Direct Client Connection (DCC)

Now, if you've gotten the hang of some of the of the ways of communicating, there is one other area that can assist in communicating, as well as in file transfers via IRC.
Direct Client Connection (DCC) has 3 basic uses for most IRC users: Chatting, Sending files, and Retrieving files.
As the name implies, DCC is a direct link between two clients. In other words, there is no server that the connection goes through. Let's say for instance I have a DCC connection between myself and we'll say Quake. This means things I send over a DCC connection, it goes directly through my computer  to his system, without any servers coming into play. Here are the three Main DCC options:


DCC SEND: It's a way to send files out from your computer to another person.

Format: /DCC SEND [nick] [filename]
Example: /DCC SEND Kaite MyScript.IRC

This is the way that a lot of Warez (illegally copied software) gets around on IRC, and is partly responsible for some of the negative publicity about IRC. However, for transferring scripts, bots, jpegs, gifs, text files, documents, it is a very easy way of doing it (you can sit and chat with the person you're sending to WHILE it is being sent).


DCC GET:  How you receive the files that other people send to you.

Format: /DCC GET [nick] [filename]
Example: /DCC GET Edge MyScript.IRC


DCC CHAT: Possibly one of the most intriguing commands, simply due to the fact that it works similar to the old "talk functions", except you can establish many of them and still be on IRC, making it a much nicer prospect. Think of it as being able to send msgs directly to the other person's machine. So, if my server is lagging from yours, but I have a DCC chat connection to you, I can msg you without any more of a delay then if we were on the same server, and in many occasions, as fast as being on the same system.

Format: /DCC CHAT [nick]
Example: /DCC CHAT Vampiress
Note: Once a DCC chat has been established, to differentiate it from other msgs, you need to label the person's nick with an equal sign (=). So if I have a DCC chat with Vampiress, to use it, I type

/msg =vampiress [message]

This is nice if you're experiencing netsplits and lags, and want to talk to one particular person, simply setting up a DCC chat with that person, and you can communicate lag free. However, most Windows or Mac clients create a seperate window for you.

If you haven't already, you might also want to read more about Client-To-Client Protocol,:

Section 6