The author explains in great detail the software and commands of IRC and the appropriate procedures for using IRC effectively. Special attention is given to “netiquette, ” Internet etiquette.
Learn Internet Relay Chat
Pinned on September 18, 2012 at 5:52 pm by Mary Aoki
Comments
Writing ability limits the effectiveness of this book. Ms Toyer’s knowledge of IRC is not in question. She covers most of the basic requirements of online chatting and IRC. In fact, the book contains a considerable amount of information. However, she spends far too much verbage on overview and generalities of chatting, networks, servers, etc. Then, when getting to the mechanics of using the programs, her explanations are not well organized and gloss over the fundamentals. I bought the book looking for a step-by-step tutoral, read, and reread sections, still not understanding the technical applications. After learning much with the help of others and through trial and error, I look back at the book and understand what she is trying to say. However, Ms Toyers technical writing skills leave a lot to be desired.
Total Newbie Book Not much available on IRC out there so I bought both of Toyer’s books on chance alone…being an absolute IRC newbie (but not a computer newbie) made the purchase somewhat worthwhile. However, for myself, there seemed to be too much redundancy and “basic-ness” throughout. About 1/2 the book is geared towards mIRC and Pirch and how to setup and use…useful if you use that software…however I’m absolutely sure the same information could be found on the net and/or with the help screens in the programs. The included CD/software was nothing more than an outdated version of mIRC which I’m sure helped to jack up the price. The main postive about the book is Ms.Toyer’s easy to understand writing style, which is great for non-techies and absolute beginners…Overall, I’m content with the book and I did learn from it. However, I am unhappy about the inflated price and the useless CD.