I have found many of my friends through IRC and learned most of my current knowledge of software engineering while using and working with IRC. And IRC is more than just a simple chat system it intercommunicating network of servers, allowing thousands of clients can connect from anywhere in the world using the IRC protocol. IRC Hacks is a collection of tips and tools that includes almost everything you need to become a true IRC master, featuring contributions from some of the most renowned IRC hackers, many of whom collaborated on IRC, grouping together to form the channel # irchacks on freenode IRC network (irc. freenode.net). Like all of our Hacks books, there are many ways to use IRC Hacks. If you are relatively new to IRC, you should consider starting with a few hacks from each progressive chapter. Chapter 1 starts you off by showing you how to connect to IRC, while Chapter 2 acquaints you with the concepts of everyday use IRC you will need to be effective. Chapter 5 is where you will learn the basics about creating IRC bots, with Chapters 6-12 introducing more complex bot that can be used for logging, servicing communities, searching, announcing, networking, managing channels or simply for fun . Chapter 13 dig IRC protocol in more detail, and Chapter 14 shows some interesting alternative methods for connecting to IRC. This book presents an opportunity to learn how IRC works and how to make best use of some features that have made the most successful, most scalable, and most mature chat on the planet.