Irssi is a text-only IRC client. It does not get in your way and its commands are intuitive and useful. Non-standard features are implemented with perl scripts, rather than in the core. Irssi can range from a functional, no-frills client to a highly-customized and automated client.

Irssi is not the only focus of this guide. The ingenious program screen will also be discussed. Screen is a highly useful tool that allows a user to manipulate multiple windows inside of a single session. Each window operates independently of the others and acts like another terminal. For example, a user can create a screen session with Irssi running in the first window, an instant messenger program open in the second window, and a general purpose shell prompt in the third window. The beauty of the screen is that users can “detach” from their screens, logout, and then at a later time, login again “reattach” to find their programs still running just as they left them. The steps to do this will be explained in this guide.

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A Guide to Efficiently Using Irssi and Screen | quadpoint.org.