This is a quick & dirty page about how I've configured irssi. If you're just getting started with irssi, I highly recommend reading the startup HOWTO.

a few nice things about irssi over ircII:

how to make your irssi setup similar to mine:

now type:

/bind meta-e scroll_end
/bind ^W lower_window
/bind end scroll_end
/bind home scroll_start
/set use_status_window off
/set autocreate_own_query off
/set autocreate_query_level dccmsgs
/set autoclose_windows off
/set reuse_unused_windows on
/set timestamps off
/set show_nickmode off
/set window_auto_change on
/set completion_auto off
/set theme tris.theme
/set autolog on
/set autocreate_split_windows on
/set log_theme default
/set beep_msg_level msgs hilight
/set autostick_split_windows off
/set scrollback_lines 16384
/set scrollback_hours 720
/set scrollback_save_formats on
/set dcc_autoget on
/set dcc_file_create_mode 600
/set dcc_download_path ~/dcc
/hilight whatever_nick_you_use
/statusbar info disable
/statusbar topic disable
and don't forget to /save. then restart to get rid of the status window.

notes on above settings:

below is the statusbar section from my config file. it is likely longer than it needs to be...

statusbar = {

  items = {
    barstart = "{sbstart}";
    barstartact = "{sbstartact}";
    barend = "{sbend}";

    time = "{sb $Z}";
    channel = "{sb $cumode$T{sbmode $M}{sbaway $A}}";
    topic = " $topic";
    info = " Irssi v$J - http://irssi.org/beginner/ - go read it";

    window_empty = "{sb $winref{sbservertag $tag}}";
    prompt = "{prompt $N}";
    prompt_empty = "{prompt $winname}";

    lag = "{sb Lag: $0}";
    act = "{sb Act: $0-}";
    more = "-- more --";
  };

  default = {
    window = {
      type = "window";
      placement = "bottom";
      position = "1";
      visible = "active";

      items = {
        barstartact = { priority = "100"; };
        time = { };
        channel = { };
        window_empty = { };
        lag = { priority = "-1"; };
        act = { priority = "10"; };
        more = { priority = "-1"; alignment = "right"; };
        loadavg = { alignment = "right"; };
        barend = { priority = "100"; alignment = "right"; };
      };
    };

    window_inact = {
      type = "window";
      placement = "bottom";
      position = "1";
      visible = "inactive";
      items = {
        barstart = { priority = "100"; };
        channel = { };
        window_empty = { };
        more = { };
        barend = { priority = "100"; alignment = "right"; };
      };
    };

    info = { visible = "never"; };

    prompt = {
      type = "root";
      placement = "bottom";
      position = "100";
      visible = "always";
      items = {
        prompt = { };
        prompt_empty = { priority = "-1"; };
        input = { priority = "10"; };
      };
    };

    topic = { visible = "never"; };
  };
};

(is there a way to translate all that deviation into a series of /sb commands? normally, .irssi/config is not meant to be user-serviced, I think.)