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Maine Coon Ring IRC instructions.Don't be nervous or overwhelmed with the instructions, just join us! You may also print these instructions or save the page to your hard drive.
To participate in the Maine Coon Ring IRC chats, you must have IRC software, sometimes called a chat client. Clients for any platform (Unix, Windows95, Windows 3.x or Macintosh) may be obtained at many sites on the Internet. At http://www.xworld.org/index2.html you will find a listing of sites where you can download the appropriate software for free. The most popular chat clients for Windows are PIRCH and mIRC. Macintosh users will choose between Ircle, ChatNet, and Homer. Note: We are going to assume that you are running Windows 95. If you are running Windows 3.1 or 3.11, go to http://www.mirc.co.uk/install.html for detailed instructions on installing mIRC for those versions of Windows.
1. Select a download site, and choose the Windows 95 version, on the site as “For Win32s and Win95 with a 32 bit Winsock”). To download a file and save it to your hard disk instead of viewing it, click on the link to the file while holding the SHIFT key on your keyboard down. In some browsers (Netscape, Mosaic) you can also right-click on the link and select ‘Save this link as...’ from the popup menu that will show. When your web browser asks where to place the file, select a directory on your hard disk where you can find it later. Sometimes your web browser will confront you with a warning message like: “Unknown File type. No external viewer configured for this file. Do you want to configure a viewer now OR save file to disk?” In these cases select “Save file to disk”. 2. Once you have downloaded the mIRC file, you are ready to install mIRC in windows. During the install procedure mIRC’s files will be automatically extracted from the cabinet and all necessary steps for starting mIRC will be taken. If you’re upgrading an older version of mIRC you will be able to keep all your old settings. Open Windows Explorer. You can find its icon in the “Programs” menu, or you can find it in the Windows directory, listed as “Explorer.” 3. Locate the file you just downloaded and saved to your hard disk. To install, just double click on the file. The installation program will be started automatically. 4. Determine the place on your hard disk where you want mIRC to be installed. Normally the proposed c:\mirc will do fine. Upgraders just browse to the directory where their current mIRC version is found and select that as destination directory. 5. Select “OK” and you’re done! The installer will take care of all the work. If you connect to the Internet through AOL, you need to be aware of some special instructions. AOL To access IRC through AOL first you need to have AOL’s winsock.dll. Connect to AOL, go to keyword “Winsock,” download it and follow the setup instructions. Make sure the DLL autoloads with starting the AOL dialer in the future. Then log on to AOL, stay in the pay area and minimize AOL. At this point you can start mIRC. There is more info at http://www.mirc.co.uk/help–aol.txt.
Regardless of your IRC software, you need to select the XWorld network and log onto one of the servers. First connect to the Internet. Once there, start your IRC program (mIRC, IRCLE, ChatNet, etc.). Follow the instructions for your particular software to connect to a server. Some of the XWorld IRC servers are listed on the previous page. Enter the server information into your software's server setup. Connect to the server, then pick a nickname, join #clowder, and start chatting away. All IRC channels start with the # sign. (i.e., type: /join #clowder) Once you have connected to a channel, you can ask questions. The Maine Coon Ring channel is #clowder. Connecting to the clowder channel does not require a password. The server and channels have moderators (called channel operators, or just “ops” for short), who can control the server or channel by choosing who may join (by “banning” some users), who must leave (by “kicking” them out), and even who may speak! Channel ops have complete control over the channel, and their decisions are final. They will have a "@" sign beside their nicknames. The clowder channel is registered, so it has a "bot" (XS) to maintain permanent status.
On IRC, users communicate using nicknames. “Nicks” should be easy to type and politely descriptive. First names are often used (i.e., “Jack” or “Elaine”). However, nicks do not belong to anyone, and if someone else is using your nick, you’ll have to choose another. Most programs allow you to specify a nickname in the setup process. It’s not necessary to greet everybody on a channel personally. Usually one “Hello!” or equivalent is enough. And don’t expect everybody to greet you back. On a channel with 20 people that would mean one screen-full of hellos. The same applies to good-byes. People on IRC form their opinions about you only by your actions, writings and comments, so think before you type. Do not “flood” a channel or user by sending large amounts of unwanted information. This is likely to get you kicked off the channel or killed from IRC. Flooding causes network “burps,” where connections go down because servers cannot handle the large amount of traffic anymore. If the Internet is busy, you may experience a slow-down between the time you input text and the time others view it. This is called "lag" time. It is usually not too bad. You also might experience a "net split" and have to log back onto the server and channel.
Commands and text are typed in the same place. By default, commands begin with the character /. If you have a graphical client, like mIRC, many commands can be executed by clicking icons with the mouse pointer. It is, however, highly recommended that you learn to type in the basic IRC commands first. When entering commands, pay close attention to spacing and capitalization. The common commands work on almost every client. /NICK [<nickname>] Changes your nickname to whatever you like. Everyone who wants to talk to you sees this name. Currently, nicknames are limited to 9–12 characters. Your nickname will be the same as your login name by default. Nickname clashes are not allowed; the servers enforce this. If your intended nickname clashes with someone else’s as you enter IRC, you will not be able to enter until you change it to something else. You may change your nickname as often as you like. /NICK Nappy /QUIT [<reason>] Exits your IRC session. You can also use BYE, SIGNOFF and EXIT. If a reason is supplied, it is displayed to other people on your channels. /QUIT Lunch Time! /HELP [<command>] Shows help on the given command. Note: This is not installed for all clients (software programs). /WHOIS [<nickname>] Shows information about someone. /WHOWAS [<server>] [<nickname>] Shows information about who used the given nickname last, even if no one is currently using it. /AWAY [<away message>] Leave a message explaining that you are not currently paying attention to IRC. Whenever someone sends you a MSG or does a WHOIS on you, they automatically see whatever message you set. Using AWAY with no parameters marks you as no longer being away. /AWAY Gone to get a cup of coffee. Additional examples of common commands follow. In these, suppose your nick is “yournick.”
1. Typing in all caps, LIKE THIS, is considered “shouting” and should be done sparingly. It is a good idea to use correct terminology (e.g., “channel”, not “chat room”, and “nick”, not “handle”). 2. A more frequent occurrence is “lag”, where there is a noticeable delay between the time you type something in and someone else reads it. Choosing a server near you is one way to try to lessen lag. Lag can be measured by using the /ping command. /ping nick tells you how long it takes for a signal to get from you to nick and back. /ping #channel pings each nick on the channel. 3. Ping? Pong! in the status window just means your server pinged you to make sure you were still active, and your software client replied to the server with a pong. 4. Once you are on a channel, just type to chat. |
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Revision: August 30, 2001 |
