IRC or Internet Relay Chat was originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen in the year 1988. Since it's birth in Finland, IRC is in use in over sixty countries worldwide. IRC was originally designed as a replacement for a program called "Talk". "What is IRC?" you may ask. IRC is a multi-user chat system that connects 'servers' around the world by means of a 'cable' of sorts. These servers form a gigantic web that allows you to connect to a given server. You can then join 'chat rooms' or 'channels' that don't really exist. They are virtual meeting halls of sorts. This allows anyone with an internet connection to participate in live chat. IRC is a constantly evolving machine. New changes are made to the IRCd (Internet Relay Chat Daemon or server program) that make your IRC experience all the more enjoyable.