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Last active August 29, 2015 14:04
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IRC

Did you know chat rooms are still a thing? They didn't die with AOL. IRC has been around since before the world wide web. IRC has been and continues to be popular for technical communities. There are channels for many frameworks, languages, and conferences.

That Conference's offical channel is #ThatConference on the FreeNode Network. To join us, just go here: https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.freenode.net/thatconference/, type in a nick and hit start.

But what is it?

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. IRC is an open standard. No one person or company "owns" it. An IRC network is a decentralised cluster of servers. Servers are typically disturbed around the world. IRC clients connects to one of the servers in the cluster and joins channels (chat rooms) to communicate. Users send messages to each other in channels, send private messages to others users, send files, and create new channels.

Let's get started

First, you will need a client. Below is a short list of common clients.

Web Clients

Desktop Clients

  • XChat - GUI Client for Windows and Linux
  • Irssi - Command Line client for Windows, Mac, Linux
  • Colloquy - GUI Client for Macs

Common Commands

  • /connect Connects you to the specified IRC network
  • /join #channel Joins you to the specified channel
  • /leave Leave the current channel
  • /msg nick message Sends a private message to the specified user
  • /nick nickname Change your current nickname
  • /quit message Disconnects you from the current server displaying the message in all connected channels prior to quitting

Rules of the road

  • When talking to someone or you want to get their attention, type their name followed by a colon. Example: Spok: Hello!
  • Channels are typically most active during the day and are not active all the time.
  • If you ask a question or try to start a conversation, be patient. People in the channel may not see your message right away.
  • Have fun!
@johnsonch
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Desktop Clients

  • XChat - GUI Client for Windows and Linux
  • Irssi - Command Line client for Windows, Mac, Linux
  • Colloquy - GUI Client for Macs
  • Limechat - GUI for Macs and Windows

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