[Bangalore-pm] Getting on IRC, and why it is important!

Ya'akov Sloman yaakov at perlfoundation.org
Fri Jun 14 10:52:08 PDT 2013 

Hello, Jagadeesh.

I think you figured this out, but in case others need the help...

Each network has its own channels.  The network that #banaglore.pm is on is MagNet, the Perl Community semi-official network.  You can connect to irc.perl.org to get on the right servers.  All the modern clients can connect to multiple networks, so you don't have to leave any network you are already on, just add MagNet (irc.perl.org).

See you on IRC!

Ya'akov
On Jun 14, 2013, at 12:34 PM, "Jagadeesh N. Malakannavar" <mnjagadeesh at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I do not see anyone on #bangalore.pm? is there any special settings needed for irssi?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jun 14, 2013 at 4:40 PM, Ya'akov Sloman <yaakov at perlfoundation.org> wrote:
> In this email:
> 
> Getting Started with IRC
> IRC Clients
> Basic IRC Command Reference
> IRC Networks and Connection Details
> 
> Hello, Indian Perl Mongers.
> 
> I wanted to take a moment to encourage you to join the #bangalore.pm IRC channel on the MagNet IRC network.  IRC is the most common way to create a cohesive community in the Perl (and F/OSS) world.  It is lightweight, immediate, and highly interactive. (The URI to access the channel is irc://irc.perl.org/#bangalore.pm  If you have a handler configured for the irc:// schema, clicking that link, or pasting it into your browser might work automagically)
> 
> Many of the people you have heard of in the perl community are regularly available on IRC, and many of the projects you use and are interested in have channels there.
> 
> For a group like Bangalore.pm, IRC is an important way to keep the enthusiasm going and coordinate activities.  It is also a very practical source for help and a way to help others.
> 
> There is a bit of a learning curve, but not much, really.  A little effort and a little patience will get you great results.  Let me run down the basics for you, and get you started
> 
> IRC Clients
> The IRC protocol allows groups and individuals to pass messages in realtime.  It even allows direct client-to-client connections and file transfer.  To use all this you need an IRC client.  There are several to choose from, but I will only cover five options in this email to give an idea of the range.  I can recommend any of these options at effective, and with the exception of the quick-start web page I will talk about first, any can be used as your "permanent" solution.
> 
> IRC on the Web
> There are several options for using IRC with your web browser, the one I will discuss here is Mibbit (http://mibbit.com/).  This is because Mibbit is quite good, and this email is already going to be long enough!
> 
> A Quick Start
> To help you get started quickly, I have set up a Mibbit applet dedicated to connecting you properly.  You can find it at http://perlcommunity.org/irc/bangalore.pm  This is certainly the easiest way to connect if you are new to IRC.  When you visit the page, you will see an iframe with the applet in it.  It will generate a random nickname for you.  Please replace this with a nickname that identifies you.
> 
> Your nickname must be unique to the network.  You can use whatever you'd like to identify yourself.  Your name, some combination of first and last, some sort of autonym (self-given name).  This "nick" will be your identity to the IRC world.  You can change it, but think about what you'd like to be known as and try to stick to it.  It gets confusing to others if you change your nick often.  If you forget, or want to change nicks while connected, all IRC clients support the "nick" command in the input box.  Just type:
> 
> /nick <your chosen nickname>
> 
> and hit enter.  The client will notify the server to change your nick.  If it is already in use, you will be notified.  On the MagNet network, where we have our channel, you cannot "register" a nickname, so you might accidentally use a nick someone else uses.
> 
> If you get a private message saying "hey you are using my nick", please be polite and choose a new one.  If you show up one day and find someone else is using yours, please politely ask if it is their regular nick, and if not, if they would mind changing.
> 
> On a network like freenode (irc.freenode.com) the server allows registration of nicknames and this isn't a problem. On MagNet, it is a matter of polite convention.  The technical solution is to create a persistent connection which is important for other reasons, and which I will mention below.
> 
> Using Mibbit Long-term
> Some people like Mibbit as a permanent solution.  Visit http://mibbit.com/ and sign up for an account.  This will allow persistent configuration and make using it easier.  The full Mibbit client is better than the applet above.  The weakest link is the lack of a persistent connection to IRC, but that can be handled by a proxy.  (If you are interested in proxies, contact me directly and I will help.)
> 
> Mibbit is quite complete as an IRC client and is popular.  However, the advantages of a dedicated client over a web-based one make me suggest that Mibbit is not the ideal option for most people.
> 
> GUI Clients
> Dedicated Clients offering graphical front ends can help make starting with IRC easier.  In the Perl community, command line clients are quite prevalent but there is no reason to make it more difficult if you find GUIs more comfortable
> 
> mIRC for Windows
> If you are running Windows, mIRC (http://www.mirc.com/) is the obvious choice for a GUI client. (If you are not running Windows, or prefer a F/OSS solution, skip this section.) mIRC is very mature, having been around for more than a decade.  It is very full-featured and widely popular.  For this reason, there are many resources about getting started using mIRC on the web.  I am not sure of the current pricing model for mIRC, but you can download it free to try it in any case.  The important facts to help you get started are:
> 
> Network:	MagNet
> Server:	irc.perl.org
> Channel:	bangalore.pm
> 
> Windows users should have little trouble using mIRC once you've untangled the IRC-specific bits of configuration.  mIRC is highly scriptable, though in a proprietary language.  I personally used mIRC for more than a decade before switching the the Irssi command line client (see below) so I have no problem recommending it.
> 
> To maintain a persistent connection, you will need a proxy or a machine that is always online.
> 
> XChat (Multiplatform)
> XChat (http://xchat.org/) is a very popular client that started off as a Linux-targeted X-Window client.  At this point, it will run under Windows as well as pretty much any Linux/UNIX variant.  It is highly scriptable, and does use Perl as a scripting language.  It's a bit harder to get started with than mIRC, but users who prefer XChat to mIRC have strong opinions about it.  The same details are needed to get you started:
> 
> Network:	MagNet
> Server:	irc.perl.org
> Channel:	bangalore.pm
> 
> You can find help with XChat very easily, on the web and on IRC itself.
> 
> To maintain a persistent connection, you will need a proxy or a machine that is always online.
> 
> Irssi (Multiplatform)
> Irssi is the client I use.  It is a CLI (Command Line Interface, text-based) client. I use it on a VPS under screen, and with some shell scripting magic, whenever I open my MacBook Air, the sessions are restored.  Irssi is without a doubt the client with the steepest learning curve here.  On the other hand, once you've learned it, it's fast and easy.  There are other CLI clients, and if you find the text environment to your liking, you can look around for other options.
> 
> Because using Irssi with screen (or tmux) for persistence is fairly technical, I will just run down the basics for people who already have some familiarity with using the *nix shell environment.  Screen is a program that allows you to have a program run, then "detach" from it and have it continue running.  Later, you can "reattach" and continue your session as if you never left.  All of the content will be there.  The basic invocation is:
> 
> screen -S <session name>
> 
> This provides a screen session with a name (making reattachment easier).  You will see a new shell prompt where you will start Irssi:
> 
> irssi -c irc.perl.org -n <your nick>
> 
> Irssi will connect and set your nickname.  At the Irssi prompt:
> 
> /join #bangalore.pm
> 
> And you are in!  At this point you can either explicitly detach your session using CTRL + A then D (CTRL + A is the screen command key) or simply disconnect (intentionally or unintentionally).  Later if you want to reattach, just ssh to your shell and execute:
> 
> screen -X <session name>
> 
> Using the -X flag means that you can have multiple connections at the same time, which is convenient if you have more than one machine and want to connect from more than one of them.
> 
> As I said, Irssi is the most difficult of these options to get started with, but in my opinion, it is worth the trouble.  It's a different view of how to get things done than the GUI clients, and you might think of it as the vim (or emacs!) or IRC clients.
> 
> Basic Command Reference
> To get started with IRC you only need a few commands.  All the clients support typing these commands into the input box.  Practice makes perfect.
> 
> Changing your Nick:	/nick <nick>
> Different networks have different limits on length of nickname.  If your nick doesn't change, check the status window of your client.  You may find that it is too long or contains an illegal character ("erroneous nickname").  The other possibility is someone else is already using it.
> 
> Joining a Channel:	/join #<channel name>
> The pound sign/hash (#) is part of the IRC convention.  Some clients will assume it, and put it in for you, but you can be sure by including it.  Channels are like "rooms" but don't call them that.  They are channels.  Channels can be "invite only" in which case someone in the channel must use /invite <your nick> to allow you to join.  You might also be banned from a channel.  This can be in error, or because a ban mask (e.g.: *!*@*.in) was made very broad.  Don't take it personally.  If you can find someone to help you who is on the channel, that's good.  But, keep in mind, IRC is not always the friendliest place.  People are like people everywhere, different from each other.  Of course, you will always be welcome on #bangalore.pm (unless you act like one of those other people!).
> 
> Sending a Private Message:	/msg <nick>
> This command allows you to send a message that only a single user can see.  In some clients it will open a new window for the conversation.  Be careful to make sure if you think you are speaking privately you really are, and to the right person!
> 
> Creating a Private Channel:	/query <nick>
> This command creates a new tab or window with a session for private chat.  It is otherwise like /msg, just intended to be persistent.  The same warnings about being certain your private talk is private and to the person you think apply.
> 
> Finding out about a Person: /whois <nick>
> This will give you some information about the connection from the specified nick.  It can be helpful but also may not be.  It might appear in the channel window, the status window, or somewhere else depending on the client.
> 
> There are many other commands which you can learn as you need them.  These will get you started.  In GUI clients, right-clicking on something will get you some of these options, or there may be menus to access them.  Under the hood, these options are doing what is described above.
> 
> IRC Networks
> There are many IRC networks.  Each has it's own strengths and weaknesses.  A network is one or more servers running the IRC daemon, and linked together.  Any channels created are shared among the servers.  Connecting to the generic server name (e.g.: irc.perl.org) will provide you with one of the several servers in a round-robin fashion.  I will only mention three networks, but you will see in the clients that there are dozens.  These three should be more than enough unless you have some special need.
> 
> MagNet
> MagNet (irc.perl.org) is the closest thing the Perl community has to an "official" IRC network.  Many projects on CPAN host IRC channels on the network.  This is where I established the Bangalore.pm since it is a Perl community group.  The channels of interest on this network are:
> #bangalore.pm
> #perl-help		A friendly help channel
> #perl			This is a "perl hackers' channel", it is not a help channel.  Join and read before talking!
> #<cpan project>	You might find your favorite module or framework here.
> Freenode
> Freenode (irc.freenode.net) is a network dedicated to F/OSS projects.  It is very popular, and the Perl channel on it is quite good.  It is worth checking out.  All clients can now connect to multiple networks so once you get used to MagNet, you can add Freenode.  The perl channel is #perl, and it is "friendlier" than #perl on MagNet because it is a help channel.
> 
> OFTC
> OFTC (irc.oftc.net) was started as an alternative to Freenode.  Some (non-perl) F/OSS projects and interesting vendors (e.g.: Linode VPS) are hosted on it.  Try it out once you are more adept.
> 
> So, get on IRC, today.  In fact, now!  It is a key part of most Perl groups, and really helps to keep the communication and enthusiasm flowing.  I am also here to help however I can.  I am very excited about Perl in India today.  I see a lot of smart, enthusiastic people with a great attitude.  Let's make India a center of Perl excellence and an example to other regions about how to do Perl community right!
> 
> Namaste,
> Ya'akov
> 
> --
> Ya'akov Sloman
> Community Advocate
> The Perl Foundation
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> Thanks,
> Jagadeesh N.Malakannavar

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