What are the requirements?

Any Macintosh running system 7.1 or later with at least 5 mb of RAM and 1.5 MB of disk space. A fast G3 based machine running MacOS 8.6 is recommended for servers with large numbers of users. Global IRC-d can theoretically (92% compatible) be used with the preview releases of MacOS X although it hasn't been tested yet. Once MacOS X is released it will be made 100% compatible.

Do I have to pay to use it?

Global IRC-d is Shareware. The limitations are that you cannot change the port and server description, and it will send a message to all users every 10 minutes asking them to encorage the administrator to register. To register either see the documentation that comes with Global IRC-d or the registration page

How many users can the server cope with at the same time?

This is mainly limited by the speed of the computer, the amount of RAM it has and the speed of the network connection. There is a theoretical limit of 10,000 clients, however it is unlikely that a [currently available] single machine would be able to cope with that number of clients. Latest versions can cope with at least 100 clients in our tests.
Before v1.0 is released, performance will be worked on and certain parts rewritten, this should speed up the application considerably and allow it to cope with more users.

Can I use Global IRC-d on a modem connection?

Global IRC-d can be used on any internet or intranet connection, however the faster the connection the better it will be for the users on your server. The main problem with modem connections is that they usually have a dynamic ip (the address that identifies your computer on the internet changes every time you log in) and so it will be difficult for people to find your server. This can be sorted by using a service like www.dhs.org which gives your computer a name like teck.dd.dhs.org.

How do I get a proper name for my server, eg irc.tecknoxology.com?

To get a name like this you will have to buy a domain name and then host the domain - either on your own machine or pay a company to host it for you. Not all companies will do this (most Web hosting companies won't provide a name similar to irc.tecknoxology.com) and it could be expensive. This is only an option for those who are serious about running an IRC server and who have a static IP address. There are now various places you can buy a domain, Network Solutions and Register.com are two of them.

How can i set up channels on Global IRC-d?

Global IRC-d does not yet offer a built-in way to manage channels on your server - this requires services, see the next question. In order to set up and manage channels on the server you currently require a bot. The most popular bot on IRC is Eggdrop however this isn't available for MacOS 9 or below (it will work on OS X if you are willing to compile it). Instead you may find ShadowBot useful for this purpose.

Will there be services (ChanServ, NickServ etc) for the server?

Eventually, yes. Services is a big and complex task in itself and so it will be a while before it is released. When it's released it will be a separate application and released as shareware. There are various reasons for this -

• It makes the server itself smaller - more speed, less bugs.
• It makes it much easier to update either the server or services without having to change too much of the other one.
• It means services can be run on a separate machine and so not slow down the server. This also means that services won't (automatically) go down if the server does, and vice versa.
• It makes organising services on a network much easier - it could cause problems if each server has services on it.
• It gives users the freedom to use custom services if they can/want to write them

I added an admin account but i can't get access?

You will not automatically gain admin access when you connect to the server, even if your ip matches the mask. To gain admin access you must first perform the oper command - /oper account password. Also, make sure that the mask you added is the correct one (connect to the server then type /whois yournick to find your ip) and that you are using the correct password.

How about being able to link servers together?

Linking is currently being developed - it is not in v0.5 final but will appear in a later version. Due to the differences/difficulties in linking between current IRC servers, Global IRC-d will only link with other Global IRC-d servers.

I tried a command which works on other IRC servers and it didn't work, why?

Commands can differ between types of server and so the command you tried may never work on Global IRC-d. However, not all the commands that will be in the final version of Global IRC-d have been implemented yet and so it may be that the command you tried has yet to be implemented. If you would like to suggest a command or feature to add, please email your suggestion

What language is this software written in?

Global IRC-d is written in RealBasic.

Who is behind this software?

Global IRC-d's team is composed of users from irc-2.mit.edu: Decameron, Knox and Reznor.

How do I get in contact with you?

See the feedback page