IRC:General Info - Reprise 2

I apologize for all this traffic, but I am trying to figure out why my message
is getting so junked up with all those strange characters and to try to get
everyone a readable copy.

--------------
We have been getting a lot of new subscribers to Iris-L recently, and I
thought it would be a good time to advertise the Iris-L Friday Night Chat again.

IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, is a gathering of folks on their computers to
"chat" by typing messages that are sent to everyone who is currently connected
to that particular "chat room". Think of it as an old fashioned telephone
"party line" but using your computer keyboard and typing messages instead of
talking on the phone.

If you have never chatted before or need some additional help, some basic chat
information is available at:

http://WWW.KEI.COM/irc.html

http://WWW.PACIFIC.NET

If you new to chat and need help getting setup for the first time read on,
there are instructions further below (See "FOR NEW USERS").

On Friday nights the traditional public chat networks tend to be very busy and
have slow response times. I have set up an iris-l chat channel on a PRIVATE
network that will not be so difficult to get onto as Undernet. It works the
same way as Undernet so everything you know about chatting in general will
still work. We are scheduled for every Friday 6:00 PM PT (7:00 MT, 8:00 CT,
9:00 ET, Mid afternoon Sat for AU, and NZ) We will have this time slot every
Friday unless we decide to change it.

The service is run by Rod Venger in Colorado Springs at no charge to anyone.
He grows Orchids (about 50,000 a year - small time he says). He has kindly
registered us on his server.

Ok, there are just 2 teeeny, tiny little things that are different with this
set up.

First: Instead of using a name for the network (like Undernet) he has to use a
number called an IP address. It looks like:

12.67.33.132

All you do is put the number in the same place in your program that you
designate the server name e.g.:

12.67.33.132    instead of   us.undernet.org

And you must specify port number 6667 (usually the default if no other is specified).

It is as simple as that. Just log on the same way you did before. When you get
connected to his server you will get the MOTD (Message Of The Day). You are
now connected. Type:

/join #iris-l

(NOTICE that those are ALL LOWER CASE LETTERS, "l" is an "ell" not a "one")
That seems to be the biggest problem sometimes.

If it is after the designated startup time, and no one is there check to see
that you typed the command properly.

Second, and slightly bigger problem is that the address number 
changes daily. It is because he is on a dial up connection (at his end) and
each time he starts his server he gets a new number. So every Fri I will post
a message with the days IP address on it. It is also available from his
webpage at:

http://www.vengers.com/page.htm

Sometimes in the middle of the chat, or between the time I send out the Fri
chat message and the time the chat starts, the IP address will change, so if
you get a message that says something like:

"Could not establish a connection with 12.67.33.132 when you try to connect"

Then check his website for a new address. (Don't forget to click Reload from
your browser to be sure you get the most recent information.)

*******
SPECIAL NOTE:

If you can sign onto any chat server, do so, then type:

/server (URL from my Fri chat message) 6667     

and press return. That should connect you to Rod's server then type :

/join #iris-l

On Chat nights I will generally monitor my email and try to respond. Or you
can call me at 510-795-9723.


------------------
FOR NEW USERS

A chat client is just a different type of program. Netscape, or Eudora (or
some other mail program) are Mail "clients", meaning they run on your system
and talk to the mail server over the phone line and do "mail things" (among
others). Likewise, a Chat client is a program that runs on your system and
does "chat things".

I have Netscape and a chat client (read - chat program) comes with it
but I am told it is wimpy and I don't use it.  The two most popular chat
programs are mIRC for PC users and Ircle for Mac users. If you need to
download a chat client follow the instructions below.

You can always email me direct at jijones@ix.netcom.com and I will try to help
you. Don't wait til Fri night though, it gets really busy.


------------------
MAC USERS SKIP TO THE "MAC USERS" section below.


FOR PC USERS


Here are some instructions for first time mIRC users. AOL instructions are at
the bottom of the message.

If you need to download mIRC use your browser and go to:

http://www.mirc.co.uk/install.html 

and follow the instructions for downloading and installing mIRC
Which also has general installation and start up instructions. 

Note: you may find it useful to print out a copy of these instructions,
before you begin.

------------------
SETTING UP mIRC

Once you have installed mIRC, and the mIRC icon is available in the
program manager (or other directory), you must set it up:

First make sure you are on-line before you start mIRC.  If you use
AOL, CompuServe, Netcom or Internet Chameleon, you may require additional
startup instructions, which appear below under "ISP SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS").

Double click the  mIRC icon (shortcut), or use your normal process  to start
up mIRC.

As a first-time user, a box will pop up saying that you are
un-registered.  Simply click the X in the top right-hand corner of this box to
proceed to the next step.

mIRC will show the Setup Dialog and require you to fill in some information: 

In the mIRC Setup select the IRC Servers tab and enter the following
information in the fields:

Real Name: Your real name (i.e., John Q Public) 

Note: This doesn't actually have to be your real name.  Many people choose to
type something else in this category, (such as a one-liner or witty comment)
as the information you give here can be seen by other users. Even if you don't
put your real name here, you must type something in order to proceed.

E-Mail: Your email address (i.e., jqpublic@anywhere.com) 

Nickname: A one to nine character alias to use on the chat system (i.e.,
RnboFlr) 

Alternate: If someone else is already using the Nick Name
you you've chosen on IRC, you will be known  by this alternate name instead.
(i.e., RnboIris) 

You also have to set up to get to the Iris-l chat server.

Under File/Setup/IRC Servers, select ADD a new entry.
Under Description, type in "Venger's"
Under IRC Server, input the IP numbers I send out in the Friday message or
that you get by looking them up on Venger's chat page.
(http://www.vengers.com/page.htm)
The port MUST be 6667. Leave everything else blank.
Click on "OK", then "Connect".
"Edit" the entry for Venger's whenever the IP has changed,
normally every 24 hours. Input the new IP numbers.

Note:  If you get disconnected by Venger's server during the chat, go to the
web page and click "RELOAD" to see if the IP address has changed. Give him a
couple of minutes to get started again. When this happens you will have to
Edit your entry, then try to reconnect.  (Venger's server will probably be the
very last entry found in your list of servers).

Next, select the Local Info tab.  Normally you do not have
to fill in anything here. Just make sure the boxes  under 'On Connect, Always
get":  IP Address and Local Host are Checked (selected).

For various Internet Providers and PC setup's you might need other
settings here. Don't worry too much for now, if you get  problems later just
read the help provided on this topic in the mIRC Help file (mirc.hlp). 

Now select the Identd tab and Enable the Identd Server.  (i.e. click to select it).

Your User ID should already be filled-in there.  Eventually fill in your
Account Name in this field. (Your account name is the part before the @ in
your  email address, like jqpublic in my case) The system should always be set
to UNIX and Listening on port 113. 

Once this is all set, click on the OK button to close the
mIRC Setup Dialog. 

mIRC is now set up and totally ready to use.

------------------
HOW TO USE mIRC

Click on the File menu and select Connect. (Or select the lightning button in
the Toolbar)   After a short wait (up to 20 seconds) you will see some
meaningless blurb appear in the status window.  The last line will say
something like "End of MOTD command".

A box will pop up to ask which chat channel you want to join.  Type #iris-l in
the blank space at the top, then press the return key. (Remember all lower
case, and no numbers)

If no box pops up, you can join the channel by typing the following command in
the status window:

/join #iris-l

A new window will open on which will appear anything you or any one else on
the chat types.

Congratulations!  You are now on IRC!!

------------------
ISP SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Special instructions for mIRC users

The following instructions pertain only to users of AOL, CompuServe, Netcom or
Internet Chameleon.


If you are on 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. At this point you can start mIRC. There
is more info on Chris' IRC/AOL page. 

Using IRC on AOL
This procedure has been tested with mIRC only.
Logon to AOL (recommend that you do not minimize)
Open mIRC and go to File Setup and click on the local info tab.
Leave localhost and IP address blank.  Under "on connect always get:", Check
the local host box.
That will allow you to get out of AOL.
Logging into our server:
Under File/Setup/IRC Servers, ADD a new entry.
Under Description, type in Venger's
Under IRC Server, input the IP numbers seen above.
The port MUST be 6667. Leave everything else blank.
Click on "OK", then connect.
"Edit" the entry for Venger's whenever the IP has changed,
normally every 24 hours. Input the new IP numbers.


If you are on CompuServe 

To use mIRC on a CompuServe account make sure your CompuServe Dialer (or  CSD
for short) is installed and working properly. The CSD is a stand-alone
application that   provides point-to-point protocol (PPP) access to the
Internet through the CompuServe network. The  CSD will work in conjunction
with mIRC (like any other Winsock-compliant TCP/IP application). Normally you
do not need to do anything to start up the CSD. It operates dial-on-demand,
which  means that when mIRC starts up the CSD automatically dials up the
CompuServe network (presuming you are not already connected) and begins
connecting to the Internet. No additional setup is required.


If you are on Netcom 

To run 3rd party software like mIRC on the Netcruiser winsock you will need to
first configure NetCruiser to automatically load its winsock at startup. Log
into your NetCruiser account, and make very sure no other NetCruiser clients
(e-mail, WWW, etc) are running! Then click on  "Settings", choose "Startup
Options" and select the option to "Autoload Netcom's winsock.dll".  Click on
'OK'. You can't see or select this option with other programs running! At this
point you will need to exit NetCruiser to make the changes active. Now you can
log back into your account,  minimize the NetCruiser window, and run mIRC from
your Program Manager (Desktop). If you  have NetCruiser version 2.1, you may
configure the Application Launcher to run mIRC from the  floating toolbar. 


If you are on Internet Chameleon

Ensure that the Internet Chameleon directory is in your path. Run the Internet
Chameleon dialer application (the icon is named Custom), and then select the
line  corresponding to your current Internet Service Provider. In the Setup
menu, choose "Dial On  Demand". This will make the dialer application run when
mIRC tries to connect to the Internet. 


Detailed beginner mIRC instructions at: http://www.mirc.co.uk/install.html

------------------
FOR MAC USERS

The best that I have found is a program called Ircle. Use your browser to go to:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~ircle/

and click on the word "download", select the most recent version, and follow
the instructions. You will need Stuffit Expander which you can also download
for free from this site.

The Ircle home page also has a link to a  "Quick Start Up Guide for Ircle
3.0b" page at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~ircle/reference/

Because Ircle is a Mac program it is REALLY EASY to use.

You get 30 days free use before you have to pay a small fee to continue to use
Ircle. Trust me, if you want to chat, this is the best Mac program, pay the
fee eventually.

The first time you start up, just click the "Not Yet" button that appears and
continue. Once you get the command window, type (in the "InputLine" window):

/server (IP address number from my Fri message)

and press return:

When you are connected to his server you will get the MOTD (Message Of The
Day). You are now connected. Type:

/join #iris-l

(NOTICE that those are ALL LOWER CASE LETTERS, "l" is an "ell" not a "one")
That seems to be the biggest problem sometimes.

A new window will open up and you are now on the #iris-l chat. Anything that
you type in the "InputLine" window will go to the chat room. If it is after
the designated startup time, and no one is there check to see that you typed
the command properly.

If you still have problems email me at jijones@ix.netcom.com or call me at
(510) 795-9723
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