• What is Ircle?

  Ircle is a Macintosh (only!) program to use IRC (Internet Relay Chat). IRC enables you to talk with typed messages, in realtime, to other Internet users around the world. IRC is organized in channels on a specific topic. You can also talk privately with someone. On average there are 100,000 users and 10,000 channels online on the big IRC networks.

  Ircle allows you to connect to up to 10 networks at the same time. Each connection can have 10 channels. You can also exchange files with others, also with PC or Unix users. With Quicktime and a camera or microphone installed you can even send live audio and video to other ircle users.

  Ircle is a shareware program. It has a 30 day evaluation period. If you like it, you have to pay shareware fee, and get free updates and support. Ircle is fully functional during the evaluation period.

  System requirements: Mac OS 7.0 or later. Mac OS X recommended. An internet connection.

• Ircle is shareware. What does that mean exactly?

  Shareware means that you are allowed to freely download (without paying) Ircle and 'test drive' it for 30 days. If you like the program and want to keep on using it legally, you can register by paying the one-time (!) shareware fee. (See our registration page for details).

  By registering you will receive a personal serial number to get rid of the startup dialog. All ircle features are already fully working when not registered.

Other FAQs:

• People say they are sending me messages, but I don't see them. Whats wrong?

  Those messages are probably send to your console window. Go to Preferences and click on the Text..-tab. You will find an option under 'What goes where' that says 'Private messages to Console'. If you disable that, your messages will be send to the active, frontmost window.

  Another related option is to have ircle automatically open a private message window when someone writes you a message, or when you send a private message. See the Misc.Preferences 'Auto open query after .. messages'.

  If you do not see incoming messages at all, it is possible that you are ignoring private messages. You will have to check the Friends Preferences to see if there is an item there that is set to ignore private message from that particular person or just about anyone.

• I keep getting disconnected when I try to get a list of channels. How do I get a list of channels without this happening?

  The reason why you are having this problem of getting disconnected is because you are more than likely on a network that carries a lot of channels. When you ask the server to give you a list of channels, the server overloads you with all the information and you flood yourself off. IRC servers have some sort of protection to not overload clients/users with data. Modern servers can handle listing channels without problems, even when there are thousands of channels.

  On the Undernet network you can solve this problem by doing the following: Make sure you have your channel list window open (command L). Then type /list ># (where # = some number greater than 10 or so). This will get you a list of channels with more than 10 people on them. If you are getting disconnected when you try to Refresh the list, please be sure to put a number greater than 10 in the minimum # of users box.

  In other cases you will have to find a server that does support the /list command fully. Some networks actually list their channels out on a web page. Check your favorite network's web site to see if it has such a listing.

  Looking for a unique way to find channels? Do the following: type /who *.com or /who *.net (or try a less popular hostname ending). This will give you a list of nicks with that particular suffix and the channels that they are on. Many interesting channels may be found that way.

• I use /mode nick+i for become invisible, but people still see me on the channel. Why?

  The mode of being invisible applies to not being listed when someone does a /who *.hostmask or /who channel name. You are not invisible to other people who are on the channel with you, but rather, you are invisible to the outside world. This doesn't, however, protect you from being discovered by someone doing /whois your nick. If you truly don't want to be bothered by someone, change your nick completely and stay away from the channel that they are on.

• How can I protect myself from being flooded by someone?

  Change your nick or shut off CTCP completely. Have flood protection turned on in Ircle. To turn CTCP flood protection on, select Preferences in the menu and click on the CTCP-tab. There you will find the option 'CTCP flood protection' and 'Disable CTCP'. There is also a predefined button you can place in the Userlist to quickly switch on/off CTCP; see Button preferences.

• How do I hear sounds that other people play?

  First of all, in order to hear a sound on your Mac, you must have it on your harddrive already. Be sure that the sound is in your sound folder that you use for IRCing. Have CTCP switched on. If you don't have the sound that someone played, ask them to send you the sound file. If they're running a sound script for an automatic DCC, follow the commands that they give you (example !nick soundfilename). If they aren't, a simple "I don't have that particular sound in my collection. Would you mind sending it to me?" usually works.

  To send a sound to someone, the command is /sound nick soundname. To send a sound to a channel, the command is /sound #channelname soundname. To send a .wav or a .mid file, the command is the same, just use the name of the sound: /sound nick soundname.wav or /sound nick soundname.mid. Be sure you have Quicktime installed on your Mac.

• How do I create a face?

  Faces are little pictures representations of what we think we look like. Some of us use real pictures; some of us do not. If you want a face for the face file, use a pict, jpeg or gif of what you want your face to be. Yes, you can use an icon, but you need to change it to a pict, gif or jpeg. Do not use a big file. Face pictures should only be 32x32 pixels. Once you have a picture of what you want your face to be, get on-line in a channel and have your face window open. Click on the square above your nick then click the Set Face button. Select the file that you want to use.

• Sometimes when I try to connect to a server, I get a message that I have no authorization. Why is that?

  This can happen when your IP number that cannot be resolved into a hostname. Or the particular server does not handle certain countries/domains, and reject you.

  It is good practice for an internet provider to have all the IP numbers associated with a hostname. But some providers are reallly lazy.

  In the meantime, try to connect to another server. You can find the serverlist in your Connections window.

• If I join a channel, I can't use the channelmode-switches in the Userlist. Why?

  Channelmode-switches are only available to you when you are a channel-operator. As a channel-operator you can set the modes for a channel.

• How does DCC resume work?

  In order to use DCC resume, go to 'Preferences' (File Menu) and click on the 'DCC'-tab. Turn 'AutoSave' and 'AutoGet' on. If someone sends you a file which is already in your DCC-get folder, Ircle will ask you to resume the file or not.

  Note that the other irc client needs to support DCC Resume as well or nothing will happen.