Channels

here are a number of chat channels on FICS, similar to IRC, however there are a limited number of channels (numbered 0 through 255) and many are reserved for particular uses. For example, channel 1 is for general help; questions asked in channel 1 are usually answered by FICS admins or Service Representatives (SRs). Channel 4 is for helping guests, and channel 50 is for general chat. A user can listen and send tells to up to thirty channels simultaneously. Besides channels, another form of mass communication available to users is shouts, which can be seen by all users connected who haven't turned shouts off.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a form of real-time Internet chat or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message, as well as chat and data transfers via Direct Client-to-Client.

IRC was created by Jarkko Oikarinen in late August 1988 to replace a program called MUT (MultiUser talk) on a BBS called OuluBox in Finland. Oikarinen found inspiration in a chat system known as Bitnet Relay, which operated on the BITNET.

IRC gained prominence^{[citation needed]} when it was used to report on the Soviet coup attempt of 1991 throughout a media blackout. It was previously used in a similar fashion during the Iraqi invasion. Relevant logs are available from ibiblio archive^[1].

IRC client software is available for virtually every computer operating system.