EDIT:Note: the new irc servers have changed names. it's now:

server: irc.freenode.net
port: 6667


Noting the private messages we've received about joining the chat room and not seeing anyone, I thought I'd take a minute or two to describe IRC (Internet Relay Chat) technically.

Just a note: I know it's tech info, but it's specific to users that do not visit our tech forum, so i'm posting it in the only other relevant forum. Here.

First of all, imagine your computer connecting to a server. Your computer can 'chat' with anyone else's computer that connects to that server. Now imagine that the server likes to chat as well, and it talks with about 20 other servers all the time. You have the bonus of being able to not only talk to the people chatting on your server, but you can talk with anyone on the servers that your server is chatting with.

This is a network of chatrooms and servers called IRC. Now for those of you familiar with IRC you may wish to skip to the bottom of this post and just grab the server:port/room info. Everyone else, hang tight, i'll get to explainations WITH screenshots. OoooOOooooOOoooo.

To connect and chat with the servers and the people on the servers you need a specific chat program that allows you access to this world full of script-kiddies and wannabe-h4x0rs. Most windows users tend to use a client program called 'mIRC'. mIRC is a relatively easy program to learn, and allows for the widest userbase and knowledgebase available to newbies for a chat program. You may download mIRC at http://www.mirc.com/ and follow install directions from there.

The reason we suggest you use a program to connect to us and chat is because the Java based chatroom available by clicking the 'Chat' link above in the manager navigational bar... well... the Java chat SUCKS. You see sometimes the server you connect to for chatting sometimes decides to get pissed off at the other servers and it 'hangs up' on the other servers, leaving you all by your lonesome only able to chat with people on the pissed off server. These angry moments a server experiences are called NetSplits.

The servers we are currently using for our chatroom tend to get angry. A lot. The Java chat applet doesn't notify you of a split, and doesn't connect to multiple servers to keep your chatting friends available. mIRC does.

Note: The screenshots for configuration I am posting below are from a self-customized hacked version of mIRC. I wanted my mIRC to look more like my customized hacked shell, so I forced mIRC to have a few mutations and facelifts.

Although my screenshots will look remarkably different than your windows, the configuration buttons will likely tend to be the exact same, or close enough to logically configure based on my screenshots that the difference in appearance is of little note. Just don't freak out if I have a button you dont, or something.



Here you see a basic mIRC window opened. If any windows open up other than this just go ahead and close them. Click 'File' and pull it down to 'Options'. The window that opens MAY have been one I just had you close, but that's ok.



Here is the main connection preferences box that pops up usually when you open the mIRC chat program. Highlight the 'Connect' menu on the left. If there is anything typed into the slots that are shown on my screenshot, delete it and replace the fields with the following:

Full Name: Whatever you want. ANYONE CAN SEE THIS!
Email Address: Whatever you want as long as it's in the email format. nospam@nospam.org works. ANYONE CAN SEE THIS!
Nickname: The name you want people to see you as in the chatroom.
Alternative Nickname: The secondary nickname. In case the server gets mad at YOU and steals your nickname for a while.

Note that you shouldn't mess with the irc server pulldown menu yet. It's the section with the 'Add' 'Edit' etc buttons.

Write down the email address you use. We'll need to use a portion of it later on in the configuration...



Here we've merely clicked that lil plus sign next to 'Connect' on the lefthand corner menu. It had a sex change and turned into a minus sign! It also shows a bunch of other configurable goodies...



Here we've moved down the 'Connect' menu list to the 'Options' configuration panel. Just check all the stuff i've got checked and fill in the numbers with what i've put.



Next we hit the lil 'Local Info' section. Make your screen fill out like mine.



Next is the trickier section... Identd. Configure your screen to contain the information mine does... however for the 'User ID:' slot, fill it in with only the first section of the email address I told you to write down earlier. What that means is this:

If you used the email address 'FunkyChick@FurryGrrrls.xxx' for your email address, you would type 'FunkyChick' into the 'User ID:' slot. If you used my example 'nospam@nospam.org' you would use 'nospam' for your 'User ID:'.



Now to the firewall section. Usually this is the trickiest part of connecting to a chat server, because sometimes you may be behind a firewall and not even know it. Most home routers or switches have embedded (built-in) firewalls. If you're on a network, it's likely to have a firewall. For testing purposes we are going to configure the firewall section as I've shown in my screenshot, however be aware you may need to change this based on your personal firewall status (you may have one, or not). As I've configured it, mIRC thinks there is no firewall, and works like it normally would. If you need assistance configuring mIRC for a firewall, don't bug me. I'm busy teaching swordfighting in Mordor.



Now it's time to click back on the 'Connect' menu list. Here we are going to configure a new server for you. The server we are going to set up will be the server(s) that are connected to our chatroom.

Don't worry about the blank slots in my mIRC Options window. You will have stuff filled in by now... leave it there.

Click the 'Add' button above or beside the IRC Network Group Server List (that's the pulldown menu).

You should see a smaller window pop up. This is the Matrix. We own you now, coppertop. :blink:

Just kidding. Here is where you set up the server that mIRC wants to connect to so badly.



Make your window fleshed out with the information in my window.

I'm still writing this. I'm taking a break for dinner.

-- [black]Daerk[/black] (scriptin) [black]Ildatch[/black]

*.sig file back to food...

If I may be so bold as to Reply to this...

I finally got the IRC to work today and I think that maybe a less confusing way to get into the chat is to select "Freenode" then "Freenode: Random Server" then type "/join #MEMOD" (without quotes) I just made a lucky guess that the room was called #MEMOD and some others wanting in might not see it on the list of freenode servers (I didn't).

Just my 2 cents

I'm sorry daerk but this guy is right
If it worked for me it would work for anyone!

Although using mirc one can connect easily by choosing the random function, mirc is not the only IRC program out there. I use Linux, and run B1tchX for my IRC client (at times). Having the server, port, and room details listing in this guide are essential for those who are NOT windows users or mirc users to be able to connect.

-- D

D I hope you dont mind that I linked these instructions for how to get into the COF room.

whats enlightenment? you made it? is it some sort of desktop thing?

For everyone sending in "reports" about DMKW's last post, it's not spam.

DMKW's post refers to a link I made in the first post on this thread.

Enlightenment revision 2 beta 55 is my own custom "total conversion" of the desktop gui "Enlightenment" for Linux.

I made Er2b55 for both Linux and Windows, using "Litestep" which is a shell replacement for Windows. I was one of the assisting core devs of Litestep for a time, and was recoding a few portions of the shell. Er2b55 uses about 4 custom modules (dll's) as well as a custom binary.

-- D

thanx for the info but as i can see there aint anyone here, is this normal ?

there generaly is people in there so i would say bno that is not normal ... are you sure you are on freenode and in the proper chan? #MEMod ?

You're probably on a different network, and and when you type /join #memod there it will create a new channel for you.

In that case, just type

/server irc.freenode.net

(this will disconnect from your current network and reconnect you to freenode)

followed by

/join #memod

Thank you Daerk, for making this... I haven't used IRC for a while and had totally forgotten how to use it. [By a while i mean about a year.]