server’s resources. You can chat with other IRC users, as well as exchange files with them.
There are numerous IRC clients available, in versions for Windows and Macs. These software packages are freely distributed at many sites on the Internet that offer shareware and freeware programs, Modern chat clients take the work out of IRC, which used to require the knowledge of basic and advanced commands to access resources on remote computers. Windows and Mac IRC client commands have been transformed into menu selections, mouse clicks, and information windows. To use IRC you need to know only the name and port of the server that you want to connect to. Your IRC client will use this information to access the resources of the specified remote server. This connection will bring you together with other computer users who have contacted the same server and port. Ports are access points to a server. You can use a port to talk to anyone on the same server. Some ports carry heavy traffic and not all servers have multiple ports.
IRC NETWORKS
EFNet the largest IRC network, accommodates upto 22,000 clients at a time. EFNet has approximately 84 servers linked together. The second and third largest existing networks are the UnderNet and DalNet. The EFNet located in New York, UnderNet in Los Angeles, and DalNet in Dallas comprise the ‘Big 3’ in the IRC world. If something smaller appeals to you, then most IRC networks will suit you better than the Big 3. The number of people who can access small IRC networks ranges from 2 to a few hundred people. You can even find networks that suited to your interests, for example, family-oriented, technical, hobbies, adventure, and role-playing games
USING IRC
To use IRC, you need to install client software on your computer. Next you need to use your Internet connection to connect to an IRC network. After you are connected to an IRC network, you can select a channels to join. A channel is like a room, where you can talk in groups or in private conversations to any number of people. You can also leave at any time and join another channel. While IRC is anonymous, it is not designed to hide you form other people. Also, when you are talking to people you do not know and you have no way of knowing if what they are saying is true or not. So use some caution when using IRC. Remember that IRC as a whole is un moderated, although each channel is controlled by a channel operator, who can force people off the channel. People can and will say things that will shock and offend you. Some channels will be calm and others will be chaotic. If you don’t like what’s being said in one place, you can move on to another. You are bound to find people with whom you can enjoy pleasant conversation. As soon as the last person leaves a channel, it no longer exists. So a channel can be uninteresting to you on one visit and just the place you want to be on another visit, because it’s an entirely new channel.
IRC commands start with a slash. Here are a few examples:
/nick – sets your nickname
/list – gives you a list of channels on the server
/names – gives you a list of nicknames being used
/help – gives you help information
/join – joins a channel
/part – leaves a channel
/whois – gibes you user information All channel names begin with a pound sign (#) or an ampersand (&), for example, #hottub.
SMILIE
| Smilie | Description | Smilie | Description | Smilie | Description |
| 🙂 | smile | :-> | sarcastic | :-II | angry |
| 😉 | wink | :-))) | laughing or double
chin |
:,-( | weeping |
| :.-) | laughing tears | ;-)=) | grin | }-) | evil |
| 😀 | laughing | :-} | wry smile | :-@ | angry |
| 😛 | tongue | 🙁 | sad, angry | :-() | talking |
| :-< | Sad | :-I | indifferent/sad | :-X | mute |
| :-O | surprised/shocked | =:-) | shocked | O:-) | halo |
| :-3 | has eaten a lemon | :-/ | sceptical | :-Z | sleeping |
| ?-( | sorry, I don’t
know what went wrong |
😡 | kissing | :-* | sorry, I didn’t
want to say that |
| :*) | drunk (red nose) | %-) | stared too long at | #-) | monitor dead |
| .-) | one-eyed | X-) | unconscious | :-Q | smoking |
| (:-) | bald | -:-) | punk | <:-) | stupid question
(donkey’s hat) |
| :-)-8 | big girl | <\-) | chinese | @:-) | arab |
| 8:-) | little girl | ::-) | wearing glasses | [:-] | robot |
| .^) | side view | 😎 | wearing glasses /
wide-eyed grin |
B-) | horn-rimmed
glasses |
| B:-) | sunglasses on
head |
_O-) | aquanaut | :<) | moustache |
| (-: | left-handed | {:-) | wig | :-E | vampire |
| :-[ | vampire | 🙂 | happy | :O) | boxer’s nose |
| : } | (what should we
call these?) |
[:] | robot | :] | gleep, friendly |
| =) | variations on a
theme |
:> | (what?) | :@ | (what?) |
| 😀 | laughter | :I | hmmm… | 🙁 | sad. |
WHAT IS USENET?
A Usenet is an enormous bulletin board type of messaging system. People can exchange messages that are available to anyone who wants to read them on the Usenet. The messages are divided into groups according to subject. The groups are most often called newsgroups, discussion groups, or forums. The messages on the Usenet may be about any subject. The message may ask a question, open a discussion, or it may be a reply to another message. There may be a group of messages that started with one question. The group referred to as a thread, consists of re[lies to the question, then replies to the replies, and so on. The Usenet is organized into sections and subsections that help in keeping related messages together.
ORGANIZATION OF NEWSGROUPS
Newsgroups are arranged into hierarchies and a naming convention is used for the hierarchies. In this method of organization; each newsgroup has a two-or-more-part name. The first part of the name, often called the top-level, gives the main area of interest and each subsequent part of the name narrows the focus of the subject. For example a newsgroup with the name rec.music.reggae would tell you that that the group has to do with recreation. The second part would tell you that it has to do with music, and the third part would narrow the focus to reggae. There are “main” hierarchies, called mainstream hierarchies and “non-mainstream” newsgroups.
Top-level names of the mainstream newsgroups:
comp – computers (hardware, software, networks, databases, languages, etc.)
humanities – literature, fine arts, etc.
misc – those groups that don’t fit anywhere else, but
still belong in the mainstream groups
news – having to do with Usenet news itself
(administrative issues, FAQs, announcements, general information, questions and answers)
rec – recreation (sports, hobbies, arts, entertainment, etc.)
sci – science (science, research, engineering, medicine etc.)
soc – social (issues, politics, culture, culture, socializing – but not chit-chat!)
talk – debates and discussions (politics, religion, environment, etc.)
ORGANIZATION OF NEWSGROUPS
Top – level names of non-mainstream newsgroups.
alt – those that clearly don’t belong in the main groups;
no restrictions on what these can be
bionet – biology
biz – business product information
be – German language and culture
va – Virginia
umich – University of Michigan
In addition there are some fee-based newsgroups. The fee is paid by your ISP to maintain the groups at its site. Your provider may or may not pass a fee along to you for accessing the groups.
Two such top-level hierarchies are:
clari – Clarinet subscription service; UPI feeds, columnists, stock reports scores
msen – subscription service; Reuters articles
NEWS SERVER
A news server is a computer with software which receives news articles of Usenet’s newsgroups from other news servers, propagates them to yet other news servers, stores them locally for a certain period of time, and provides them to news readers that connect to it. It also allows news readers to post new articles which it stores and propagates as well.
The propagation of news articles is configured at the feeding or sending news server. This means that each news server has a list of other news servers to which it propagates news articles. The propagation is not done to those news servers that already have the name of the feeding news server in their Path: header. This in turn means that to operate a news server you’ll need to find an operator of an already working news server who is willing to feed you or include your news servers is feeding.
The news server software that is installed on the news server must provide an effective means to store and deal with articles. It also has to take care that old articles are deleted regularly or expired so that there is enough space on the hard disks to store new ones.
WHAT IS ONLINE CHAT?
Online chat is a method by which two or more computer users connected to the internet communicate with each other in real time. When you chat on the Internet, you “talk” to others using your keyboard to type text messages. Although there are different types of Internet chat, they all follow the same basic principles, Typically the users will connect to a chat server using a chat client and meet in a chat room. A “chat room” is a virtual environment where chatters gather. Once the users are in the same chat room, they can converse with one another by typing messages into a window where all of the other users in the chat room can see the message. Conversations are then carried on by reading the messages entered by the other users in the chat room and responding to them.
WHAT IS A CHAT SERVER?
A chat server is a specially equipped computer connected to the internet that allows users with chat clients to converse with one another through typed messages in real time. There are a great number of chat servers which let users connect for free. Some of the more popular chat servers are dal.net, under.net, etc.
INTERNET RELAY CHAT SOME BACKGROUND ON IRC
In 1988, Jarkko Oikarinen of Finland developed the multi-user text chat program known as IRC. IRC was not the beginning of text chat but it was the beginning of a global network, known as EFNet. EFNET allowed physically dissimilar computers to link together for the purpose of text chat. Today, there are more than 50 known ERC networks. That number has matured as IRC’s popularity soars and new, user-friendly software brings the creativity of sound, video, animation, and real-time file transfers to us.
IRC CLIENTS AND SERVERS
Accessing IRC is an example of using specialized software, called a client that allows your computer to access another computer, called a server. The server is a program that processes your IRC client’s requests for information and allows you to utilize the server’s resources. You can chat with other IRC users, as well as exchange files with them.
There are numerous IRC clients available, in versions for Windows and Macs. These software packages are freely distributed at many sites on the Internet that offer shareware and freeware programs, Modern chat clients take the work out of IRC, which used to require the knowledge of basic and advanced commands to access resources on remote computers. Windows and Mac IRC client commands have been transformed into menu selections, mouse clicks, and information windows. To use IRC you need to know only the name and port of the server that you want to connect to. Your IRC client will use this information to access the resources of the specified remote server. This connection will bring you together with other computer users who have contacted the same server and port. Ports are access points to a server. You can use a port to talk to anyone on the same server. Some ports carry heavy traffic and not all servers have multiple ports.
IRC NETWORKS
EFNet the largest IRC network, accommodates upto 22,000 clients at a time. EFNet has approximately 84 servers linked together. The second and third largest existing networks are the UnderNet and DalNet. The EFNet located in New York, UnderNet in Los Angeles, and DalNet in Dallas comprise the ‘Big 3’ in the IRC world. If something smaller appeals to you, then most IRC networks will suit you better than the Big 3. The number of people who can access small IRC networks ranges from 2 to a few hundred people. You can even find networks that suited to your interests, for example, family-oriented, technical, hobbies, adventure, and role-playing games
USING IRC
To use IRC, you need to install client software on your computer. Next you need to use your Internet connection to connect to an IRC network. After you are connected to an IRC network, you can select a channels to join. A channel is like a room, where you can talk in groups or in private conversations to any number of people. You can also leave at any time and join another channel. While IRC is anonymous, it is not designed to hide you form other people. Also, when you are talking to people you do not know and you have no way of knowing if what they are saying is true or not. So use some caution when using IRC. Remember that IRC as a whole is un moderated, although each channel is controlled by a channel operator, who can force people off the channel. People can and will say things that will shock and offend you. Some channels will be calm and others will be chaotic. If you don’t like what’s being said in one place, you can move on to another. You are bound to find people with whom you can enjoy pleasant conversation. As soon as the last person leaves a channel, it no longer exists. So a channel can be uninteresting to you on one visit and just the place you want to be on another visit, because it’s an entirely new channel.
IRC commands start with a slash. Here are a few examples:
/nick – sets your nickname
/list – gives you a list of channels on the server
/names – gives you a list of nicknames being used
/help – gives you help information
/join – joins a channel
/part – leaves a channel
/whois – gibes you user information All channel names begin with a pound sign (#) or an ampersand (&), for example, #hottub.
SMILIE
|
Smilie |
Description |
Smilie |
Description |
Smilie |
Description |
|
🙂 |
smile |
:-> |
sarcastic |
:-II |
angry |
|
😉 |
wink |
:-))) |
laughing or double chin |
:,-( |
weeping |
|
:.-) |
laughing tears |
;-)=) |
grin |
}-) |
evil |
|
😀 |
laughing |
:-} |
wry smile |
:-@ |
angry |
|
😛 |
tongue |
🙁 |
sad, angry |
:-() |
talking |
|
:-< |
Sad |
:-I |
indifferent/sad |
:-X |
mute |
|
:-O |
surprised/shocked |
=:-) |
shocked |
O:-) |
halo |
|
:-3 |
has eaten a lemon |
:-/ |
sceptical |
:-Z |
sleeping |
|
?-( |
sorry, I don’t know what went wrong |
😡 |
kissing |
:-* |
sorry, I didn’t want to say that |
|
:*) |
drunk (red nose) |
%-) |
stared too long at |
#-) |
monitor dead |
|
.-) |
one-eyed |
X-) |
unconscious |
:-Q |
smoking |
|
(:-) |
bald |
-:-) |
punk |
<:-) |
stupid question (donkey’s hat) |
|
:-)-8 |
big girl |
<\-) |
chinese |
@:-) |
arab |
|
8:-) |
little girl |
::-) |
wearing glasses |
[:-] |
robot |
|
.^) |
side view |
😎 |
wearing glasses / wide-eyed grin |
B-) |
horn-rimmed glasses |
|
B:-) |
sunglasses on head |
_O-) |
aquanaut |
:<) |
moustache |
|
(-: |
left-handed |
{:-) |
wig |
:-E |
vampire |
|
:-[ |
vampire |
🙂 |
happy |
:O) |
boxer’s nose |
|
: } |
(what should we call these?) |
[:] |
robot |
:] |
gleep, friendly |
|
=) |
variations on a theme |
:> |
(what?) |
:@ |
(what?) |
|
😀 |
laughter |
:I |
hmmm… |
🙁 |
sad. |