On Sun, 2006-08-13 at 21:54 +0200, Nigel Henry wrote: > I've never used IRC before, and don't particularly want to because of > security issues, Which are probably mostly Windows security problems, and having to deal with internet nutters with severe personality disorders... If you don't run as root, don't install scripts, you shouldn't have any problems worse than you get through other internet activities (mail, web browsing, etc.). I can imagine you having just as many potential problems trying to run stuff in your web browser, never mind the hassles of just getting it to work. > but this French learning site at "about.com" has a chatroom > which might be usefull to me. > > I looked at X-chat, but wasn't sure how to use it with this French > learning site. The IRC channel is "irc.everywherechat.com". That's a server name, a channel would be something inside it (e.g. a channel called #general). > Any tips as to what I need to add to X-chat to access this IRC > channel? Nothing, unless it's not really IRC. X-chat already has everything it needs. Though, if you mean what to configure in it, just whack that domain name into the X-chat server list, and connect to it. Once connected, list the channels available, and join one. If you can't figure out configuring the server list (it's like a web browser's bookmarks), you can try issuing the commands by hand into the main window. e.g. /server irc.everywherechat.com Other commands usually are issued the same way. To list available channels, type: /list To join one, type /join then the channel name, e.g. /join #chatroom I can't connect to see what's in there, I'm k-lined. Might have something to do with what a friend mentioned to me a few days ago, about half of Australia being g-lined from his favourite IRC server thanks to some internet dickheads. Yes, it's like that. Nitwits who have nothing better to do than be a pain, and idiot operators who do dumb things like ban a whole country. Because of the first reason, I rarely ever frequent public IRC. I used to run my own private server so that friends could chat in peace, otherwise you're having to put up with schoolyard types of brawls all the damn time. Be prepared for that, and learn to use the /ignore command quickly. Ignore challenges, strange files, instructions to run scripts or reduce security, and weird people. -- (Currently running FC4, occasionally trying FC5.) Don't send private replies to my address, the mailbox is ignored. I read messages from the public lists.
