OxIRC is an Internet Relay Chat network intended for use by current and former Oxford University students and their friends. It doesn't like randoms; newbies are frowned upon. First founded in 1998 (but see below), the network features channels such as #keble. Like any clique, it is a haven for injokes and acronyms.

The date of foundation -- and, indeed, the start of OxIRC itself -- is shrouded in confusion. Hoggy (David Woolger) had an IRC server on canna, but nobody used it: they used ytalk until there were so many people that you only got 2 lines each. They moved onto IRC running on Oakley. Both of these were running in Keble, and populated by Maths and Maths/Comp people from Keble. Oh, and Angharad. Before long, Oakley was connected to a network of other servers including canna, and later marvin, that together carried OxIRC. Anyone that was involved at the time will know why total dependance on Oakley was to be avoided.

It was mainly used to collaborate on tute sheets and to organise trips to the bar to prepare for more work on the tute sheets.

There were various days where for some reason of messing about people changed their nick to match a pattern, some of these themes still leave their mark on nicks left in the channel and include Discworld characters, and the 7 dwarves.

BitchX is a sucky client: the clients just went off on fights of their own if someone with BitchX was opped. Changing your nick on idle is really really frowned on.

#keble Members

'kim' and 'andy' both left Oxford in July 2005. Andy having finished a degree Chemistry at Hertford College. They now live in tabland, where Andy is doing a PhD in Chemistry in the Spencer Group. Kim spent a brief period at Lincoln College, and as such is still a member, however this was after graduating from UniS with a degree in Maths and as such often forgets she is a member of Oxford Uni. This is also partly due to having spent the 3 years coming to Hertford as a visitor to see Andy. They will hopefully be married on 29th July 2006. 'kim' draws cool cartons found on http://www.sleepyewe.co.uk and 'kim' and 'andy' have a cute hamster called Jeremy. Andy didn't join OxIRC until his 3rd year when revision for is finals got to him and he needed someone to go to the pub with in the middle of the Easter vac. (3/2006)

'Crispin' is a finalist at Trinity. He is expected to be the last undergraduate to read Mathematics and Computation there. He hopes to pass his exams, if only to spite those who said he wouldn't. (3/2006)

'Emily' is a withered crone; having entered OxIRC around 1999, and having gradjitated from New College in 1998, he now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the US and works on in-car entertainment systems. (3/2006)

'Art', formerly known as 'penfold', used to run the OxIRC server named 'pendragon'. Despite this, he graduated in Biochemistry from Lincoln College, many moons ago. He then realised that he should have some formal proof that he spends too much time with computers, so got a Computing MSc from Oxford Brookes. He now works at the Oxford Internet Institute doing IT Support and Meeja stuff, and seems to have turned into the official OxIRC wedding photographer. (3/2006) 'Art' is known for his love of classic automobiles. (03/2006)

'Zaphod' is still in Oxford, though now not as a resident member of the University. Although not one of the original founders he started running a server (marvin/kebl1088) fairly early in OxIRC's history, and continues to run one of the current servers. (3/2006)

'rejs' read Physics at Merton some time around the Dark Ages, did a doctorate in Astrophysics shortly after the invention of the telescope, and somehow ended up being a cynical and bitter old git looking after the network for Oxford University Computing Services. (03/2006)

'aendr' arrived in Oxford to do a DPhil in Atmospheric Physics in 1999, but didn't find OxIRC till late summer 2000 when making the fatal mistake of moving into the OxIRC house .kitten. Subsequent more sensible moves include .ark with 'Heffalump' (then 'Gowolla'), 'wol', and 'Igloo' and .otters with 'Heffalump'. Since then, she's left Oxford and tootled off to Exeter to model clouds. Getting fed up of travelling long distances to see 'Heffalump' she's about to tootle off to Bedford to play with real clouds. She's a scary Guider (and for the benefit of 'Crispin' is a real female, unlike certain other OxIRCers). (03/2006)

'djm' started reading physics at Wadham in 2003, but after passing prelims saw the light and is now a second year computer scientist. Likes strange things like Gentoo, common lisp and dodgy metal music far too much. Rumour has it that he has magical powers, but sadly such claims are unsubstantiated. (03/2006)

'jimbo', a Maths+Comp student at the time, found OxIRC some time shortly before his first year exams, yet somehow passed them despite this. He still dropped out eventually, in the traditional manner of all CompSoc presidents. He now studies in Nottingham, and is hoping to end up with a degree some time before the destruction of the solar system.

'Edd' is yet another Physicist, and come to think of it, yet another Astrophysicist too, albeit not of rejs' vintage. He can't quite recall how he ended up on OxIRC. It was either through oxnet, Angharad, or (the since departed) Anna. He's since left Oxford, but failed miserably to leave OxIRC.

jds has no quotation marks, but does not generally feel deprived in other ways. He rapidly got bored with fixing the punctuation on this page, and finds it awkward to write about himself in the third person.