~~NOTOC~~
====== Welcome to AfterNET ======

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AfterNET is an Internet Relay Chat network that was founded in September 1996 and is dedicated to providing a free quality chat environment, which gives people all over the world a means to communicate with each other. We take special care to ensure that our network provides a place where the [[policies:freedom|freedom of speech]] of all our users is respected.

====== News and updates ======

  * We are in the process of upgrading all the servers on our network to [[http://evilnet.sourceforge.net/|Nefarious IRCu 1.3]]. The upgrade requires each server be restarted, so you should be sure to connect to the **[[irc://irc.afternet.org/AfterNET|irc.afternet.org]]** round-robin address (and not a specific server) since we'll remove servers from it well in advance of upgrading them.
  * We also recently upgraded our network services to X3 1.7. If you experience any problems, stop by #help and let us know!
  * You can now [[:help:connecting:ipv6|connect to AfterNET via IPv6]] at the address [[irc://irc.ipv6.afternet.org|irc.ipv6.afternet.org]]. Check out our [[:help:connecting:ipv6|IPv6 page]] for help.

====== Come join us ======

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To chat on AfterNET, you can either download and install an IRC client or chat directly from your browser window. Many IRC clients are available for different operating systems. Once installed, connect to **[[irc://irc.afternet.org/AfterNET|irc.afternet.org]]**. Here are some IRC clients we like:
  * Windows: [[http://www.mirc.co.uk|mIRC]], [[http://silverex.org/|XChat]], [[http://www.mozilla.org/projects/rt-messaging/chatzilla/|ChatZilla]]
  * Mac OSX: [[http://xchataqua.sourceforge.net/|XChat]], [[http://colloquy.info/|Colloquy]], [[http://www.kvirc.net/|KVIrc]], [[http://www.mozilla.org/projects/rt-messaging/chatzilla/|ChatZilla]]
  * Linux: [[http://www.xchat.org/|XChat]], [[http://www.kvirc.net/|KVIrc]], [[http://www.mozilla.org/projects/rt-messaging/chatzilla/|ChatZilla]], [[http://konversation.kde.org/|Konversation]], [[http://www.irssi.org/|irssi]]
  * [[WP>Comparison_of_Internet_Relay_Chat_clients|Additional IRC clients]]
If you'd rather chat from within your web browser, try one of the following:
  * [[chat|Java Chat Applet]]: Requires that you have [[http://java.sun.com/|Java]] installed.
  * [[https://www.afternet.org/cgigw/|AfterNET CGI:IRC]]: Works with almost any web browser.
  * [[http://embed.mibbit.com/?server=irc.afternet.org&channel=%23afternet&settings=6dea470b90d78c25dbe485d214fdf7a6|Mibbit.com WebChat]]: Chat from within your web browser. Similar to CGI:IRC, yet different!
If you want to learn more about the various connection options, [[:help:connecting|read this]], or just /join #Help on IRC.


====== About our network ======

We pride ourselves on maintaining high-speed [[servers|IRC servers]] around the globe, with a strong emphasis on network and service stability. The network has an average of [[stats|800 people]] connected to it at once, and we are fortunate to have a very loyal group of users. Our main channel is [[channels:afternet|#AfterNET]] and our help channel is #Help.

We provide username and channel registrations via our [[help:irc:x3|AuthServ]] and [[help:irc:x3|X3]] service bots. Many organizations that host websites dedicated to music, sports, software development, gaming, or other special interests choose AfterNET as their chat network because of our "free" nature and our supportive and friendly staff. We hope you enjoy your time on our network, and please [[:contact|let us know]] if there is anything we can do for you!

====== Link a server ======

If you're interested in linking a server to AfterNET, please visit our [[policies:linkapp|link application]]. Feel free to stop by #AfterNET or #Help and discuss your plans with us. Our current client servers are located in the United States (California, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, Washington), the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In particular, if you're going to purchase a dedicated server or VPS for IRC, we'd be happy to suggest providers we've used in the past. We are currently interested in linking more servers that can provide native IPv6 connectivity (not via a tunnel), but you do not need to have IPv6 connectivity to apply for a testlink.

====== Important notes ======

  * Please be sure to read our [[policies:aup|acceptable use]] and [[policies:privacy|privacy]] policies.