diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
deleted file mode 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,125 +0,0 @@
-This file lists the user-visible interesting changes between releases. For a
-full list of changes to the source, see the ChangeLog.
-
-
-
-irc-fun-client 0.4.0.0 -- 2015-12-16
-====================================
-
-General, build and documentation changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-New APIs, features and enhancements:
-
-* Prefix `Connection` record field names with `conn` to avoid collisions
-* Add IRC receiving function variants for debugging
-
-Bug fixes:
-
-* (None)
-
-Dependency changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-
-
-
-
-irc-fun-client 0.3.0.0 -- 2015-10-17
-====================================
-
-General, build and documentation changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-New APIs, features and enhancements:
-
-* Add Pong event
-* Add action message events (/me)
-
-Bug fixes:
-
-* (None)
-
-Dependency changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-
-
-
-
-irc-fun-client 0.2.0.0 -- 2015-09-22
-====================================
-
-General, build and documentation changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-New APIs, features and enhancements:
-
-* New event constructor, NickChange
-* Channel logger can log nick changes
-* New nickname tracker function, changeNick
-
-Bug fixes:
-
-* (None)
-
-Dependency changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-
-
-
-
-irc-fun-client 0.1.1.0 -- 2015-09-10
-====================================
-
-General, build and documentation changes:
-
-* (None)
-
-New APIs, features and enhancements:
-
-* Basic channel logger API
-* Efficient and scalable time getter
-* Channel member tracker
-
-Bug fixes:
-
-* (None)
-
-Dependency changes:
-
-* Add dependency: auto-update
-* Add dependency: fast-logger
-* Add dependency: time
-* Add dependency: time-units
-* Add dependency: unordered-containers
-
-
-
-
-
-irc-fun-client 0.1.0.0 -- 2015-08-09
-====================================
-
-General, build and documentation changes:
-
-* (This is the first release, so everything is new)
-
-New APIs, features and enhancements:
-
-* (This is the first release, so everything is a new feature)
-
-Bug fixes:
-
-* (This is just the first release, many bugs haven't been discovered yet)
-
-Dependency changes:
-
-* (This is the first release)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+This file lists the user-visible interesting changes between releases. For a
+full list of changes to the source, see the ChangeLog.
+
+
+
+irc-fun-client 0.5.0.0 -- 2016-01-27
+====================================
+
+General, build and documentation changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+New APIs, features and enhancements:
+
+* `ircNoticeTo*` functions for sending notices instead of regular privmsg
+* Move from `String` to strict `Text`
+* TLS support
+* The process of reading from the socket and examining the data now provides
+  more details about the results, nothing is discarded
+
+Bug fixes:
+
+* (None)
+
+Dependency changes:
+
+* Add     bytestring
+          connection         >= 0.2
+          data-default-class
+          hashable
+          irc-fun-types
+          text
+* Require irc-fun-messages   >= 0.3
+* Remove  network
+
+
+
+
+
+irc-fun-client 0.4.0.0 -- 2015-12-16
+====================================
+
+General, build and documentation changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+New APIs, features and enhancements:
+
+* Prefix `Connection` record field names with `conn` to avoid collisions
+* Add IRC receiving function variants for debugging
+
+Bug fixes:
+
+* (None)
+
+Dependency changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+
+
+
+
+irc-fun-client 0.3.0.0 -- 2015-10-17
+====================================
+
+General, build and documentation changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+New APIs, features and enhancements:
+
+* Add Pong event
+* Add action message events (/me)
+
+Bug fixes:
+
+* (None)
+
+Dependency changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+
+
+
+
+irc-fun-client 0.2.0.0 -- 2015-09-22
+====================================
+
+General, build and documentation changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+New APIs, features and enhancements:
+
+* New event constructor, NickChange
+* Channel logger can log nick changes
+* New nickname tracker function, changeNick
+
+Bug fixes:
+
+* (None)
+
+Dependency changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+
+
+
+
+irc-fun-client 0.1.1.0 -- 2015-09-10
+====================================
+
+General, build and documentation changes:
+
+* (None)
+
+New APIs, features and enhancements:
+
+* Basic channel logger API
+* Efficient and scalable time getter
+* Channel member tracker
+
+Bug fixes:
+
+* (None)
+
+Dependency changes:
+
+* Add dependency: auto-update
+* Add dependency: fast-logger
+* Add dependency: time
+* Add dependency: time-units
+* Add dependency: unordered-containers
+
+
+
+
+
+irc-fun-client 0.1.0.0 -- 2015-08-09
+====================================
+
+General, build and documentation changes:
+
+* (This is the first release, so everything is new)
+
+New APIs, features and enhancements:
+
+* (This is the first release, so everything is a new feature)
+
+Bug fixes:
+
+* (This is just the first release, many bugs haven't been discovered yet)
+
+Dependency changes:
+
+* (This is the first release)
diff --git a/irc-fun-client.cabal b/irc-fun-client.cabal
--- a/irc-fun-client.cabal
+++ b/irc-fun-client.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                irc-fun-client
-version:             0.4.0.0
+version:             0.5.0.0
 synopsis:            Another library for writing IRC clients.
 description:
   This is an IRC client library that uses @irc-fun-messages@ library package
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 copyright:           ♡ Copying is an act of love. Please copy, reuse and share.
 category:            Network, IRC
 build-type:          Simple
-extra-source-files:  AUTHORS ChangeLog COPYING INSTALL NEWS README.md
+extra-source-files:  AUTHORS ChangeLog COPYING INSTALL NEWS.md README.md
 cabal-version:       >=1.10
 
 source-repository head
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
                      , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Commands
                      , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Events
                      , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.IO
+                     , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Instances
                      , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.NickTracker
                      , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Time
                      , Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Util
@@ -35,9 +36,14 @@
   -- other-extensions:    
   build-depends:       auto-update
                      , base                 >=4.7 && <5
-                     , irc-fun-messages     >=0.2
+                     , bytestring
+                     , connection           >=0.2
+                     , data-default-class
+                     , hashable
+                     , irc-fun-messages     >=0.3
+                     , irc-fun-types
                      , fast-logger          >=2.4.1
-                     , network              >=2.3
+                     , text
                      , time                 >=1.5
                      , time-units           >=1
                      , unordered-containers >=0.2.5
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/ChannelLogger.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/ChannelLogger.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/ChannelLogger.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/ChannelLogger.hs
@@ -29,42 +29,43 @@
 
 import Control.Monad (liftM)
 import Data.Monoid ((<>))
+import Data.Text (Text)
 import Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Events (Event (..))
-import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages.TypeAliases (NickName, ChannelName)
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
 import System.Log.FastLogger
 
 data Logger = Logger
     { loggerSet     :: LoggerSet
-    , loggerGetTime :: IO String
+    , loggerGetTime :: IO Text
     }
 
 data ChanLogEvent
-    = EnterChan NickName
-    | LeaveChan NickName
-    | MessageChan NickName String
-    | ActInChan NickName String
-    | RenameInChan NickName NickName
+    = EnterChan Nickname
+    | LeaveChan Nickname
+    | MessageChan Nickname MsgContent
+    | ActInChan Nickname MsgContent
+    | RenameInChan Nickname Nickname
     deriving Show
 
 data LogEvent
-    = Enter NickName ChannelName
-    | Leave NickName ChannelName
-    | LeaveAll NickName
-    | Message NickName ChannelName String
-    | Action NickName ChannelName String
-    | Rename NickName NickName
+    = Enter Nickname Channel
+    | Leave Nickname Channel
+    | LeaveAll Nickname
+    | Message Nickname Channel MsgContent
+    | Action Nickname Channel MsgContent
+    | Rename Nickname Nickname
     deriving Show
 
 -- | Utility for constructing a log file path.
 logFilePath :: FilePath    -- ^ Directory in which to place log files. Relative
                            -- to the program's working directory, or absolute.
             -> String      -- ^ Server label, e.g. @\"freenode\"@
-            -> ChannelName -- ^ IRC channel name, e.g. @\"#freepost\"@
+            -> String      -- ^ IRC channel name, e.g. @\"#freepost\"@
             -> FilePath
 logFilePath dir server chan = dir ++ "/" ++ server ++ "." ++ chan ++ ".irc"
 
 -- | Create a logger for a given IRC channel.
-newLogger :: IO String -- ^ Action which returns a formatted time string. You
+newLogger :: IO Text   -- ^ Action which returns a formatted time string. You
                        -- can use "Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Time" to create such
                        -- an action.
           -> FilePath  -- ^ Path of the log file
@@ -90,14 +91,18 @@
 
 formatEvent :: ChanLogEvent -> LogStr
 formatEvent e = case e of
-    EnterChan nick       -> "|-->| " <> toLogStr nick <> " has joined"
-    LeaveChan nick       -> "|<--| " <> toLogStr nick <> " has left"
-    MessageChan nick msg -> "<" <> toLogStr nick <> "> " <> toLogStr msg
-    ActInChan nick msg -> "* " <> toLogStr nick <> " " <> toLogStr msg
-    RenameInChan old new -> "|---| " <> toLogStr old <> " is now known as "
-                                     <> toLogStr new
+    EnterChan (Nickname nick) ->
+        "|-->| " <> toLogStr nick <> " has joined"
+    LeaveChan (Nickname nick) ->
+        "|<--| " <> toLogStr nick <> " has left"
+    MessageChan (Nickname nick) (MsgContent msg) ->
+        "<" <> toLogStr nick <> "> " <> toLogStr msg
+    ActInChan (Nickname nick) (MsgContent msg) ->
+        "* " <> toLogStr nick <> " " <> toLogStr msg
+    RenameInChan (Nickname old) (Nickname new) ->
+        "|---| " <> toLogStr old <> " is now known as " <> toLogStr new
 
-formatLine :: IO String -> ChanLogEvent -> IO LogStr
+formatLine :: IO Text -> ChanLogEvent -> IO LogStr
 formatLine getTime event = do
     t <- getTime
     return $ toLogStr t <> " " <> formatEvent event
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Commands.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Commands.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Commands.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Commands.hs
@@ -25,8 +25,10 @@
     , ircPartMulti
     , ircPartAll
     , ircSendToUser
+    , ircNoticeToUser
     , ircActToUser
     , ircSendToChannel
+    , ircNoticeToChannel
     , ircActToChannel
     , ircQuit
     )
@@ -35,23 +37,27 @@
 import Control.Monad (unless)
 import Data.Maybe (fromMaybe, isNothing)
 import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages
-import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages.Types
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
 import Network.IRC.Fun.Client.IO
 
+import qualified Data.Text as T
+
 -- | Log in as an IRC user with nickname and optional password, using the given
 -- connection parameters.
-ircLogin :: Handle     -- ^ Handle to the open socket, returned from
-                       -- 'ircConnect'
-         -> Connection -- ^ Connection configuration
-         -> Bool       -- ^ Whether you want to be invisible (mode @+i@)
-         -> Bool       -- ^ Whether you want to see wallops (mode @+w@)
-         -> IO ()
-ircLogin h conn i w = do
-    let pass = fromMaybe "" $ connPassword conn
-        nick = connNick conn
-    unless (null pass) $ hPutIrc h $ PassMessage pass
-    hPutIrc h $ UserMessage nick i w nick
-    hPutIrc h $ NickMessage nick
+ircLogin
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket, returned from 'ircConnect'
+    -> ConnConfig -- ^ Connection configuration
+    -> Bool       -- ^ Whether you want to be invisible (mode @+i@)
+    -> Bool       -- ^ Whether you want to see wallops (mode @+w@)
+    -> IO ()
+ircLogin c cfg i w = do
+    case connPassword cfg of
+        Just pass -> hPutIrc c $ PassMessage pass
+        Nothing   -> return ()
+    let nick = connNickname cfg
+        t = unNickname nick
+    hPutIrc c $ UserMessage (Username t) i w (RealName t)
+    hPutIrc c $ NickMessage nick
 
 -- | IRC servers send PING messages at regular intervals to test the presence
 -- of an active client, at least if no other activity is detected on the
@@ -61,84 +67,111 @@
 -- Therefore, an IRC client usually listens to these PINGs and sends back PONG
 -- messages. This function sends a PONG. The parameters should simply be the
 -- ones received in the PING message.
-ircPong :: Handle       -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-        -> String       -- ^ Server name
-        -> Maybe String -- ^ Optional server to forward to
-        -> IO ()
-ircPong h s ms = hPutIrc h $ PongMessage s ms
+ircPong
+    :: Connection     -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Hostname       -- ^ Server name
+    -> Maybe Hostname -- ^ Optional server to forward to
+    -> IO ()
+ircPong c s ms = hPutIrc c $ PongMessage s ms
 
 -- | Join an IRC channel.
-ircJoin :: Handle       -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-        -> String       -- ^ Channel name
-        -> Maybe String -- ^ Optional channel key (password)
-        -> IO ()
-ircJoin h chan key = ircJoinMulti h [(chan, key)]
+ircJoin
+    :: Connection       -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Channel          -- ^ Channel name
+    -> Maybe ChannelKey -- ^ Optional channel key (password)
+    -> IO ()
+ircJoin c chan key = ircJoinMulti c [(chan, key)]
 
 -- | Join one or more IRC channels.
-ircJoinMulti :: Handle                   -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-             -> [(String, Maybe String)] -- ^ List of channels and optional
-                                         --   keys
-             -> IO ()
+ircJoinMulti
+    :: Connection                    -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> [(Channel, Maybe ChannelKey)] -- ^ List of channels and optional keys
+    -> IO ()
 ircJoinMulti _ [] = return ()
-ircJoinMulti h l  = do
+ircJoinMulti c l  = do
     let nokey         = [ chan | (chan, Nothing) <- l ]
         (chans, keys) = unzip [ (chan, key) | (chan, (Just key)) <- l ]
-    unless (null nokey) $ hPutIrc h $ JoinMessage $ Just (nokey, [])
-    unless (null chans) $ hPutIrc h $ JoinMessage $ Just (chans, keys)
+    unless (null nokey) $ hPutIrc c $ JoinMessage $ Just (nokey, [])
+    unless (null chans) $ hPutIrc c $ JoinMessage $ Just (chans, keys)
 
 -- | Leave an IRC channel.
-ircPart :: Handle
-        -> String
-        -> Maybe String
-        -> IO ()
-ircPart h chan = ircPartMulti h [chan]
+ircPart
+    :: Connection
+    -> Channel
+    -> Maybe Comment
+    -> IO ()
+ircPart c chan = ircPartMulti c [chan]
 
 -- | Leave one or more IRC channels.
-ircPartMulti :: Handle
-             -> [String]
-             -> Maybe String
-             -> IO ()
+ircPartMulti
+    :: Connection
+    -> [Channel]
+    -> Maybe Comment
+    -> IO ()
 ircPartMulti _ []    _   = return ()
-ircPartMulti h chans msg = hPutIrc h $ PartMessage chans msg
+ircPartMulti c chans msg = hPutIrc c $ PartMessage chans msg
 
 -- | Leave all IRC channels you joined.
-ircPartAll :: Handle -> IO ()
-ircPartAll h = hPutIrc h $ JoinMessage Nothing
+ircPartAll :: Connection -> IO ()
+ircPartAll c = hPutIrc c $ JoinMessage Nothing
 
 -- | Send a private message to an IRC user.
-ircSendToUser :: Handle -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-              -> String -- ^ The user's nickname
-              -> String -- ^ The message to send
-              -> IO ()
-ircSendToUser h nick msg =
-    hPutIrc h $ PrivMsgMessage (UserTarget (Just nick) Nothing Nothing) msg
+ircSendToUser
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Nickname   -- ^ The user's nickname
+    -> MsgContent -- ^ The message to send
+    -> IO ()
+ircSendToUser c nick msg =
+    hPutIrc c $ PrivMsgMessage (UserTarget (Just nick) Nothing Nothing) msg
 
+-- | Send a private notice to an IRC user.
+ircNoticeToUser
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Nickname   -- ^ The user's nickname
+    -> MsgContent -- ^ The message to send
+    -> IO ()
+ircNoticeToUser c nick msg =
+    hPutIrc c $ NoticeMessage (UserTarget (Just nick) Nothing Nothing) msg
+
 -- | Send a private /me message to an IRC user.
-ircActToUser :: Handle -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-             -> String -- ^ The user's nickname
-             -> String -- ^ The message to send
-             -> IO ()
-ircActToUser h nick msg =
-    hPutIrc h $ PrivActionMessage (UserTarget (Just nick) Nothing Nothing) msg
+ircActToUser
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Nickname   -- ^ The user's nickname
+    -> MsgContent -- ^ The message to send
+    -> IO ()
+ircActToUser c nick msg =
+    hPutIrc c $ PrivActionMessage (UserTarget (Just nick) Nothing Nothing) msg
 
 -- | Send a message to an IRC channel.
-ircSendToChannel :: Handle -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-                 -> String -- ^ The channel name
-                 -> String -- ^ The message to send
-                 -> IO ()
-ircSendToChannel h chan msg =
-    hPutIrc h $ PrivMsgMessage (ChannelTarget chan) msg
+ircSendToChannel
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Channel    -- ^ The channel name
+    -> MsgContent -- ^ The message to send
+    -> IO ()
+ircSendToChannel c chan msg =
+    hPutIrc c $ PrivMsgMessage (ChannelTarget chan) msg
 
+-- | Send a notice to an IRC channel.
+ircNoticeToChannel
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Channel    -- ^ The channel name
+    -> MsgContent -- ^ The message to send
+    -> IO ()
+ircNoticeToChannel c chan msg =
+    hPutIrc c $ NoticeMessage (ChannelTarget chan) msg
+
 -- | Send a \/me message to an IRC channel.
-ircActToChannel :: Handle -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-                -> String -- ^ The channel name
-                -> String -- ^ The message to send
-                -> IO ()
-ircActToChannel h chan msg =
-    hPutIrc h $ PrivActionMessage (ChannelTarget chan) msg
+ircActToChannel
+    :: Connection -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Channel    -- ^ The channel name
+    -> MsgContent -- ^ The message to send
+    -> IO ()
+ircActToChannel c chan msg =
+    hPutIrc c $ PrivActionMessage (ChannelTarget chan) msg
 
 -- | Finish the IRC session, asking the server to close the connection.
-ircQuit :: Handle       -- ^ Handle to the open socket
-        -> Maybe String -- ^ Optional message, e.g. the reason you quit
-        -> IO ()
-ircQuit h m = hPutIrc h $ QuitMessage m
+ircQuit
+    :: Connection    -- ^ Handle to the open socket
+    -> Maybe Comment -- ^ Optional message, e.g. the reason you quit
+    -> IO ()
+ircQuit c m = hPutIrc c $ QuitMessage m
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Events.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Events.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Events.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Events.hs
@@ -13,195 +13,179 @@
  - <http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>.
  -}
 
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+
 -- | This module allows you to identify IRC events. Events are a wrapper around
 -- IRC messages, which provide a logical layer convenient to work with (while
 -- IRC messages have their lower level aspects, being plain protocol messages).
 module Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Events
     ( Event (..)
-    , ChannelPrivacy (..)
-    , Privilege (..)
     , detectEvents
     , hGetIrcEventsOnce
-    , hGetIrcEventsOnce'
     , hGetIrcEvents
-    , hGetIrcEvents'
     )
 where
 
 import Control.Monad (unless)
 import Data.Maybe (fromMaybe, isNothing)
-import Network.IRC.Fun.Client.IO (Handle, hGetIrcOnce, hGetIrcOnce')
+import Data.Text (Text)
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Client.IO (Connection, Result (..), hGetIrcOnce)
 import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages
-import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages.Types
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
 
 -- | An event triggered by an IRC message sent from the server.
 data Event
     -- | A ping was sent to the bot. The parameters are the server name and
     -- optionally a server to forward the response to. They can be passed as-is
     -- directly to the PONG response.
-    = Ping String (Maybe String)
+    = Ping Hostname (Maybe Hostname)
     -- | A ping response sent by the server.
-    | Pong String (Maybe String)
+    | Pong Hostname (Maybe Hostname)
     -- | One or more users have been kicked from a channel for an optionally
     -- given reason. Parameters: Channel, nicknames, reason.
-    | Kick String [String] (Maybe String)
+    | Kick Channel [Nickname] (Maybe Comment)
     -- | A user joined a channel. Parameters: Channel, nickname.
-    | Join String String
+    | Join Channel Nickname
     -- | A user left a channel, optionally with a given reason. Parameters:
     -- Channel, nickname, reason.
-    | Part String String (Maybe String)
+    | Part Channel Nickname (Maybe Comment)
     -- | A user left the network, optonally for the given reason. Parameters:
     -- Nickname, reason.
-    | Quit String (Maybe String)
+    | Quit Nickname (Maybe Comment)
     -- | TODO
     | Mode
     -- | Message sent in a channel by a user. The last parameter indicates
     -- whether the message is actually a notice. If yes, the client shouldn't
     -- automatically send a response. Parameters: Channel, nickname, message,
     -- whether notice.
-    | ChannelMessage String String String Bool
+    | ChannelMessage Channel Nickname MsgContent Bool
     -- | A channel message that is a virtual action (/me).
-    | ChannelAction String String String
+    | ChannelAction Channel Nickname MsgContent
     -- | A private message sent specifically to the client from a user. The
     -- last parameter indicates whether the message is actually a notice. If
     -- yes, the client shouldn't send any automatic response. Parameters:
     -- Nickname, message, whether notice.
-    | PrivateMessage String String Bool
+    | PrivateMessage Nickname MsgContent Bool
     -- | A private message that is a virtual action (/me).
-    | PrivateAction String String
+    | PrivateAction Nickname MsgContent
     -- | A user's nickname has changed. Parameters: Old nick, new nick.
-    | NickChange String String
+    | NickChange Nickname Nickname
     -- | Channel topic change. Parameterss: Channel, nickname of user who
     -- changed the topic, new topic content.
-    | Topic String String String
+    | Topic Channel Nickname ChannelTopic
     -- | The client has been invited to a channel by another user. Parameters:
     -- Channel, nickname of inviting user.
-    | Invite String String
+    | Invite Channel Nickname
     -- | The server sent a list of nicknames present in a channel. Parameters:
     -- Channel privacy mode, channel name, list of users. Each list item is a
     -- pair of a user privilege level in the channel, and the user's nickname.
-    | Names ChannelPrivacy String [(Privilege, String)]
-    -- Unrecognized or unimplemented event. The parameter contains (possibly
-    -- empty) input.
-    | OtherEvent String
+    | Names ChannelPrivacy Channel [(Privilege, Nickname)]
+    -- | Unused, unrecognized or unimplemented event. A successfuly analyzed
+    -- IRC message not (yet) recognized by this library as any of the client
+    -- events above. Error message provided too. This event can be a result of
+    -- an error or bug, missing features in this library or simply an IRC
+    -- message that isn't interesting to an IRC client. Or perhaps the IRC
+    -- server sent an invalid/empty message.
+    | OtherSpecific (Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage) Text
+    -- | Unrecognized or unimplemented event. An IRC protocol message not known
+    -- to the message analyzer or whose analysis has failed. Error message
+    -- provided too.
+    | OtherGeneric GenericMessage Text
+    -- | An IRC protocol message whose parsing has failed.
+    | OtherRaw Text
+    -- | Some other unrecognized event. The parameter contains possibly empty
+    -- input.
+    | OtherEvent Text
     deriving Show
 
-detectMessageEvents :: SpecificMessage -> Either String [Event]
+detectMessageEvents :: SpecificMessage -> [Event]
 detectMessageEvents sm@(SpecificMessage mpref msg) =
     case msg of
-        NickMessage newnick                        ->
-            if null sender
-                then err
-                else one $ NickChange sender newnick
-        QuitMessage reason                         ->
-            if null sender
-                then err
-                else one $ Quit sender reason
-        JoinMessage (Just ([chan], []))            ->
-            if null sender
-                then err
-                else one $ Join chan sender
-        JoinMessage _                              -> err
-        PartMessage [chan] reason                  ->
-            if null sender
-                then err
-                else one $ Part chan sender reason
-        PartMessage _      _                       -> err
-        TopicMessage []   _                        -> err
-        TopicMessage chan topic                    ->
-            if null sender
-                then other
-                else one $ Topic chan sender $ fromMaybe "" topic
-        PingMessage s ms                           -> one $ Ping s ms
-        PongMessage s ms                           -> one $ Pong s ms
-        KickMessage []     _     _                 -> err
-        KickMessage _      []    _                 -> err
-        KickMessage [chan] nicks comment           ->
-            one $ Kick chan nicks comment
-        KickMessage chans nicks comment            ->
+        NickMessage newnick -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ NickChange sender newnick
+        QuitMessage reason -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ Quit sender reason
+        JoinMessage (Just ([chan], [])) -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ Join chan sender
+        JoinMessage _ -> other "Expected JOIN with a single channel and no key"
+        PartMessage [chan] reason -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ Part chan sender reason
+        PartMessage _ _ -> other "Expected PART with a single channel"
+        TopicMessage _ Nothing -> other "Expected a topic in TOPIC"
+        TopicMessage chan (Just topic) -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ Topic chan sender topic
+        PingMessage s ms ->
+            one $ Ping s ms
+        PongMessage s ms ->
+            one $ Pong s ms
+        KickMessage [] _ _ -> other "Empty channel list"
+        KickMessage _ [] _ -> other "Empty nickname list"
+        KickMessage [chan] nicks comment ->
+            one $ Kick chan (map u2n nicks) comment
+        KickMessage chans nicks comment ->
             if length chans == length nicks
-                then some $
-                     map (\ (c, n) -> Kick c [n] comment) $ zip chans nicks
-                else err
-        PrivMsgMessage _                    []     -> other
-        PrivMsgMessage (ChannelTarget chan) text   ->
-            if null sender
-                then other
-                else one $ ChannelMessage chan sender text False
-        PrivMsgMessage (UserTarget _ _ _) text     ->
-            if null sender
-                then err
-                else one $ PrivateMessage sender text False
-        PrivMsgMessage (MaskTarget _)       _      -> other
-        PrivActionMessage (ChannelTarget chan) text ->
-            if null sender
-                then other
-                else one $ ChannelAction chan sender text
-        PrivActionMessage (UserTarget _ _ _) text  ->
-            if null sender
-                then err
-                else one $ PrivateAction sender text
-        PrivActionMessage (MaskTarget _)       _   -> other
-        _                                          -> other
+                then map (\ (c, n) -> Kick c [u2n n] comment) $ zip chans nicks
+                else other "Channel and nickname lists not in same length"
+        PrivMsgMessage (ChannelTarget chan) mc -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ ChannelMessage chan sender mc False
+        PrivMsgMessage (UserTarget _ _ _) mc -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ PrivateMessage sender mc False
+        PrivMsgMessage (MaskTarget _) _ -> other "Expected user/channel target"
+        PrivActionMessage (ChannelTarget chan) mc -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ ChannelAction chan sender mc
+        PrivActionMessage (UserTarget _ _ _) mc -> withSender $ \ sender ->
+            one $ PrivateAction sender mc
+        PrivActionMessage (MaskTarget _) _ -> other "Expected user/chan target"
+        _ -> other "Currently not recognized as a client event"
     where
-    other = Right [OtherEvent $ show sm]
-    one e = Right [e]
-    some = Right
-    err = Left $ show sm
-    sender =
+    one e = [e]
+    other = one . OtherSpecific (Right sm)
+    withSender f =
         case mpref of
-            Just (Nick n _ _) -> n
-            Nothing           -> ""
+            Just (PrefixNick n _ _) -> f n
+            Just (PrefixServer _) ->
+                other "Expected nickname in prefix, but found server"
+            Nothing ->
+                other "Expected nickname in prefix, but no prefix found"
+    u2n (Username u) = Nickname u
 
-detectReplyEvents :: SpecificReply -> Either String [Event]
+detectReplyEvents :: SpecificReply -> [Event]
 detectReplyEvents sr@(SpecificReply _sender _target rpl) =
     case rpl of
         NamesReply priv chan pnicks -> one $ Names priv chan pnicks
-        _                           -> other
+        _ -> other "Currently not recognized as a client event"
     where
-    other = Right [OtherEvent $ show sr]
-    one e = Right [e]
-    err = Left $ show sr
+    one e = [e]
+    other = one . OtherSpecific (Left sr)
 
--- | Try to generate events from an IRC message. If it fails, 'Left' an error
--- message is returned. Otherwise, 'Right' a list of generated events is
--- returned.
-detectEvents :: Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage
-             -> Either String [Event]
+-- | Try to generate events from an IRC message.
+detectEvents :: Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage -> [Event]
 detectEvents = either detectReplyEvents detectMessageEvents
 
--- | Receive IRC events. If parsing and detecting the events fails, 'Nothing'
--- is returned.
-hGetIrcEventsOnce :: Handle -> IO (Maybe [Event])
-hGetIrcEventsOnce h =
-    hGetIrcOnce h >>= return . \ r ->
-    case r of
-        Nothing   -> Nothing
-        Just spec -> either (const Nothing) Just $ detectEvents spec
-
--- | A variant of 'hGetIrcEventsOnce' which returns 'Left' an error message if
--- parsing or detection fails.
-hGetIrcEventsOnce' :: Handle -> IO (Either String [Event])
-hGetIrcEventsOnce' h = do
-    res <- hGetIrcOnce' h
+-- | Receive IRC events. If parsing the message fails, one of the @Other*@
+-- events is returned according to the error.
+hGetIrcEventsOnce :: Connection -> IO [Event]
+hGetIrcEventsOnce c = do
+    res <- hGetIrcOnce c
     return $ case res of
-        Left s     -> Left s
-        Right spec -> detectEvents spec
+        ParsingFailed t       -> [OtherRaw t]
+        AnalysisFailed gm err -> [OtherGeneric gm err]
+        GotReply sr           -> detectReplyEvents sr
+        GotMessage sm         -> detectMessageEvents sm
 
 -- | Receive the next valid (successfully parsed and detected) series of IRC
--- events.
-hGetIrcEvents :: Handle -> IO [Event]
-hGetIrcEvents h = hGetIrcEventsOnce h >>= maybe (hGetIrcEvents h) return
-
--- | A variant of 'hGetIrcEvents' which returns a list of error messages for
--- received IRC lines whose parsing/event detection failed.
-hGetIrcEvents' :: Handle -> IO ([String], [Event])
-hGetIrcEvents' h = do
+-- events, in the second element. The first element is failure events (i.e. one
+-- of the @Other*@ constructors) received before that, if there were any.
+hGetIrcEvents :: Connection -> IO ([Event], [Event])
+hGetIrcEvents c = do
     (l, m) <- f []
     return (reverse l, m)
     where
     f errs = do
-        res <- hGetIrcEventsOnce' h
+        res <- hGetIrcEventsOnce c
         case res of
-            Left s  -> f $ s : errs
-            Right es -> return (errs, es)
+            [o@OtherSpecific {}] -> f $ o : errs
+            [o@OtherGeneric {}]  -> f $ o : errs
+            [o@OtherRaw {}]      -> f $ o : errs
+            [o@OtherEvent {}]    -> f $ o : errs
+            _                    -> return (errs, res)
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/IO.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/IO.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/IO.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/IO.hs
@@ -13,163 +13,211 @@
  - <http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>.
  -}
 
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+
 module Network.IRC.Fun.Client.IO
-    ( Connection (..)
-    , Handle
+    ( ConnConfig ()
+    , defConnConfig
+    , connServer
+    , connPort
+    , connTls
+    , connNickname
+    , connPassword
+    , ConnContext ()
+    , initConnContext
+    , Connection ()
     , ircConnect
     , ircDisconnect
     , hPutIrcRaw
     , hPutIrcGeneric
     , hPutIrc
+    , Result (..)
     , hGetIrcRaw
     , hGetIrcGenericOnce
-    , hGetIrcGenericOnce'
     , hGetIrcGeneric
-    , hGetIrcGeneric'
     , hGetIrcOnce
-    , hGetIrcOnce'
     , hGetIrc
-    , hGetIrc'
     )
 where
 
 import Control.Exception (bracketOnError)
 import Control.Monad (liftM)
+import Data.ByteString.Char8 (ByteString, unsnoc)
+import Data.Default.Class
 import Data.Maybe (fromMaybe)
+import Data.Text (Text, unpack)
+import Data.Text.Encoding (decodeUtf8With, encodeUtf8)
+import Data.Text.Encoding.Error (lenientDecode)
 import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages
-import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages.Types
-import Network.Socket
-import System.IO
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
 
+import qualified Network.Connection as NC
+
 -- | Details of the connection to IRC.
-data Connection = Connection
-    { -- | IRC Server address, e.g. @"irc.freenode.net"@
-      connServer   :: String
+data ConnConfig = ConnConfig
+    { -- | IRC Server address, e.g. @"irc.freenode.net"@. It may also be an IP
+      -- address.
+      connServer   :: Hostname
       -- | IRC server port, @6667@ should be a safe default
-    , connPort     :: Int
-      -- | Whether to make an encrypted connection via TLS (not implemented)
+    , connPort     :: PortNumber
+      -- | Whether to make an encrypted connection via TLS
     , connTls      :: Bool
       -- | IRC nickname for the bot, e.g. @"funbot"@
-    , connNick     :: String
+    , connNickname :: Nickname
     -- | Connection password, use if the nickname is registered
-    , connPassword :: Maybe String
+    , connPassword :: Maybe Password
     }
     deriving (Eq, Show)
 
+instance Default ConnConfig where
+    def = ConnConfig
+        { connServer   = Hostname "irc.freenode.net"
+        , connPort     = PortNumber 6667
+        , connTls      = False
+        , connNickname = Nickname "rand0m-n1ck"
+        , connPassword = Nothing
+        }
+
+-- | TODO
+defConnConfig :: ConnConfig
+defConnConfig = def
+
+-- | TODO
+newtype ConnContext = ConnContext { unCtx :: NC.ConnectionContext }
+
+-- | TODO
+initConnContext :: IO ConnContext
+initConnContext = fmap ConnContext NC.initConnectionContext
+
+-- | TODO
+newtype Connection = Connection { unConn :: NC.Connection }
+
 -- | Connect to an IRC server using the given connection parameters, and return
 -- a handle to the open socket. This just opens a TCP connection, without
 -- sending any IRC commands.
-ircConnect :: Connection -> IO Handle
-ircConnect conn = do
-    let hints = defaultHints
-            { addrSocketType = Stream
-            , addrFlags      = [AI_ADDRCONFIG]
+ircConnect :: ConnContext -> ConnConfig -> IO Connection
+ircConnect ctx cfg = do
+    let params = NC.ConnectionParams
+            { NC.connectionHostname =
+                unpack $ unHostname $ connServer cfg
+            , NC.connectionPort =
+                fromInteger $ toInteger $ unPortNumber $ connPort cfg
+            , NC.connectionUseSecure =
+                if connTls cfg
+                    then Just def
+                    else Nothing
+            , NC.connectionUseSocks =
+                Nothing
             }
-    addrs <- getAddrInfo (Just hints)
-                         (Just $ connServer conn)
-                         (Just $ show $ connPort conn)
-    let addr = head addrs
     bracketOnError
-        (socket (addrFamily addr) (addrSocketType addr) (addrProtocol addr))
-        (\ sock -> close sock >> putStrLn "Connection failed") $
-        \ sock -> do
-            connect sock (addrAddress addr)
-            handle <- socketToHandle sock ReadWriteMode
-            hSetBuffering handle LineBuffering
-            encoding <- mkTextEncoding "UTF-8//TRANSLIT"
-            hSetEncoding handle encoding
-            hSetNewlineMode handle (NewlineMode CRLF CRLF)
-            return handle
+        (NC.connectTo (unCtx ctx) params)
+        (\ conn -> NC.connectionClose conn >> putStrLn "Connection closed")
+        (return . Connection)
 
 -- | Disconnect from IRC by closing the client's side of the connection. This
 -- function is mainly provided for completeness. You should probably use the
 -- QUIT command of IRC to quit the network in a manner coordinated with the
 -- server.
-ircDisconnect :: Handle -> IO ()
-ircDisconnect = hClose
+ircDisconnect :: Connection -> IO ()
+ircDisconnect = NC.connectionClose . unConn
 
+decode :: ByteString -> Text
+decode = decodeUtf8With lenientDecode
+
+encode :: Text -> ByteString
+encode = encodeUtf8
+
 -- | Send an IRC command, given in string form, to the server. The given
 -- command string shouldn't contain any newlines.
-hPutIrcRaw :: Handle -> String -> IO ()
-hPutIrcRaw = hPutStrLn
+hPutIrcRaw :: Connection -> Text -> IO ()
+hPutIrcRaw c = NC.connectionPut (unConn c) . encode
 
 -- | Send an IRC message represented in generic form to the server.
-hPutIrcGeneric :: Handle -> GenericMessage -> IO ()
-hPutIrcGeneric h = hPutIrcRaw h . serializeMessage
+hPutIrcGeneric :: Connection -> GenericMessage -> IO ()
+hPutIrcGeneric c = hPutIrcRaw c . serializeMessage
 
 -- | Send an IRC message to the server.
-hPutIrc :: Handle -> Message -> IO ()
-hPutIrc h = hPutIrcGeneric h . buildMessage . SpecificMessage Nothing
+hPutIrc :: Connection -> Message -> IO ()
+hPutIrc c = hPutIrcGeneric c . buildMessage . SpecificMessage Nothing
 
+-- | Result of receiving a message from an IRC server and examining it.
+data Result
+    -- | Parsing the text line received into a generic IRC protocol message
+    -- failed. The text line received is provided.
+    = ParsingFailed Text
+    -- | Parsing succeeded, but analyzing the message into a recognized IRC
+    -- command failed. The successfully parsed message and an analysis error
+    -- message are provided.
+    | AnalysisFailed GenericMessage Text
+    -- | Successfully received and IRC reply.
+    | GotReply SpecificReply
+    -- | Successfully received an IRC message (named command).
+    | GotMessage SpecificMessage
+
 -- | Receive an IRC message, given in string form, from the server. The
 -- resulting string won't contain newlines.
-hGetIrcRaw :: Handle -> IO String
-hGetIrcRaw = hGetLine
+hGetIrcRaw :: Connection -> IO Text
+hGetIrcRaw c = do
+    bs <- NC.connectionGetLine 4096 (unConn c)
+    let bs' =
+            case unsnoc bs of
+                Just (s, '\r') -> s
+                _              -> bs
+    return $ decode bs'
 
 -- | Receive an IRC message in generic form from the server. If parsing the
--- message read from the server fails, 'Nothing' is returned.
-hGetIrcGenericOnce :: Handle -> IO (Maybe GenericMessage)
-hGetIrcGenericOnce h = liftM parseMessage $ hGetIrcRaw h
-
--- | A variant of 'hGetIrcGenericOnce' which returns 'Left' the message if
--- parsing fails.
-hGetIrcGenericOnce' :: Handle -> IO (Either String GenericMessage)
-hGetIrcGenericOnce' h = do
-    line <- hGetIrcRaw h
+-- message read from the server fails, the plain message text is returned.
+hGetIrcGenericOnce :: Connection -> IO (Either Text GenericMessage)
+hGetIrcGenericOnce c = do
+    line <- hGetIrcRaw c
     return $ case parseMessage line of
         Just msg -> Right msg
         Nothing  -> Left line
 
 -- | Receive the next valid (successfully parsed) IRC message in generic form
--- from the server.
-hGetIrcGeneric :: Handle -> IO GenericMessage
-hGetIrcGeneric h = hGetIrcGenericOnce h >>= maybe (hGetIrcGeneric h) return
-
--- | A variant of 'hGetIrcGeneric' which also returns a list of erronous IRC
--- lines received.
-hGetIrcGeneric' :: Handle -> IO ([String], GenericMessage)
-hGetIrcGeneric' h = do
+-- from the server, and a list of erronous IRC lines received before it, if
+-- there are any.
+hGetIrcGeneric :: Connection -> IO ([Text], GenericMessage)
+hGetIrcGeneric c = do
     (l, gm) <- f []
     return (reverse l, gm)
     where
     f errs = do
-        res <- hGetIrcGenericOnce' h
+        res <- hGetIrcGenericOnce c
         case res of
             Left s   -> f $ s : errs
             Right gm -> return (errs, gm)
 
--- | Receive an IRC message from the server. If parsing the message read from
--- the server fails, 'Nothing' is returned.
-hGetIrcOnce :: Handle -> IO (Maybe (Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage))
-hGetIrcOnce h = hGetIrcGenericOnce h >>=
-    return . maybe Nothing ((either (const Nothing) Just) .  analyze)
-
--- | A variant of 'hGetIrcOnce' which returns 'Left' some information if
--- parsing/analysis fails.
-hGetIrcOnce' :: Handle
-             -> IO (Either String (Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage))
-hGetIrcOnce' h = do
-    res <- hGetIrcGenericOnce' h
+-- | Receive an IRC message from the server.
+hGetIrcOnce :: Connection -> IO Result
+hGetIrcOnce c = do
+    res <- hGetIrcGenericOnce c
     return $ case res of
-        Left s   -> Left s
+        Left t   -> ParsingFailed t
         Right gm ->
             case analyze gm of
-                Left err   -> Left $ err ++ " : " ++ show gm
-                Right spec -> Right spec
-
--- | Receive the next valid (successfully parsed) IRC message from the server.
-hGetIrc :: Handle -> IO (Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage)
-hGetIrc h = hGetIrcOnce h >>= maybe (hGetIrc h) return
+                Left err   -> AnalysisFailed gm err
+                Right spec -> either GotReply GotMessage spec
 
--- | A variant of 'hGetIrc' which also returns a list of error messages for
--- IRC lines whose parsing failed.
-hGetIrc' :: Handle -> IO ([String], Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage)
-hGetIrc' h = do
+-- | Receive the next valid (successfully analyzed) IRC message from the
+-- server, and a list of error messages and IRC lines whose parsing failed,
+-- received before it, if any. A 'Left' failure item is a plain text IRC line
+-- received whose parsing has failed, and a 'Right' failure item is a generic
+-- message (i.e. parsing succeeded) whose analysis has failed, and it is
+-- provided along with an error description.
+hGetIrc
+    :: Connection
+    -> IO ( [Either Text (GenericMessage, Text)]
+          , Either SpecificReply SpecificMessage
+          )
+hGetIrc c = do
     (l, m) <- f []
     return (reverse l, m)
     where
     f errs = do
-        res <- hGetIrcOnce' h
+        res <- hGetIrcOnce c
         case res of
-            Left s  -> f $ s : errs
-            Right m -> return (errs, m)
+            ParsingFailed t       -> f $ Left t          : errs
+            AnalysisFailed gm err -> f $ Right (gm, err) : errs
+            GotReply sr           -> return (errs, Left sr)
+            GotMessage sm         -> return (errs, Right sm)
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Instances.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Instances.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Instances.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{- This file is part of irc-fun-client.
+ -
+ - Written in 2015 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@riseup.net>.
+ -
+ - ♡ Copying is an act of love. Please copy, reuse and share.
+ -
+ - The author(s) have dedicated all copyright and related and neighboring
+ - rights to this software to the public domain worldwide. This software is
+ - distributed without any warranty.
+ -
+ - You should have received a copy of the CC0 Public Domain Dedication along
+ - with this software. If not, see
+ - <http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>.
+ -}
+
+{-# LANGUAGE StandaloneDeriving, GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving #-}
+
+-- | This module exports some typeclasses instances for some of the newtypes
+-- in "Network.IRC.Fun.Messages.Types".
+module Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Instances () where
+
+import Data.Hashable (Hashable)
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
+
+deriving instance Hashable Nickname
+
+deriving instance Hashable Channel
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/NickTracker.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/NickTracker.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/NickTracker.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/NickTracker.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- This file is part of irc-fun-client.
  -
- - Written in 2015 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@rel4tion.org>.
+ - Written in 2015, 2016 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@rel4tion.org>.
  -
  - ♡ Copying is an act of love. Please copy, reuse and share.
  -
@@ -37,20 +37,22 @@
     )
 where
 
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Client.Instances
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
+
 import qualified Data.HashMap.Lazy as M
 import qualified Data.HashSet as S
-import Network.IRC.Fun.Messages.TypeAliases
 
-newtype ChannelTracker = ChannelTracker (S.HashSet NickName)
+newtype ChannelTracker = ChannelTracker (S.HashSet Nickname)
 
-newtype NetworkTracker = NetworkTracker (M.HashMap ChannelName ChannelTracker)
+newtype NetworkTracker = NetworkTracker (M.HashMap Channel ChannelTracker)
 
 -- | Check whether a nickname is present in a channel.
-isMemberOf :: NickName -> ChannelTracker -> Bool
+isMemberOf :: Nickname -> ChannelTracker -> Bool
 nick `isMemberOf` (ChannelTracker nicks) = nick `S.member` nicks
 
 -- | Check whether a nickname is present in a channel.
-isInChannel :: NickName -> ChannelName -> NetworkTracker -> Bool
+isInChannel :: Nickname -> Channel -> NetworkTracker -> Bool
 isInChannel nick chan (NetworkTracker cts) =
     case M.lookup chan cts of
         Nothing -> False
@@ -60,12 +62,12 @@
 applySnd f (x, y) = (x, f y)
 
 -- | Check in which channels a nickname is present.
-presence :: NickName -> NetworkTracker -> [ChannelName]
+presence :: Nickname -> NetworkTracker -> [Channel]
 presence nick (NetworkTracker cts) =
     [ chan | (chan, True) <- map (applySnd (nick `isMemberOf`)) $ M.toList cts]
 
 -- | Record a channel with the given present nicknames.
-newChannel :: [NickName] -> ChannelTracker
+newChannel :: [Nickname] -> ChannelTracker
 newChannel nicks = ChannelTracker $ S.fromList nicks
 
 -- | Create new tracker.
@@ -73,11 +75,11 @@
 newNetwork = NetworkTracker $ M.empty
 
 -- | Record a nickname being present in a channel.
-addMember :: NickName -> ChannelTracker -> ChannelTracker
+addMember :: Nickname -> ChannelTracker -> ChannelTracker
 addMember nick (ChannelTracker nicks) = ChannelTracker $ S.insert nick nicks
 
 -- | Record a nickname being present in a channel.
-addToChannel :: ChannelName -> NickName -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
+addToChannel :: Channel -> Nickname -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
 addToChannel chan nick (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f chans =
@@ -91,7 +93,7 @@
 
 -- | Record a nickname change. Remove old nickname from the channels in which
 -- it's present, and add the new nickname to them.
-changeNick :: NickName -> NickName -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
+changeNick :: Nickname -> Nickname -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
 changeNick old new (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f chans =
@@ -101,38 +103,39 @@
         in  chansN `M.union` chans
 
 -- | Record a channel with the given present nicknames.
-addChannel :: ChannelName -> [NickName] -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
+addChannel :: Channel -> [Nickname] -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
 addChannel chan nicks (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f = M.insert chan $ newChannel nicks
 
 -- | Record a channel not having a given nickname anymore.
-removeMember :: NickName -> ChannelTracker -> ChannelTracker
+removeMember :: Nickname -> ChannelTracker -> ChannelTracker
 removeMember nick (ChannelTracker nicks) = ChannelTracker $ S.delete nick nicks
 
 -- | Record a channel not having a given nickname anymore.
-removeFromChannel :: ChannelName
-                  -> NickName
-                  -> NetworkTracker
-                  -> NetworkTracker
+removeFromChannel
+    :: Channel
+    -> Nickname
+    -> NetworkTracker
+    -> NetworkTracker
 removeFromChannel chan nick (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f chans = M.adjust (removeMember nick) chan chans
 
 -- | Record a nickname not being present in any channel anymore.
-removeFromNetwork :: NickName -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
+removeFromNetwork :: Nickname -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
 removeFromNetwork nick (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f = M.map (removeMember nick)
 
 -- | Remove a channel from the tracker.
-removeChannel :: ChannelName -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
+removeChannel :: Channel -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
 removeChannel chan (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f = M.delete chan
 
 -- | Remove channels from the tracker.
-removeChannels :: [ChannelName] -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
+removeChannels :: [Channel] -> NetworkTracker -> NetworkTracker
 removeChannels chans (NetworkTracker cts) = NetworkTracker $ f cts
     where
     f ts = ts `M.difference` M.fromList (zip chans (repeat ()))
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Time.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Time.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Time.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Time.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- This file is part of irc-fun-client.
  -
- - Written in 2015 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@rel4tion.org>.
+ - Written in 2015 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@riseup.net>.
  -
  - ♡ Copying is an act of love. Please copy, reuse and share.
  -
@@ -25,16 +25,20 @@
 where
 
 import Control.AutoUpdate
+import Data.Text (Text, pack)
 import Data.Time.Clock (UTCTime, getCurrentTime)
 import Data.Time.Format (defaultTimeLocale, formatTime)
 import Data.Time.Units (Second, toMicroseconds)
 
-format = formatTime defaultTimeLocale "%F %T"
+format :: UTCTime -> Text
+format = pack . formatTime defaultTimeLocale "%F %T"
 
+action :: IO (UTCTime, Text)
 action = do
     t <- getCurrentTime
     return (t, format t)
 
+settings :: UpdateSettings (UTCTime, Text)
 settings = defaultUpdateSettings
     { updateFreq   = fromInteger $ toMicroseconds (1 :: Second)
     , updateAction = action
@@ -42,5 +46,5 @@
 
 -- | Make a getter which returns the current time, and a formatted time string
 -- for use in IRC logs.
-currentTimeGetter :: IO (IO (UTCTime, String))
+currentTimeGetter :: IO (IO (UTCTime, Text))
 currentTimeGetter = mkAutoUpdate settings
diff --git a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Util.hs b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Util.hs
--- a/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Util.hs
+++ b/src/Network/IRC/Fun/Client/Util.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- This file is part of irc-fun-client.
  -
- - Written in 2015 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@rel4tion.org>.
+ - Written in 2015, 2016 by fr33domlover <fr33domlover@riseup.net>.
  -
  - ♡ Copying is an act of love. Please copy, reuse and share.
  -
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@
 
 import Data.Char (isAlphaNum)
 import Data.List (isPrefixOf)
+import Network.IRC.Fun.Types
 
+import qualified Data.Text as T
+
 isNameChar :: Char -> Bool
 isNameChar c = isAlphaNum c || c `elem` "-_|"
 
@@ -30,17 +33,18 @@
 -- inside a longer word. For example, \"ron\" isn't really mentioned in
 -- \"asynchronic\". Therefore, this function is a bit smarter about this,
 -- trying to capturing real mentions, and works quite well in practice.
-mentions :: String -- ^ Message content
-         -> String -- ^ Nickname
-         -> Bool
-msg `mentions` nick = m msg nick True
+mentions :: MsgContent -> Nickname -> Bool
+(MsgContent mc) `mentions` (Nickname n) = m mc n True
     where
-    m ""         _    _       = False
-    m msg@(c:cs) nick previnc =
-        if not previnc && nick `isPrefixOf` msg
-            then case drop (length nick) msg of
-                    ""     -> True
-                    (d:ds) -> if not (isNameChar d)
-                                then True
-                                else m cs nick $ isNameChar c
-            else m cs nick $ isNameChar c
+    m msg nick previnc =
+        case T.uncons msg of
+            Nothing     -> False
+            Just (c, r) ->
+                if not previnc && nick `T.isPrefixOf` msg
+                    then case T.uncons $ T.drop (T.length nick) msg of
+                            Nothing     -> True
+                            Just (d, s) ->
+                                if isNameChar d
+                                    then m r nick $ isNameChar c
+                                    else True
+                    else m r nick $ isNameChar c