diff --git a/src/irclib.py b/src/irclib.py
index dd5b75c4b..550007539 100644
--- a/src/irclib.py
+++ b/src/irclib.py
@@ -151,15 +151,13 @@ class Channel(object):
     __slots__ = ('users', 'ops', 'halfops', 'voices', 'topic')
     def __init__(self):
         self.topic = ''
-        self.users = sets.Set()
-        self.ops = sets.Set()
-        self.halfops = sets.Set()
-        self.voices = sets.Set()
+        self.users = ircutils.IrcSet() # sets.Set()
+        self.ops = ircutils.IrcSet() # sets.Set()
+        self.halfops = ircutils.IrcSet() # sets.Set()
+        self.voices = ircutils.IrcSet() # sets.Set()
 
     def addUser(self, user):
         nick = user.lstrip('@%+')
-        if not isinstance(nick, ircutils.nick):
-            nick = ircutils.nick(nick)
         while user and user[0] in '@%+':
             (marker, user) = (user[0], user[1:])
             if marker == '@':
@@ -174,18 +172,12 @@ class Channel(object):
         # Note that this doesn't have to have the sigil (@%+) that users
         # have to have for addUser; it just changes the name of the user
         # without changing any of his categories.
-        if not isinstance(oldNick, ircutils.nick):
-            oldNick = ircutils.nick(oldNick)
-        if not isinstance(newNick, ircutils.nick):
-            newNick = ircutils.nick(newNick)
         for s in (self.users, self.ops, self.halfops, self.voices):
             if oldNick in s:
                 s.discard(oldNick)
                 s.add(newNick)
 
     def removeUser(self, user):
-        if not isinstance(user, ircutils.nick):
-            user = ircutils.nick(user)
         self.users.discard(user)
         self.ops.discard(user)
         self.halfops.discard(user)
@@ -305,7 +297,7 @@ class IrcState(IrcCommandDispatcher):
         chan.topic = msg.args[2]
 
     def doNick(self, irc, msg):
-        newNick = ircutils.nick(msg.args[0])
+        newNick = msg.args[0]
         oldNick = msg.nick
         try:
             if msg.user and msg.host:
@@ -340,7 +332,7 @@ class Irc(object):
         self.password = password
         self.user = user or nick    # Default to nick if user isn't provided.
         self.ident = ident or nick  # Ditto.
-        self.prefix = '%s!%s@%s' % (nick, ident, 'unset')
+        self.prefix = '%s!%s@%s' % (nick, ident, 'unset.domain')
         if callbacks is None:
             self.callbacks = []
         else:
@@ -447,18 +439,25 @@ class Irc(object):
 
     def feedMsg(self, msg):
         debug.msg('%s  %s' % (time.strftime(conf.timestampFormat), msg), 'low')
+        # Yeah, so this is odd.  Some networks (oftc) seem to give us certain
+        # messages with our nick instead of our prefix.  We'll fix that here.
+        if msg.prefix == self.nick:
+            debug.msg('Got one of those odd nick-instead-of-prefix msgs.')
+            msg = ircmsgs.IrcMsg(prefix=self.prefix,
+                                 command=msg.command,
+                                 args=msg.args)
         # First, make sure self.nick is always consistent with the server.
         if msg.command == 'NICK' and msg.nick == self.nick:
             if ircdb.users.hasUser(self.nick):
                 ircdb.users.delUser(self.nick)
             if ircdb.users.hasUser(self.prefix):
                 ircdb.users.delUser(self.prefix)
-            self.nick = ircutils.nick(msg.args[0])
+            self.nick = msg.args[0]
             (nick, user, domain) = ircutils.splitHostmask(msg.prefix)
             self.prefix = '%s!%s@%s' % (self.nick, user, domain)
         elif msg.command in self._nickSetters:
             #debug.printf('msg.command in self._nickSetters')
-            newnick = ircutils.nick(msg.args[0])
+            newnick = msg.args[0]
             if self.nick != newnick:
                 debug.printf('Hmm...self.nick != newnick.  Odd.')
             self.nick = newnick
diff --git a/src/ircutils.py b/src/ircutils.py
index 290c6f448..009cc19e0 100644
--- a/src/ircutils.py
+++ b/src/ircutils.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ IRC-case-insensitive fashion), and numerous other things.
 from fix import *
 
 import re
+import sets
 import string
 import fnmatch
 import operator
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ def isServerHostmask(s):
 def nickFromHostmask(hostmask):
     """Returns the nick from a user hostmask."""
     assert isUserHostmask(hostmask)
-    return nick(hostmask.split('!', 1)[0])
+    return hostmask.split('!', 1)[0]
 
 def userFromHostmask(hostmask):
     """Returns the user from a user hostmask."""
@@ -74,9 +75,9 @@ def hostFromHostmask(hostmask):
 def splitHostmask(hostmask):
     """Returns the nick, user, host of a user hostmask."""
     assert isUserHostmask(hostmask)
-    nck, rest = hostmask.split('!', 1)
+    nick, rest = hostmask.split('!', 1)
     user, host = rest.split('@', 1)
-    return (nick(nck), user, host)
+    return (nick, user, host)
 
 def joinHostmask(nick, ident, host):
     """Joins the nick, ident, host into a user hostmask."""
@@ -296,26 +297,26 @@ def shrinkList(L, sep='', limit=425):
           L.pop()
 
 
-class nick(str):
-    """This class does case-insensitive comparison and hashing of nicks."""
-    def __init__(self, s):
-        self.original = s
-        self.lowered = toLower(s)
+## class nick(str):
+##     """This class does case-insensitive comparison and hashing of nicks."""
+##     def __init__(self, s):
+##         self.original = s
+##         self.lowered = toLower(s)
 
-    def __repr__(self):
-        return repr(self.original)
+##     def __repr__(self):
+##         return repr(self.original)
 
-    def __str__(self):
-        return str(self.original)
+##     def __str__(self):
+##         return str(self.original)
     
-    def __eq__(self, s):
-        try:
-            return toLower(s) == self.lowered
-        except:
-            return False
+##     def __eq__(self, s):
+##         try:
+##             return toLower(s) == self.lowered
+##         except:
+##             return False
 
-    def __hash__(self):
-        return hash(self.lowered)
+##     def __hash__(self):
+##         return hash(self.lowered)
 
 
 class IrcDict(dict):
@@ -333,6 +334,21 @@ class IrcDict(dict):
     def __delitem__(self, s):
         dict.__delitem__(self, toLower(s))
 
+class IrcSet(sets.Set):
+    def add(self, s):
+        return sets.Set.add(self, toLower(s))
+
+    def remove(self, s):
+        return sets.Set.remove(self, toLower(s))
+
+    def discard(self, s):
+        return sets.Set.discard(self, toLower(s))
+
+    def __contains__(self, s):
+        return sets.Set.__contains__(self, toLower(s))
+
+    has_key = __contains__
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     import sys, doctest
diff --git a/test/test_ircutils.py b/test/test_ircutils.py
index cb57a537f..b6941251b 100644
--- a/test/test_ircutils.py
+++ b/test/test_ircutils.py
@@ -141,12 +141,12 @@ class FunctionsTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual('jemfinch', ircutils.toLower('jemfinch'))
         self.assertEqual('{}|^', ircutils.toLower('[]\\~'))
 
-    def testNick(self):
-        nicks = ['jemfinch', 'jemfinch\\[]~']
-        for nick in nicks:
-            self.assertEqual(str(ircutils.nick(nick)), str(nick))
-            self.assertEqual(ircutils.nick(nick), nick)
-            self.assertEqual(ircutils.nick(nick), ircutils.toLower(nick))
+##     def testNick(self):
+##         nicks = ['jemfinch', 'jemfinch\\[]~']
+##         for nick in nicks:
+##             self.assertEqual(str(ircutils.nick(nick)), str(nick))
+##             self.assertEqual(ircutils.nick(nick), nick)
+##             self.assertEqual(ircutils.nick(nick), ircutils.toLower(nick))
 
     def testReplyTo(self):
         prefix = 'foo!bar@baz'