It is not uncommon for an IRC server to have dozens, hundreds or even
thousands of chat channels open simultaneously. There are some more or
less permanent channels, but others come and go. Although a channel's
name usually reflects the general nature of the conversation within,
each channel can also have a specific topic. Channel names tend to
remain constant, while topics change continuously. For example, in a
channel called `PC Users` the topic might be `Windows 95 Bug Fixes`
one day and `How to Choose a High Speed Modem` the next day.
You'll notice that all channel names begin with #. One popular and
longstanding channel, for instance, is #chat. If you decide to wade in,
just type: '/JOIN #chat' and voila, you're in. Type in some greetings
and you'll see them appear on screen, along with whatever everyone else
types. You'll probably feel lost at first, since you're popping in on a
conversation that's already in progress. In fact, several conversations
may be going on at once.
It would be great if you could get a list of all those channels
containing only the funny, witty and wise, but you can't. Instead, you
have to use the '/LIST' command, which lists all public channels, the
number of users on each and a topic description for those that provide it.
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