channel

n 1: a path over which electrical signals can pass [syn: {transmission

channel}]

2: a passage for water (or other fluids) [syn: {conduit}]

3: a relatively narrow body of water linking two larger bodies;

"the ship went aground in the channel" [syn: {sound}]

4: (often plural) a means of communication or access; "it must

go through official channels"; "lines of communication

were set up between the two firms" [syn: {communication

channel}, {line}]

5: a bodily passage or tube conveying a secretion or other

substance [syn: {duct}, {canal}]

6: a facility where something is available [syn: {source}]

v 1: transmit or serve as the medium for transmission, as of

sounds or images; "Sound carries well over water"; "The

airwaves carry the sound"; "Many metals conduct heat"

[syn: {conduct}, {transmit}, {convey}, {carry}]

2: direct the flow of; also used abstractly, as of money or

information [syn: {canalize}]

3: send from one person or place to another; "transmit a

message" [syn: {transmit}, {transfer}, {transport}, {channelize}]

channel

(Or "chat room", "room", depending on the system in

question) The basic unit of group discussion in {chat} systems

like {IRC}. Once one joins a channel, everything one types is

read by others on that channel. Channels can either be named

with numbers or with strings that begin with a "#" sign and

can have topic descriptions (which are generally irrelevant to

the actual subject of discussion).

Some notable channels are "#initgame", "#hottub" and

"#report". At times of international crisis, "#report" has

hundreds of members, some of whom take turns listening to

various news services and typing in summaries of the news, or

in some cases, giving first-hand accounts of the action

(e.g. Scud missile attacks in Tel Aviv during the Gulf War in

1991).

[{Jargon File}]

(1998-01-25)