IRC Chat
From The Official TWiT Wiki
The TWiT network operates an IRC chat server at irc.twit.tv. This chat server has served various purposes for the content produced by Leo since January 2004. Live chat takes place in #twitlive (a # sign is the typical designation for a "channel" (chat room)). There is also the #helpdesk channel if you have a tech related question and the #offtopic channel for discussions not specifically related to the current show.
[edit] What is IRC?
(excerpted from mirc.com): IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". It was originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988. Since starting in Finland, it has been used in over 60 countries around the world. IRC is a multi-user chat system, where people meet on "channels" (rooms, virtual places, usually with a certain topic of conversation) to talk in groups, or privately. There is no restriction to the number of people that can participate in a given discussion, or the number of channels that can be formed on IRC.
[edit] IRC Clients / Methods of Joining Chat
You are encouraged to use a standalone IRC client to participate in the chat. We recommend mIRC or X-Chat on Windows and X-Chat Aqua or Colloquy on Mac OS X. On Linux you can use irssi or X-Chat.
- The servername to connect is irc.twit.tv on port 6667, and we are chatting in #twitlive.
- SSL connections are supported on port 6697, but require you tell your IRC client to ignore "invalid" SSL certificates.
The chat client that you see Leo using on-air is X-Chat Aqua.
If you don't wish to use a standalone client, the IRC chat has a web interface at http://irc.twit.tv that takes you directly into chat. Some users have found that the browser Opera (which has IRC built-in) provides an easy to read interface.
[edit] What are the #twitlive chat rules?
We want the chat to be a nice, congenial, safe place for all chatters. As a result, please follow these simple rules:
- Keep the conversation PG-rated, since there is a wide range of ages in the chat. Anything deemed offensive will not be tolerated. (using * for censoring is not allowed)
- No offensive references to a person or group by race, religion, gender, or orientation.
- No illegal activity (e.g. discussing where to get warez, pirated movies, etc.) under any circumstances.
- Do not impersonate any other user in the chat. This includes moderators, show hosts, well known guests, and fictional characters any of the above play.
- The use of Leo's name in a nickname is discouraged, as it creates confusion.
- No shouting (i.e., TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS).
- Do not harass other chatters. You can respectfully disagree, but don’t be rude.
- No spamming of web sites for either personal or commercial purposes. Posting a personal web site once is OK, just don’t do it repeatedly.
- Talk of politics, sports, or religion during the live shows should be avoided. Even if shows are not live, remember that politics and religion are still touchy issues that can degrade chat for everyone; use your best judgment when speaking in chat about these topics.
- Allow the moderators to do their jobs. Rather than correcting behavior, ignore people who bother you and inform a moderator if someone is being disruptive.
- Do not run any bots or scripts on the server or in any channels.
- Do not speak in a language other than English.
The chat rules do not cover all possible things that can happen in an active IRC chat. Generally speaking, if you avoid being disruptive to other user's chat experiences, and if you are sensitive to the younger and less experienced chatters, you will avoid any chance of being removed. A little thinking before typing goes a long way. :)
[edit] Strong suggestions for using chat
- Please do not be rude to newcomers. Since Leo promotes the IRC chat on the radio every weekend, it attracts a lot of newcomers. Be patient with those who ask what the live schedule is and other FAQs.
- If you intend to ask for technical help, watch the flow of chat for a bit to see how busy chatters are, and what topics are already under discussion. Even if there seems to be a lot of chatters present, some of them will be busy elsewhere.
- Before asking a technical question, be ready to explain what you've tried, and if you've researched the issue using Google searches or searches at Tech Guy Labs. (The search field at TechGuyLabs is down a page, on the left.
- During a live show, topics not relevant to the subject of the show should be brought up in the #offtopic or #helpdesk channels, not the main #twitlive channel.
- Do not be offended if your question cannot be answered right away, and do not post your question multiple times. Have patience; you may just need to interact more with other chatters to learn when to ask your question, or what might be the best words or phrases to use in a search.
- Be aware that when Leo is on a live show, some chatters at that time may be busy trying to support him. When not too busy, sometimes Leo can answer your question directly, but keep in mind he has multiple chat rooms and other venues to watch, not to mention sometimes hundreds of people.
- If you might be hanging around for a while, chatters like to see a personal nickname instead of a generic one. This can be done when joining, or, to customize your own nickname after joining, use the command /nick (nickname). For example, to use the name IRCnewbie, just enter this (without quotes): "/nick IRCnewbie". Shorter names are more appreciated than longer names, as are ones that are unique in the first few characters. Nicknames over 16 characters in length are not allowed.
- Please disable the auto-away feature of your chat client, disable scripts that tell us what song you're listening to, and do not type "away"... "back" or any other "what am I doing right now" messages yourself. IRC is not Twitter; such messages simply contribute to noise. To put it another way, such "status" messages are precluded by the "Keep the channel on-topic" rule.
[edit] Got a problem with someone?
People being people, protracted heated arguments (some over relevant tech topics, some not), personality clashes, and other issues arise in IRC just as in real life. If you find yourself arguing with the same person over and over, the following advice from the late Usenet personality Gharlane of Eddore may prove useful:
Arguing with idiots is wasted effort. They have no minds to change; and unlike you, nothing better to do with their time.
Verb. Sap.: While you are reading the above and thinking, yeah, that sure sums up that guy, keep in mind that that guy likely thinks the same about you.
See also this xkcd strip.
Bear in mind that the moderators will kick people who are disruptive to the chat, but this often will include both or all of the participants in an ongoing fight. From the outside it is often very difficult to see who is the instigator.
If you just can't get along with someone, consider using the "ignore" feature of your IRC client. In most clients you simply have to type
/ignore nickname-to-be-ignored
Consult your client's documentation for more details.
[edit] What are the symbols or colored dots next to some of the users' names in IRC?
In decreasing order of ability, the meaning is as follows. Users at each level can do anything that users at all following levels can do.
- ~ (X-Chat • purple dot) denotes a channel owner. The channel owners can designate other users as channel administrators.
- & (X-Chat • red dot) denotes a channel administrator. Administrators can designate other users to be automatically recognized as channel operators or as voiced users.
- @ (X-Chat • green dot) denotes a channel operator ("chanop" in IRC parlance), also known as a moderator. Moderators can set the channel topic, kick or ban users from the channel, and "voice" users. See the next section for more information on moderators.
- % (X-Chat • blue dot) denotes a channel half-operator. A half-operator has limited channel-operator privileges. Half-op is rarely used on the TWiT network.
- + (X-Chat • yellow dot) means "voiced." In a "muted" channel, only voiced users (or above) can send messages to the channel. The TWiT IRC channels are not normally "muted," so "voiced" conveys no special privileges or abilities. Instead it is used to identify users of special note, such as hosts and guests on Leo's programs or visitors at the studio.
To most users, ~, &, @, and % are really equivalent: They're all chat moderators.
[edit] What is the role of the chat moderators?
The chat moderators are there to keep the channel focused, fun, and friendly. Since the chat is a component of the show, they try to keep the chat on topic.
The moderators do try to be fair. If you break the rules, you could be de-voiced (no one will see what you are typing), kicked from the channel, banned from the channel, or banned from the IRC server, so, be nice! The intent is to have fun, make friends, and maybe even learn something, so we encourage participation as appropriate!
[edit] How do I register and identify for my nickname?
IRC Chat allows you to reserve your nickname if you are the first person to obtain it. You do this by sending a message to a bot called NickServ (short for Nickname Services). This bot manages all the registered nicknames on IRC and provides protection for your nickname and its settings.
Nicknames that are not logged into for 3 months will expire and will be available for registration by another person.
[edit] To register a nickname to the IRC server
- Send a private message by typing the following command into your IRC client:
/msg NickServ REGISTER password your.email.address
Replace password with a password of your choice (remove the parenthesis), and fill in your email address in the second section. Use a password that has not been used on any of your other presences online to make it secure.
[edit] To identify for your nickname on subsequent joins to IRC
For subsequent joins to the chat after registering your nickname, you will need to identify yourself with NickServ as the true owner of your nickname. You may do this manually, or you may configure your IRC client to do this automatically.
- To identify manaully
Send a private message by typing the following command into your IRC client:
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY password
- Automatic identification
Clients such as X-Chat generally offer a "NickServ Password" field inside of the server settings where you can have the client automatically identify for your nickname every time you log in. Consult your client's documentation for more details.
[edit] More information on nickname registration
For more information on Nickname Services and what they have to offer, see the IRC Help links at the bottom of the article, or use the command
/msg NickServ help
[edit] How do I turn off all the join/part/quit messages?
- Mac - X-Chat Aqua: Go to the Preferences menu, Chatting -> General -> Hide join/part messages. You must also restart the client. Alternatively, click on the small down-arrow button to the right of the text input box, and select "Conference Mode". No restart is required, but this setting will be reset when you close the program.
- Mac - Colloquy: See here: http://is.gd/j4Qf
- Mac - Snak: go Snak -> Preferences -> Channel, and uncheck "Parts" and "Joins."
- Windows - X-Chat: type /set irc_conf_mode 1
- Windows - mIRC: Go to the View menu, then choose Options => "IRC". Click the "Events..." button. Change the "joins", "parts", "quits", and "nicks" to your desired settings: "In Status" or "Hide" are good options.
- Linux/Unix - irssi: /ignore -channels #twitlive * JOINS PARTS QUITS NICKS
