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Information and Education - #LaserFX on IRC

Laserists on IRC

    IRC [Internet Relay Chat] is a system within the Internet that allows many people world wide to communicate simultaneously [chat] through a text interface.  You type on your screen, press return and everyone on the channel can see what you have 'said' within seconds.  Spelling mistakes and typos are ignored as a courtesy since the system does not have spell-checkers and we don't have time to write flowery prose when chatting.

IRC Client

    You will need an IRC client program [software] to access the system.  The most popular client is mIRC which has lots of features but takes a bit set-up.  There are other IRC clients available but these programs are limited in features [compared to mIRC] but are good enough for casual use.
    The best chat software is mIRC as is allows for multiple chats and especially for DCC which is a function that allows you to transfer all kinds of files from user to user while you are chatting.  You can download the Free mIRC software from http://www.mirc.co.uk  The site also contains instructions on installation and configuration of mIRC.
    When you download, your browser may prompt you for a directory/folder to put the software into. If you have not downloaded software before - use the 'temp' directory. If your have downloaded before the software will be sent to your usual download directory/folder. Once you have downloaded it, you can place the software in an IRC directory/folder and extract the .zip file. Place the icon for the program in your Internet program group or on your desktop.

Set-up and testing

    1/  Connect to the Internet in the usual way. Start the chat program and a GUI screen should appear - the directions given here are for the mIRC software. You will need to locate the servers list [yellow file folder icon 3rd from the left at the top in mIRC] and fill in the server information:

    SERVER: It is a good idea to log onto the host server [raptor.ab.ca.dal.net] as this cuts down on delays. You may want to list all of these servers so you will have some options - you can also get server lists and information from the Dal.Net home pages at http://www.dal.net

• raptor.ab.ca.dal.net on port 7000 [In the USA, Mexico and Canada]
• irc.dal.net on port 6667 or 6668 [general purpose dal.net connection]
• liberator.dal.net on port 7000 [UK and Europe]

    NICKNAME: Make up a nickname [nick] for yourself - nicks are limited to a few characters on most networks; depending on you local ISP and you may not use spaces or symbols (other than hyphens) if you nick contains symbols [e.g. Mike@fx] it will NOT work properly [but Mike-FX or MikeFX will work as the server is case sensitive].  This is like a 'handle' on CB.  On dal.net you can have a nick up to 16 characters long, and you can also register your nick so that no one else can use it (see http://www.dal.net for details on the NickServ).
    Avoid the word laser as your nick - you can use variations like LaserNW or BobLaser .  Your real name or company name or a combination works best [E.G. Bob-NML].  Since this is a casual laserists chat you want people to know who you are by your nick.  Each time you 'speak' you nick is shown like this <nick> in front of your comments. E.G., <dannyb> Hi this is Danny speaking

    2/   When you are ready to connect, Highlight a server [raptor.ab.ca.dal.net for laser chats] and click OK.  A message about connecting should appear.  Once the screen has finished scrolling and beeping [it takes a few seconds], click on the 'join channel' icon or on #LaserFX and the 'Join' button if a channel menu has opened.

   3/   A message should appear after a few seconds saying 'Welcome to #LaserFX' or 'Now talking on #LaserFX' and some names will appear in the window on the right. These are the nicks of the people on the channel at the moment. Channel operators have the @ symbol in front of their nick [E.G.: @LaserFX].  The channel operators keep order and assist users in the channel.

    4/   Type 'Hello all from [your real name and company]' in the box at the bottom of the screen and press return [you may have to click on the box first to make it active].  Your message will appear on the main screen preceded by your nick on everyone else's screens so they know who is 'talking' Now you read the main screen [sometimes called a room] and make comments when you want as appropriate.

    5/   A party is different from a meeting.  At a meeting only one person speaks at a time and there is a topic or agenda.  We don't want to be that formal for the moment.  At a party everyone talks at once and you have to sort out the 'threads' of the conversations; IRC is like that. You have to follow along as best as you can.

    6/   If someone says something you wish to reply to, you can direct your comments to that person. Type the persons nick followed by a colon then the remarks you want to make.  You can also use an abbreviation or the first letter of the nick provided there is only one person who's nick starts with that letter. [E.G. Michael: What did you say the speed of that scanner was?? or M: What's the speed of their amp?]

    7/   There are some conventions that apply to IRC that help you to communicate faster.

• When you first log on it is polite to type 'Hello from <real name> at <company name> or in <city>' as your first message so that people will know who you are.

• If you are typing a paragraph, you don't want people to have to wait to see you comments. Large paragraphs can sometimes cause a problem [called flooding] if another message arrives at the same time. Press return as you complete each sentence but, to let people know you have not finished your thoughts, place periods at the end like this....  E.G., This is the first sentence of a long paragraph about scanner amps that I am going to send....; Followed by the next sentence in which I am discussing the scanner amplifiers....; Then the last sentence of the paragraph about amps. On the chat screen this would look like:
  • <nick> This is the first sentence of a long paragraph about scanner drive amps that I am going to say to everyone....
  • <nick> Followed by the next sentence in which I am discussing the scanner amplifiers....
  • <nick> Then the last sentence of the paragraph about amps.

• To express yourself rapidly there are a number of abbreviations that you can use. You will have seen most of these on the net before:
  • :-) or :) = a smile   :-( or :( =  a frown
  • LOL or lol = Laugh Out Loud or you can also use :D
  • <G> = a grin - You can also use this format to express other ideas like <boast> or <wish>
  • B R B = Be Right Back; if you have to answer the phone or leave the chat for a moment
  • O I C = Oh, I See

• You may also see lines of text that start with an * or that start with the word Action: or ACTION: they may be in a different colour depending on your software.  These are 'actions' and are usually performed by the channel operators [chan ops] who act as moderators.  They might look like this '* LaserFX gestures for quiet' printed in a different colour or 'Action: LaserFX gestures for quiet'.
  • If the action is an instruction, like a request for quiet or for someone to continue, then it is polite not to send any messages until they have finished. Just like at a party where someone may make an announcement or tell a story before the general babble continues.

    8/  SUPPORT: We recommend that you get the software and try it out early by logging onto the #friendly [friendly] channel, the #mIRC channel, or another channel that interests you.  You can try out the software by 'listening' to the conversation for a while then typing a few test remarks. If you have a problem setting up and getting the mIRC software, please contact us at 905-523-7669 after midnight a couple of days before the laser chat. Make sure you can log onto the Internet while using the phone line and we will open an IRC channel and talk you through the set-up and connection process.

    If you have a problem connecting after 23:30 EDT [20:30 PDT - 04:30 GMT] on Wednesday you can call us at 905-523-7669 and we will help you get on-line. We expect the chat session will run from 23:30 to 03:00 approx. Eastern [20:30 to Midnight Pacific - 04:30 to 07:30 GMT]

    See you on #LaserFX Wednesday night  :-)

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