#title Ubuntu Youth - Howto: Join the IRC channel. <> ||<>|| == Introduction to IRC == Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a protocol used for text conversation over the internet. the main purpose of IRC is Many-to-many chat in channels (such as #ubuntu,#ubuntu-youth etc...) but can be used as a one-to-one chat by private messages as well. most of ubuntu channels are on the [[http://freenode.net/|freenode]] server. using IRC is a great way to get involved in the ubuntu community, as there are many channels for many projects and there are channels in non english languages (mainly for LoCos). on IRC you can meet other ubuntu enthusiasts and talk to them in a more casual and personal way. the IRC channels are used for giving support as well as a social place. the [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/IrcCouncil|Ubuntu IRC Council]] is the team who governance the Ubuntu IRC channels on the freenode network. there is a [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/ChannelList|list of ubuntu channels]] == Installing an IRC client == === XChat === [[http://xchat.org/|XChat]] is one of the most popular IRC clients for ubuntu. if you are using gnome, it's probably the best choice for you, as it is easy to use and have lots of features. so if you don't have any unusual need, XChat is recommended for you. '''command-line way:''' enter terminal and write: {{{sudo apt-get install xchat}}} , then you will need to enter you password. now you are done, XChat is installed :) '''graphical way:''' type XChat in the Ubuntu Software Center (or in synaptic) and then click install === Irssi === [[http://irssi.org/about|Irssi]] is a popular terminal based IRC client. '''command-line way:''' enter terminal and write: {{{sudo apt-get install irssi}}} , then you will need to enter your password. now you are done, Irssi is installed :) '''graphical way:''' type Irssi in the Ubuntu Software Center (or in synaptic) and then click install === qwebirc === qwebirc is a cross platform web client which runs without any installation. it's a ready-to-use client. for using it, all you need is a web browser. qwebirc is good for when you are not using your own computer and want to use IRC without the need of installing anything, but it doesn't have features like the other clients do. qwebirc is accessible through http://webchat.freenode.net === Konversation === [[http://konversation.kde.org/|Konversation]] is an IRC client for KDE. if you are using [[http://www.kubuntu.org/faq|kubuntu]], Konversation would be a good choice. '''command-line way:''' {{{sudo apt-get install Konversation}}} '''graphical way:''' type Konversation in the Ubuntu Software Center (or in synaptic) and then click install === Quassel === [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Quassel|Quassel]] is a modern, cross-platform, distributed IRC client, meaning that one (or multiple) client(s) can attach to and detach from a central core. Quassel comes by default in kubuntu. it's based on Qt4 which means you may not want it if you are using gnome. for gnome there is a version without dependencies on KDE4 libraries which called quassel-qt4. '''command-line way:''' enter terminal and write: {{{sudo apt-get install quassel}}} , then you will need to enter your password. now you are done, Quassel is installed :) '''graphical way:''' type quassel in the Ubuntu Software Center (or in synaptic) and then click install. === Others === [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Empathy|Empathy]] (which is default on ubuntu) and [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Pidgin|Pidgin]] are popular instant messaging software that supports the IRC protocol as well. [[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16/|ChatZilla]] is a Firefox add-on IRC client. == Joining the channel == in order to join the ubuntu-youth channel, all you have to do is to connect to freenode (irc.freenode.net) and type in the text box {{{ /join #ubuntu-youth }}} == Registering your nickname == === why should i register my nickname? === by registering you nickname you ensure that the nickname is yours and others won't be able to use it. another thing is that there are some channels which are set to +r mode in order to reduce harassment and abuse of the channel, which means that if your nick is not registered you won't be able to join the channel, in other channels you won't be able to speak. === so how do i register my nickname? === *at first you will need to think of a permanent nickname. now make sure you are using this nickname, if not, change your nickname to the one you desire by writing {{{/nick the-nick-i-want}}} in the text box. *now, type in the text box {{{/msg nickserv register }}} (be sure to set a password you will remember and your '''real''' E-mail). you may want to keep your E-mail address private, you can do that by typing in the text box {{{/msg nickserv set hidemail on}}} *if you desire more then one nickname you can always change you nickname by typing {{{/nick the-nick-i-want}}} and then to register it you will need to type {{{/msg nickserv group}}} == Setting up auto connect/join == Coming soon... ---- CategoryUbuntuYouth