ircII (pronounced ''i-r-c-two'' or ''irk-two'', and sometimes referred to as ''IRC client, second edition'') is a free, open-source

Unix Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...

IRC Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called '' channels'', but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat an ...

and ICB client written in C. Initially released in the late 1980s, it is the oldest IRC client still maintained.

History

Several other UNIX IRC clients, including

BitchX BitchX is a free IRC client ("If you're already using Linux, then you have your choice of several (IRC) clients. BitchX is a popular one.") and has been considered to be the most popular ircII-based IRC client. The initial implementation, writte ...

, EPIC, and ScrollZ, were originally forks of ircII. It was the first client to implement file transfer capabilities over IRC. The CTCP protocol was implemented by Michael Sandrof in 1990 for version 2.1. The DCC protocol was implemented by Troy Rollo in 1991 for version 2.1.2, and was never intended to be portable to other IRC clients.

Features

ircII is written in the

C programming language ''The C Programming Language'' (sometimes termed ''K&R'', after its authors' initials) is a computer programming book written by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, the latter of whom originally designed and implemented the language, as well as ...

and implements a

termcap Termcap (''terminal capability'') is a software library and database used on Unix-like computers. It enables programs to use display computer terminals in a device-independent manner, which greatly simplifies the process of writing portable text ...

, text-mode, user interface. Encrypted

Transport Layer Security Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network. The protocol is widely used in applications such as email, instant messaging, and voice over IP, but its use in securi ...

connections to IRC servers are established with the

OpenSSL OpenSSL is a software library for applications that provide secure communications over computer networks against eavesdropping or need to identify the party at the other end. It is widely used by Internet servers, including the majority of HTT ...

library. The concept of file transfers over IRC networks was first implemented by the authors of ircII. The client was the first to implement both the

Client-to-client protocol Client-to-client protocol (CTCP) is a special type of communication between Internet Relay Chat (IRC) clients. CTCP is a common protocol implemented by most major IRC clients in use today. CTCP extends the original IRC protocol by allowing users t ...

(CTCP) and the

Direct Client-to-Client Direct Client-to-Client (DCC) (originally Direct Client Connection) is an IRC-related sub-protocol enabling peers to interconnect using an IRC server for handshaking in order to exchange files or perform non-relayed chats. Once established, a t ...

(DCC) protocol. The application has been promoted as being "fast, stable, lightweight, portable, and easily backgrounded."

References

External links

* * Internet Relay Chat clients Free Internet Relay Chat clients Unix Internet Relay Chat clients {{IRC-stub

History

Features

See also

References

External links