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)