IRC Protocol
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a protocol used on the Internet which allows users to chat via real-time text messaging. The users on both the transmitting and receiving end need to have installed software which is capable of decoding and displaying data using the IRC protocol, such as mIRC or Pidgin.
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Historical Roots
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The IRC protocol was first implemented in the late 1980s as a way for users of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) to communicate with one another. At the time, most Internet communication between computers was done using an 8-bit protocol and IRC was designed to follow this convention. The character codes and text delimiters were designed to make it usable with USASCII standards.
Popularity in Chat
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The popularity of IRC exploded during the early and mid 1990s once the Internet became a common household means of communication. Since the protocol is relatively simple (with a maximum of 256 binary combinations), it is easy for consumers to learn the syntax associated with it, especially for the tech-savvy.
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Legality
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Because IRC is a protocol and not a copyrighted code base, anyone with programming ability can design a program that utilizes it and dozens of IRC clients have emerged since it first became popular. IRC is commonly a source of frustration to law enforcement and legal advocates, as the protocol continues (as of 2010) to behave in a "Wild-West" manner, largely unmoderated, where rules are only loosely enforced and piracy is known to thrive.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit cable image by Eldin Muratovic from Fotolia.com
