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____________________________________________________________________
[ 6:. - [ being leet with BitchX ] [herk] :. ]
[herk@chimp.ca] :. ]
____________________________________________________________________
Brought to j00 by:
herk >> herk@chimp.ca >> http://chimptrix.chimp.ca
And EFnet's #fnordia / #hfx / #whiterabbit
Hail to the chimp!
Everybody knows that all truly l33t IRC'ers use BitchX, and you can
too! But surprisingly few BitchX users actually know what the hell
they're doing, the elite version reply is all they seek. Today we
learn to mold BitchX (henceforth abbreviated bx) into a functional
irc client, and ultimately you won't even miss mIRC anymore.
These bx'isms hold true for BitchX-1.0c18 run on Debian GNU Linux with
a 2.4.4 kernel. Most will hold for past and future versions of bx run on
various other operating systems as well, but no guarantees.
###########################################################
Gibbor me that l33t * me is away: (hax0ring) [BX-MsgLog On]
###########################################################
First up, we've gotta have that phat /away system. By default,
send_away_msg is off, so your /away's and /back's will show up on your
screen but not on anyone else's. To start sending your away info
publicly:
/set send_away_msg on
/save
You now have a fully functional away system with logging and away
times and a msg that gets sent to every damn channel you're on.
Note that when changing bx settings you almost always have to /save,
otherwise you'll lose whatever you've done as soon as you shutdown
your client.
Away info sometimes annoys channel operators, so use it wisely. If
you'd prefer not to broadcast your whereabouts:
/set send_away_msg off
Then again, no channel op in his or her right mind would dare mess
with an authentic BitchX user.
You'll probably soon notice bx auto-away kicking in, by default after 10 minutes.
This can be really annoying, both to you and to others. Shut it off with:
/toggle auto_aw
###############################################
I can't stand so many channels! I need windows!
###############################################
Not a problem my good man. (or woman, which would be ubercool.) bx gives us the power
to create windows within a text only client.
/window new double on hide
You just created yourself a second window. Changing windows within bx
can usually be done with ALT + [1-9]. Your default window is obviously
ALT + 1. The window we just created is ALT + 2. If you run the command
again, making a third window, you can get to it with ALT + 3. Some
terminals screw this up, and problems arise in other areas when
the ALT key is bound to do something else. (ie. in WindowMaker) In cases where you
find ALT + number not working, you can usually substitute ESC + number.
To get rid of a window:
/window kill
You can do alot more with the /window command, and only an idiot
wouldn't take 5 seconds to learn how to properly alias commands. (/window new double
on hide is a bitch to type every time you log on)
The following are a few quick /window aliases stolen from cypress, a
bx script:
# something we need for the rest of these aliases
alias channame if (left(1 $0)==[#]) {return $0} {return #$0}
# create a new window
alias wc {window new hide_others double on split on}
# create a new window and join a channel in it
alias wj if ([$0])
{wc;^window bind $channame($0);join $0-}
{echo Usage: /wj }
# kill this window
alias wk {window kill}
# kill this window and part the current channel
alias wlk {part $C;wk}
# take me to the next window
alias wn {window next}
# take me to the previous window
alias wp {window previous}
These aliases aren't really intended to be entered while in bx. It's
much more efficient to include them in a small script, which you'll
learn how to do in just a second.
These aliases provide some basic window control, but there's alot more
you can do. Read the documentation, or get yourself a script with a
decent window module. (I'll speak briefly on scripts near the end of
this article)
bx has a few other window features worth mentioning. Firstly you can
bind multiple channels to one window. By that I mean /join all your
hax0r channels in your main window, create another, /join all your
warez channels, create another, /join all the channels you only idle
in for a leet /whois reply and really don't give a damn about who's
talking in them, etc. This let's you keep things a little more
organized, and you should of course know that Ctrl+x is used to switch
the channel you're speaking to in any given window.
Secondly, you can log on to multiple irc servers/networks within one
bx session. Create yourself a new window and do:
/server +irc.whatever.org
Instantly you're on another server where you can join channels and go
about your business the same as on your original server in your other
windows. This can get screwy when a server cuts you off, and sometimes
it just breaks. Test it out and see how it performs for you.
#######################################################
I can't type this shit in every fucking time asshole!!!
#######################################################
This somewhat leads us into our next topic, scripts. A script is
nothing more than a collection of regular bitchx commands saved into a
plain ASCII text file. These commands get executed when you load the
filename:
/load filename
/save's won't keep your aliases, so you need to put these and various
other things into a script to save yourself carpal tunnel down the
road.
Whenever you start bx it looks for a default script in your home
directory named .bitchxrc. This is a good place to put your aliases, or
of you store them in another file, load it from within this one. ie:
1. Open ~/.bitchxrc in your favorite text editor.
2. Add the line:
load filenameyouputyouraliasesin
3. Restart bx.
It's just that simple. And you can put any other commands here you
with, each on a separate line. A leading / isn't required, although it
probably won't hurt anything.
###############
Kicking l4m3rz.
###############
Builtin commands for this are pretty straightforward.
To kick someone with an optional reason:
/k [reason]
If you don't specify a reason, you'll end up with a default random one
from a file somewhere on your system. I however strongly recommend you
make a text file containing your own kick messages in:
~/.BitchX/BitchX.reasons
The default file on my system is in:
/usr/local/lib/bx/BitchX.reasons
You'll probably find a few other files in this directory, which you
can easily replace by placing a file of the same name in your
~/.BitchX directory. BitchX.quit is another file worth making for
yourself.
Anyhow, back to the harassing of lamers, /kb works just like /k, only
with a ban. That's enough for now.
##############################
Private Cybersex0ring Sessions
##############################
Ok pervert, this'll start sounding scary and then get better. To send a
private message in bx:
/msg Wake up, Neo...
Looks annoying I know. However as soon as you do this, or as soon as
someone sends a message to you, their nick is available in the TAB list.
Clear the input prompt (sekret UNIX hax0r hint: CTRL + u) and start
pressing TAB. bx will cycle through the last nicks you talked to, doing
all the nasty typing for you.
This can still get a little confusing, so in a final use for the /window
command, create yourself a new window and type:
/query nickname
Now you need not press TAB or type anything before your message. This
works similar to your query windows in mIRC.
DCC chat's a similar, /dcc chat nickname to initiate, and then:
/msg =nickname hey bitch
to send a message through. Again, once this gets underway bx will take
care of that for you, or you can /query =nickname in a separate window
to not have to type anything.
#################################
I've Got Friends, Let Me Auto-Op!
#################################
Auto-opping is often dangerous, but in this age of static ip cable
connections and various shell accounts it can be very useful.
To add someone to your userlist:
/adduser [password]
Note that the password isn't a necessary attribute. Most people don't
bother with them anyhow since we're only doing this for auto-ops. To
further simplify this:
/adduser *!herk@nerd.ca * friend,dcc,i_ops
To anyone irc'ing from herk@nerd.ca a bunch of friendly stuff,
auto-accept dcc's, and auto-ops. (i_ops) There are other flags you can
give, and several options for shitlisting people you hate. I don't use
these much as eggdrop's are a more common solution. But should you be
so inclined:
/bhelp adduser
/bhelp userlevels
/bhelp addshit
/bhelp unuser
##################################
* I'm to lame to read BitchX.doc *
##################################
Not anymore. You can change this lame ircname in for a much cooler one
with:
/ircname I READ BITCHX.doc
This only takes effect on your next server connect. Save yourself some
trouble and once again, put it into your .bitchxrc. Or if you'd like
to be a bash hax0r, you can edit your .bashrc or .bash_profile, adding
the line:
export IRCNAME="my ph4t n3w ircn4me."
Other shells will of course have similar options.
########################################
Someone keeps stealing my nickname... =/
########################################
A handy bx feature is the orignick command:
/orignick herk
Will check for my nickname every 5 seconds (I think) and immediately
grab it once it become available. I personally set a hook to start
orignick every time I connect to a server with the following line in
my ~/.bitchxrc:
on connect * orignick herk
#########
Detaching
#########
This is an insanely useful feature for anyone using bx
remotely. Detach allows you to cut away from your bx session and leave
it running in the background, your client remains on irc, behaving
exactly as it normally would. You can log off the account you're using
and go about your business. When you decide to return, you can log
back into the account and reattach to your session, just as you left
it.
To detach from within bx:
/detach
To reattach from the command prompt: (bash, tcsh, etc.)
scr-bx
All this is made possible by the massive portion of the GNU screen
source code included within bx. It can however be a little buggy at
times, so if you find it breaking alot take a few minutes to get to
learn GNU screen, a more reliable and potent program which does
exactly this and much more.
######################
That's nice, now what?
######################
Well bx has lots of things you can play with. For instance:
/toggle
/set
/fset
The list goes on. Explore, experiment, remember to /save, and put
everything else in ~/.bitchxrc.
bx is supposedly coded to run fine without a script. However I and
many others prefer to run a script regardless, and that's ok. bx
scripts are readily available at:
http://scripts.bitchx.com
http://irc.themes.org
Personally I highly recommend cypress, for it's ability to specify
channels NOT to send your away info too, a nice /config command, and
great formats/themes.
In conclusion, I don't even use BitchX anymore. It's bloated and
buggy, and slow when you're hardware deprived. If BitchX bores you,
look into Epic (http://www.epicsol.org) with a good script. (like
lice, http://lice.codehack.com)
That's all folks!
Props to Chimp Productions:
magoo / berns / SMuRFY / sz / and yes, even Gary.
h t t p : / / w w w . c h i m p . c a
-- we don't want no scrubs --
b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!
b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!
I was a little girl,
I had this little thing,
when I'd go to bed i'd stick my finger in,
now that i'm much older,
my finger has lost it's charm,
now it takes five fingers,
and half my fuckin' arm.
b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!
b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!b0g!#@!