<chapter id="Usage">

<title>Usage</title>

<sect1>
<title>Connecting to the server</title>
<para>
Since BitlBee acts just like any other irc daemon, you can connect to 
it with your favorite irc client. Launch it and connect to localhost port 6667
(or whatever host/port you are running bitlbee on).
</para>

</sect1>

<sect1>
<title>The #bitlbee control channel</title>

<para>
Once you are connected to the BitlBee server, you are automatically joined
to #bitlbee on that server. This channel acts like the 'buddy list' you have
on the various other chat networks.
</para>

<para>
The user 'root' always hangs around in #bitlbee and acts as your interface 
to bitlbee. All commands you give on #bitlbee are 'answered' by root.
</para>

</sect1>

<sect1>
<title>Talking to people</title>

<para>
You can talk to by starting a query with them. In most irc clients, 
this can be done with either <command>/msg &lt;nick&gt; &lt;text&gt;</command>
or <command>/query &lt;nick&gt;</command>.
</para>

<para>
To keep the number of open query windows limited, you can also talk to people
in the control channel, like <command>&lt;nick&gt;: &lt;text&gt;</command>.
</para>

</sect1>

</chapter>
