Downloading the software you need

• Give yourself heaps of uninterrupted time in which to download your software.

• When you first get to the download site, look to see if there are any mirror sites. A mirror site is an exact copy of the original site that lives somewhere else in the world. If there's a mirror site in your country, downloading the software from that location will be cheaper than if you have to link to an overseas site. If there is a mirror in your country, go there.

• Print out the download/install instructions before you start to download, otherwise you won't know what to do!

• You may be asked to choose a version of the software - generally either 16-bit or 32-bit. 16-bit is smaller and quicker to download. 32-bit is more powerful and runs faster, but it takes longer to download. Your machine may not be able to handle 32-bit, so if you're unsure, go for 16-bit.

• Once you have succesfully downloaded and installed your software, open up the instruction manual (it will either be included in the software folder or will be somewhere on the website) and print out a copy. Then you can refer to it whenever you want.

• If the instruction manual is in .sit hqx format you will need to open it with unzip or unstuff software (eg WinUnzip or Stuffit Expander) - .sit hqx means it's a file that's been "stuffed" (made more compact) to reduce downloading time.

Also available as shareware is PIRCH which lets you do all kinds of clever things. PIRCH can be used on Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and Windows NT.

If you're using a UNIX system you need ircII - and a fairly detailed understanding of UNIX.

Mac users can use ircle or macIRC - there are download links and reviews for these and others at IRC clients for the Macintosh.

Amiga users can use Grapevine.

There are many others, and you can get a very comprehensive list of IRC software (as well as just about every other piece of software you can think of) from The Ultimate Collection Of Winsock Software at TUCOWS - NZ mirror or TUCOWS - UK mirror. These sites cover software for Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT and Mac users.

Your Internet Service Provider may also have bundled IRC software with the original software they gave you for connecting to the Internet, or may have something available from their help-site. If there is a free helpdesk available, ring and ask!

Shareware is software that can be freely downloaded from the Net. You are allowed to use it for a certain period of time (a kind of assessment period) for free. This is usually a month or so. After that time, a box will appear on your screen each time you open the application, reminding you that your free period has now expired and that you should register with the software company. Registration generally involves sending an email or letter to the company, and usually includes a small fee of around US$10-20. If you don't want to register yet, you can press the "not yet" button and the box will disappear.