May 31, 2021, 15:51 pm
(This post was last modified: May 31, 2021, 15:56 pm by ill88eagle. Edited 2 times in total.)
One of the most spammed forums here is ebooks requests. Some smart uploaders know about library genesis and similar sites (most relying on the same servers). It would seem few people know about the old school IRC library that is #bookz on undernet. So in this tutorial I will cover how to connect to that channel and how to use it.
For those of you already savvy with IRC servers, clients and channels you can skip to part 2
Part 1: Connecting
First you need an IRC client that can manage file transfers. mIRC is a popular choice. But seeing how it is proprietary I will recommend xChat instead (free and open source). You can get it here: https://xchat.org/ - if you are using windows you might have to make a firewall exception for file transfers to work (I cant go into details as I am using linux and it just werks™ out of the box))
Once installed, upon first run it will ask you what server/network you wish to connect to. In the dialogue window there is a list of well established IRC networks. Locate and select "undernet".
It might take a minute or two to establish a connection so be patient. Once connected to undernet, xChat will ask you what channel you wish to join. Write bookz in the channel field and hit OK.
Part 2: Finding your precious bookz
You will notice that nobody is chatting in this channel. People here talk straight to the many bot-scripts with commands (and sometimes the bots talk to you). The first commands you will need are @search and !find
They work the same way: command + query - example given: @search harry potter or !find fifty shades
You will soon receive a message that your search query has been accepted and returned X results after which you will be offered a zip file for download. Accept it. The zip file contains a txt file with the results for your search in the format [!botname] [filename] [info]. Here is an example sniplet for a search on "bryson" (total hits were 639)
Part 3: Downloading the bookz
The search results are so neatly organized that you can copy a line and paste it into the chat (omitting the ::INFO:: part to not look like a complete n00b) and receive a reply from the bot in question (if it is online). The response will tell you that the bot has received your request and what number you are in the queue. If the queue is long you might have to wait a minute or two before the file you asked for is offered to you, but don't despair, just sit tight. It will pop up just like the search results did, and given the size of the ebook, it will be on your hard drive in a matter of minutes or less.
Part 4: Other stuff you can do (and stuff you shouldn't do)
The bots will routinely advertize their stuff to you and offer you a full list of their books. If you like, you can type @[botname] or ![botname] to get a full list.
Don't try to start chatting up anybody while there- it will earn you a kick (and perhaps a ban).
That's all folks- enjoy
For those of you already savvy with IRC servers, clients and channels you can skip to part 2
Part 1: Connecting
First you need an IRC client that can manage file transfers. mIRC is a popular choice. But seeing how it is proprietary I will recommend xChat instead (free and open source). You can get it here: https://xchat.org/ - if you are using windows you might have to make a firewall exception for file transfers to work (I cant go into details as I am using linux and it just werks™ out of the box))
Once installed, upon first run it will ask you what server/network you wish to connect to. In the dialogue window there is a list of well established IRC networks. Locate and select "undernet".
It might take a minute or two to establish a connection so be patient. Once connected to undernet, xChat will ask you what channel you wish to join. Write bookz in the channel field and hit OK.
Part 2: Finding your precious bookz
You will notice that nobody is chatting in this channel. People here talk straight to the many bot-scripts with commands (and sometimes the bots talk to you). The first commands you will need are @search and !find
They work the same way: command + query - example given: @search harry potter or !find fifty shades
You will soon receive a message that your search query has been accepted and returned X results after which you will be offered a zip file for download. Accept it. The zip file contains a txt file with the results for your search in the format [!botname] [filename] [info]. Here is an example sniplet for a search on "bryson" (total hits were 639)
Code:
!adiroman Bryson Bill - A Short History of Nearly Everything.mobi ::INFO:: 671.1KB
!adiroman Bryson Bill - Made in America.prc ::INFO:: 26.1MB
!adiroman Bryson Bill - A Walk in the Woods.mobi ::INFO:: 373.8KB
!adiroman Bryson Bill - I'm a Stranger Here Myself.mobi ::INFO:: 346.5KB
!AlternaServ Bryson, Christopher - The Fluoride Deception (2004, history of water flouridation and why it is bad for your health).pdf ::INFO:: 3.1MB
!Ashurbanipal Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson.azw3 ::INFO:: 1.2MB
!Ashurbanipal Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson.epub ::INFO:: 856.4KB
!Ashurbanipal Hebanon Games - Bryson Springs.pdf ::INFO:: 1.0MB
!Ashurbanipal No Security - Bryson Springs [OEF][2013].pdf ::INFO:: 1.0MB
!Ashurbanipal Applied Optimal Control - Optimization, Estimation and Control [revised] - A. Bryson Jr., Y. Ho (Taylor and Francis, 1975).pdf ::INFO:: 50.2MB
!Ashurbanipal Periop. Addiction - Clinical Mgmt. of the Addicted Patient - E. Bryson, E. Frost (Springer, 2012).pdf ::INFO:: 4.5MB
!Ashurbanipal Seeing Further - The Story of Science, Discovery and the Genius of the Royal Society - B. Bryson (Harper Collins, 2010).mobi ::INFO:: 1.3MB
!Ashurbanipal Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology - J. McCann, D. Bryson (Woodhead, 2009).pdf ::INFO:: 5.4MB
!BlunderBus Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything.epub ::INFO:: 477.4KBPart 3: Downloading the bookz
The search results are so neatly organized that you can copy a line and paste it into the chat (omitting the ::INFO:: part to not look like a complete n00b) and receive a reply from the bot in question (if it is online). The response will tell you that the bot has received your request and what number you are in the queue. If the queue is long you might have to wait a minute or two before the file you asked for is offered to you, but don't despair, just sit tight. It will pop up just like the search results did, and given the size of the ebook, it will be on your hard drive in a matter of minutes or less.
Part 4: Other stuff you can do (and stuff you shouldn't do)
The bots will routinely advertize their stuff to you and offer you a full list of their books. If you like, you can type @[botname] or ![botname] to get a full list.
Don't try to start chatting up anybody while there- it will earn you a kick (and perhaps a ban).
That's all folks- enjoy