Snak is a program that will let you participate in discussions in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels. A channel is like a virtual meeting room where people meet and talk.
IRC consists of many different networks, most of which have servers all over the world accessible through the Internet. Individuals connect to a particular network via a nearby server with a client program like Snak.
Most networks have thousands of channels, each focused on a location or subject, and anything that is typed into the channel will be seen by the other members. This makes it possible to have a real-time conversation with people all over the world.
When you type into a channel the server echoes the text to the other servers which in turn relay it to the other members of the channel that are connected through other servers.
This gives the service its name, and the result is that you can have a real-time conversation with people from all over the world.
IRC supports both public and private messages, so you can also have private conversations with your friends and family.
There are many IRC servers, but they are not all connected to each other. They are organized into different networks, the largest of which are EFNet and Undernet. All servers on a given IRC network exchange messages but do not bridge to other networks. Some networks are regional like OZnet (Australia) and BrasNet (Brasil). All the servers on the same network carry the same channels.
Snak will let you connect to multiple servers at the same time and the servers do not have to be on the same network. Therefore you can participate in channels on multiple networks if you so desire.
At any given time the largest of the IRC networks may have as many as 35.000 participants and almost anyone can find a channel that talks about a topic that is of interest to that particular person. It is estimated that at any given time more than 80.000 people are using IRC.
The primary function of an IRC client is to display the messages that the other participants in the channel sends, and allow you to send your own messages into the channel for the other members to see. However, a client like Snak does much more and that is the topic of this manual.
If you are new to IRC, you probably want to read the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that is available from the locations listed at the end of this chapter.
Please see the chapter "Registration" for information on how to register.
About the program
Snak is a new and exciting IRC client program for the Macintosh. Some of its features are:
ΓÇó Unique docking windows allow efficient use of window space.
ΓÇó Full speech support with individual voice assignment.
ΓÇó Highlight feature can highligh or speak messages.
ΓÇó Connection setup and open channels can be saved to a setup file that can be clicked to restore the session automatically
ΓÇó Files can be sent with DCC by dropping them on the Userlist
ΓÇó Built-in address book allows you to keep track of the snippets of information you find as you talk to other people via IRC
ΓÇó ToolTips provide quick reminders about settings.
ΓÇó Guardian feature can help parents and teachers control what channels their children and students can visit
ΓÇó Settings like background color and font can be selected individually for each channel.
ΓÇó Connection records can specify multiple servers, which allows the program to try each server until it finds one that will connect
ΓÇó Integrated notify list makes it easy to track when your friends are connected to IRC
ΓÇó Aliases and scripting help eliminate much tedious typing and provides powerful features
ΓÇó Extensive compatibility with the ircII scripting language.
ΓÇó "Find" and "Find Again" functions to search in the channel listing and channel text
ΓÇó Multiple connections and multiple channels per connection
ΓÇó Intuitive Drag and Drop operations in many situations
ΓÇó Automatic and Manual logging functions
ΓÇó Command-clicking URLs to open them is supported
If you find bugs in the program it is important that you report them to me at "kents@snak.com" so that I may fix them. Please do not assume that someone else has reported the bug. If you report a bug, please be sure to let me know if it is reproducible, and exactly what steps to take to make it happen.
If you like the program be sure to tell others about it.
You can always find the newest version of Snak on my web page at "http://www.snak.com" which has a mirror at "http://www.kagi.com/kent/" and I can be reached via email at "kents@snak.com"
On the Internet, you can find numerous documents relating to IRC. Most of them assume that you use a client like ircII on unix, but most of the information and commands still apply to Snak.
