Undernet · open 24/7
#Canada
Undernet's Canadian channel. English and Français, coast to coast — no account, no app, no algorithm. Just a room full of people talking.
*** Now talking in #Canada
*** Topic is 'Bienvenue au #Canada | EN & FR | be decent'
*** Set by halifax_liz on Sat Feb 07 19:41:08
*** Users: guest_42 @OhCanada @halifax_liz +dave_yyc marie_qc pei_steve
*** Channel modes: +tn
21:04 <marie_qc> salut la gang, y fait -22 icitte
21:04 <+dave_yyc> -22 and you're complaining? try january
21:05 <pei_steve> it's +9 on the island lol
21:05 * marie_qc regarde par la fenêtre et soupire
21:05 *** guest_42 (~guest@Undernet-7b2e91.on.rogers.ca) has joined #Canada
21:05 <@OhCanada> Welcome to #Canada, guest_42 — type !help
21:06 <guest_42> !help
-OhCanada- Quick Help: type !help <command> for details
21:06 *** halifax_liz sets mode: +v guest_42
21:06 <@halifax_liz> welcome aboard :)
21:07 *** pei_steve has quit IRC (Ping timeout: 246 seconds)
21:07 <+guest_42> thanks! first time here
[+guest_42]
- Network
- Undernet
- Server
- irc.undernet.org
- Ports
- 6660-6669, 7000
- Channel
- #Canada
- Languages
- EN · FR
- Channel bot
- OhCanada
Getting in
Three steps, about two minutes
IRC has no sign-up. You pick a client, point it at a server, and join the room. That's the whole thing.
/server irc.undernet.org 6667
Undernet runs about forty servers. This address sends you to one of them. Prefer the nearest? ix1.undernet.org and ix2.undernet.org are AnyCast — they route you to the closest one automatically. The full list is on undernet.org.
/nick your_nick
Nothing to sign up for. Undernet has no NickServ, so take any nickname nobody else is using.
/join #Canada
That's it — you're in. Say hello; someone will answer. If the room looks quiet, stay anyway: people idle here for years.
No client yet? A web client runs in your browser and needs none of this.
About encryption:
Undernet does not offer TLS — the usual secure port 6697 is closed. Your connection to the network is in the clear, so treat anything you type as public. If you want an encrypted hop, use a web client over HTTPS or a bouncer such as ZNC.
Software
Pick a client
All of these speak plain IRC and all of them reach Undernet. Any one of them will do.
Windows
mIRC Popular here
The classic. Thirty years of scripts behind it and still the default for a lot of Undernet regulars. Shareware.
Download ↗
AdiIRC
Free, looks and scripts almost exactly like mIRC, and it is actively maintained. The easy upgrade if you already know mIRC.
Download ↗
Windows · macOS · Linux
HexChat Start here
Open source, no-nonsense, works the same everywhere. The one to pick if you have never used IRC before.
Download ↗
Terminal
irssi
Runs in a terminal, runs forever, runs on the server you SSH into. Pair it with tmux and you never disconnect.
Get irssi ↗
WeeChat
The other great terminal client: fast, scriptable, and it has a proper remote interface if you want your session on your phone.
Get WeeChat ↗
Web & mobile — nothing to install
Undernet Webchat Official
Undernet's own browser client. Open it, pick a nickname, and type
Open webchat ↗
/join #Canada once you're connected.KiwiIRC
A modern browser client. This link is already pointed at Undernet and #Canada — choose a nickname and press Start.
Open KiwiIRC ↗
IRCCloud Stays online
Hosted IRC that stays connected while you are away and syncs to your phone. The free tier disconnects after a couple of hours idle.
Open IRCCloud ↗
Channel bot
OhCanada
OhCanada keeps the room running: it hands out voice to people who join the conversation, holds the topic in place, helps the ops with bans and modes, and answers questions about itself.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
!help | Everything it can do — answered by notice, never in the channel |
!help <command> | Usage, description and an example for one command |
/msg OhCanada register | Register yourself with the bot — it sends you a code to type back |
!verify | Your access level, flags and registered hosts |
!info <text> | Set the infoline people see in your whois |
!ops <reason> | Quietly page the channel staff when something is wrong |
!bans | What's on the banlist right now |
Every reply arrives as a private notice, so nobody has to watch the channel fill up with bot output.
Registering? Hide your host first.
OhCanada identifies you by your hostname. Auth with X and set usermode +x before you register, so it stores your account.users.undernet.org host instead of your ISP one — nobody else can wear that host, and it does not change when your IP does.
The full bot guide
How to register, why your voice comes and goes, how to get an op when you need one, what every command does, and who is who on the channel.
Open the documentationOhCanada runs lmao.tcl on eggdrop. The script is open source.
github.com/DooubleTap/lmao.tcl ↗House rules
Six things, that's it
Nothing here should surprise anyone. The ops enforce it with a light hand, and !ops reaches them if you need help.
01
Be respectful
Treat everyone with courtesy, whatever their background or opinions.
02
No spam or flooding
No repeated messages, pastes of a hundred lines, or advertising.
03
Keep it roughly on topic
Tangents are fine — long private conversations belong in a query.
04
No harassment
Trolling, targeting people, and abuse get you removed. No warnings owed.
05
Both languages are welcome
English, français, or switching mid-sentence. Nobody has to translate for anybody.
06
Nothing illegal
No warez, no illegal material, no arranging any of it here.
Questions
Things people ask
Do I need to register a nickname?
No — Undernet has no NickServ and nicknames aren't owned by anyone. Pick one and use it. What does get registered on Undernet is channels, through CService and the X bot.
Why did the bot give me a + next to my name?
That's voice (+v). OhCanada gives it to people who join the conversation, and takes it back after a long stretch of silence. It's not a rank — it just marks who's actually around.
How do I register with the bot?
Auth with X and set /mode yournick +x first, then send /msg OhCanada register. The bot replies with a one-time code and you type it back — that is all. It stores a handle and your hostname, and grants no access flags; a channel op hands those out. The full walkthrough is in the bot guide.
Is the connection encrypted?
Not to Undernet itself — the network doesn't run TLS, so port 6697 won't answer. A web client such as the Undernet webchat or KiwiIRC encrypts the hop between your browser and its server, and a bouncer like ZNC does the same. Either way, treat the channel as a public room.
How do I stay connected when my computer is off?
Run a bouncer — ZNC on a cheap VPS is the usual answer — or use IRCCloud, which does the same thing as a service. Both keep your nick in the channel and replay what you missed.
Something's wrong in the channel. Who do I tell?
Type !ops followed by what's happening. It pages the channel staff privately — the channel doesn't see it, and neither does whoever caused the problem.
I've never used IRC. Is it dead?
It's older than the web and still running. No accounts, no feed, no engagement metrics — a channel is just people in a room, and it stays open whether or not anyone is talking. Join, idle, come back tomorrow.