Using IRC
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1 [19:01] <nhandler> Hello everyone. My name is Nathan Handler. I am a member of the Ubuntu IRC Council and freenode staff, and I am here to talk about using IRC.
2 [19:01] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/01/29/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
3 [19:02] <nhandler> If you have any questions during the session, please ask them in #ubuntu-classroom-chat (prefix them with 'QUESTION:') and I will answer them as soon as possible.
4 [19:02] <nhandler> IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is a convenient way for many people to chat in real-time online. It is also how everyone here today is participating in the Ubuntu User Day event.
5 [19:02] <nhandler> In the Ubuntu community, IRC serves several key purposes.
6 [19:03] <nhandler> First, it is one of the main methods for users to receive support.
7 [19:04] <nhandler> If you have questions about using Ubuntu, one of the hundreds of people in #ubuntu will probably be able to help you (or point you in the right direction).
8 [19:04] <nhandler> Many teams in the Ubuntu community also have their own IRC channels. These channels make it easy for members of the team to collaborate and organize their activities.
9 [19:05] <nhandler> A list of Ubuntu IRC channels and their purposes is available on the wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/ChannelList/ . You can join an IRC channel by entering: /join #channel in your client.
10 [19:05] <nhandler> Currently, the closest thing to an IRC client that Ubuntu ships with is empathy. Empathy has many issues with IRC, so I would recommend using the freenode webchat (http://webchat.freenode.net/) if you are hesitant to install a new IRC client (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat#IRC%20Clients).
11 [19:06] <nhandler> One of the first things you should do if you are planning on regularly using IRC is register your nick. Registering your nick ensures that nobody else can steal it, and allows other people to verify that you are really who you say you are (rather than someone impersonating you).
12 [19:07] <nhandler> freenode recommends that you setup your nick in this fashion: http://freenode.net/faq.shtml#nicksetup
13 [19:07] <nhandler> When you join an IRC channel, be sure to closely read the channel's topic by using the /topic command. This is where you will be able to learn about what the channel is used for and what rules you need to follow.
14 [19:08] <nhandler> For example, in most Ubuntu channels, you are expected to observe the Code of Conduct (http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct) and the IRC Guidelines (http://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/Guidelines)
15 [19:08] <nhandler> Failure to abide by the rules in a channel can result in you getting banned from being there.
16 [19:09] <nhandler> Channels are managed by people called operators. You can view a list of operators for a particular channel by entering: /msg ChanServ ACCESS #channel LIST
17 [19:10] <nhandler> People with the +o flag are operators. Information about what the other flags mean is available by entering: /msg ChanServ HELP FLAGS
18 [19:11] <nhandler> Are there any questions so far?
19 [19:11] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: Who gets to have +o on Ubuntu channels?
20 [19:11] <nhandler> That is a good question
21 [19:11] <nhandler> There are different types of Ubuntu IRC Channels
22 [19:12] <nhandler> There are channels that we refer to as "Core Channels" (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/IrcTeam/Scope). These channels are managed by the IRC Team
23 [19:14] <nhandler> For the core channels, the IRC Council will occassionally put out a call for more operators when they feel it is needed
24 [19:15] <nhandler> I'm trying to find a link to the wiki page explaining that process
25 [19:15] <nhandler> For non core channels (i.e. team channels), they will have their own process. Some channels, such as #ubuntu-classroom, grant OP access to all Ubuntu Members.
26 [19:16] <nhandler> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/IrcTeam/OperatorRequirements explains the process for the core channels
27 [19:16] <ClassBot> akshatj asked: What is half-ops?
28 [19:16] <nhandler> freenode does not support half-ops. Instead, it uses flags (/msg ChanServ HELP FLAGS) to allow you to control what level of access certain people have in a channel.
29 [19:17] <nhandler> Any more questions?
30 [19:18] <nhandler> One topic I would like to mention is channel creation
31 [19:18] <nhandler> Lots of good information about setting up a channel on freenode can be found here: http://blog.freenode.net/?p=78
32 === abhishek_ is now known as abhijain
33 [19:19] <nhandler> If you want to create a channel in the Ubuntu namespace (i.e. #ubuntu-*), you should notify the IRC Council. This is mainly to make sure we are aware of what channels are in the namespace and to prevent abuse.
34 [19:20] <nhandler> For channels created outside of the Ubuntu namespace, you will most likely want to prefix the name with 2 #s to comply with freenode channel naming policy ( http://freenode.net/policy.shtml#channelnaming ). Only groups with a group registration form on file ( http://freenode.net/group_registration.shtml ) should have single # channels
35 [19:21] <nhandler> Another source of frequent confusion on IRC has to do with channel and user modes.
36 [19:21] <nhandler> I don't want to go into much detail about modes during this session, but I do want to note that lots of useful explanations are available at: http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml
37 [19:22] <nhandler> Another useful document is the freenode faq (http://freenode.net/faq.shtml). This page tries to answer many of the common questions that users tend to have.
38 [19:23] <nhandler> Any questions?
39 [19:25] <nhandler> I'd also like to briefly mention some of the bots that we utilize in Ubuntu.
40 [19:26] <nhandler> In the Ubuntu channels, you will often find ubottu or one of the ubot clones. These bots (among other things) serve as factoid bots. They make it easy to send users information about certain important topics.
41 [19:26] <nhandler> !ubuntu
42 [19:26] <nhandler> ubot2: !ubuntu
43 [19:27] <nhandler> Hmmm...Well, I'm not sure why ubot2 is choosing to ignore me right now, but the usual response to something like that would be:
44 [19:27] <nhandler> Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community and we invite you to participate too! - Also see http://www.ubuntu.com
45 [19:28] <nhandler> ubuntulog serves as a log bot. It is the bot that causes logs to show up on irclogs.ubuntu.com. Most of the main Ubuntu channels have logs there (including this one)
46 [19:29] <nhandler> Ah, that would be the reason (I forgot we were +m)
47 [19:29] <nhandler> !ubuntu
48 [19:29] <ubot2> Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community and we invite you to participate too! - Also see http://www.ubuntu.com
49 [19:29] <nhandler> :)
50 [19:30] <nhandler> freenode also provides some bots. There is NickServ for managing your account, chanserv for managing channels, memoserv for sending messages to users who might be offline, and alis for searching for channels
51 [19:30] <nhandler> All freenode bots support the 'help' command, so feel free to use that to get information on their usage
52 [19:31] <nhandler> Another common question new users tend to ask concerns cloaks
53 [19:32] <nhandler> Ubuntu only gives out 2 types of cloaks. There are ubuntu/member cloaks for official Ubuntu Members and ubuntu/bot cloaks for bots. Information on the requirements and process for getting these cloaks is available on the wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/Cloaks
54 [19:34] <nhandler> freenode also offers 2 types of cloaks. They offer unaffiliated cloaks for free (and unaffiliated bot cloaks) as well as special PDPC cloaks for users who donate. Information on the freenode cloaks is available here: http://freenode.net/faq.shtml#cloaks
55 [19:35] <nhandler> Cloaks are a useful method to show your affiliation with a project. If you are interested in hiding your IP address for security purposes, you should consider TOR: http://blog.freenode.net/2010/01/connecting-to-freenode-using-tor-sasl/
56 [19:35] <nhandler> Any questions?
57 [19:36] <ClassBot> LeGambitteur asked: are we allowed to use bots others then official ones ?
58 [19:38] <nhandler> The general rule for bots on freenode is that you should not have them join any channel without permission from the people who manage the channel. You also do not want it to be PMing random users (which might be considered spam)
59 [19:38] <nhandler> You are more than welcome to run a bot in your own IRC channel
60 [19:38] <ClassBot> charlie-tca asked: does memoserv work in the #ubuntu named channels?
61 [19:39] <nhandler> You interact with MemoServ via PM. That means that it does not matter what channel you or another user is in.
62 [19:39] <nhandler> You can prevent yourself from receiving messages from MemoServ with: /msg NickServ HELP SET NOMEMO
63 [19:40] <nhandler> You can also use the following command to cause you to receive all memos as emails: /msg NickServ HELP SET EMAILMEMOS
64 [19:40] <nhandler> Any more questions?
65 [19:42] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: When does memoserv tend to get used?
66 [19:44] <nhandler> I tend to use MemoServ if I need to notify an offline user about something non-urgent (as users who do not get email notifications about them sometimes miss reading them). MemoServ is also useful as it tells you when the user has read your memo
67 [19:46] <nhandler> Well, if you are interested in lesser-known features, I have 2 more you might enjoy
68 [19:46] <nhandler> Many users use a /notify feature in their IRC client to get notified when certain people come online
69 [19:48] <nhandler> freenode has a special 'MONITOR' command that allows the server to notify you about these users (rather than having your client query the server)
70 [19:49] <nhandler> A script to add MONITOR support to irssi is available at http://www.stack.nl/~jilles/irc/monitor.pl.txt
71 [19:49] <nhandler> (Information about the command will soon be available on the freenode faq)
72 [19:49] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: What's that command again for finding out when an account was registered on the network?
73 [19:50] <nhandler> You can use /msg NickServ INFO NICK to figure out when a nick was registered. That command is also useful for seeing when the nick was last identified to
74 [19:51] * nhandler notes that the question above is mentioned at: http://freenode.net/faq.shtml#inuse as well
75 [19:51] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
76 [19:51] <nhandler> Another not-well-known feature has to do with CAPAB IDENTIFY-MSG. This is a useful feature for knowing that a user is actually identified.
77 [19:52] <nhandler> You can change your nick to almost anything that you want. For instance, there is nothing stopping you from changing your nick to sabdfl right now. However, CAPAB IDENTIFY-MSG will make it clear to other people that you are not identified, and therefore, it is not safe to assume that you are really Mark Shuttleworth
78 [19:53] <ClassBot> palhmbs asked: which client do you find most useful?
79 [19:54] <nhandler> I run irssi inside of screen. It is a CLI-based IRC client, but it allows me to access my IRC client from any computer I can run ssh on. When I don't have access to ssh, I use the freenode webchat at webchat.freenode.net
80 [19:54] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Do you recommend using nick protection? Maybe you should provide the command for those that don't know how.
81 [19:54] <nhandler> That really depends. For most users here, you will not have to worry about people using your nick while unidentified. If you ever experience that, you can use /msg nickserv help release to reclaim your nick (You will probably have to run the command twice)
82 [19:55] <nhandler> The feature that sebsebseb is referring to will force users to change their nick if they do not identify within 30 seconds: /msg nickserv help set enforce
83 [19:56] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
84 [19:57] <ClassBot> LeGambitteur asked: where can we find useful commands list ?
85 === PhilT is now known as Guest24518
86 [19:59] <nhandler> There are several places to learn about commands. You can PM any of the freenode bots 'HELP' to see all of their commands, you can look through the freenode website (especially the faq and the using the network guide), you can send the HELP command to the server (/quote HELP), or you can look at many of the IRC guides online (although not all of them will apply)
87 [19:59] <nhandler> You can also always ask questions in #freenode
88 [19:59] <nhandler> Alright. We are about out of time. Thanks for attending.
89 [20:00] <nhandler> Feel free to PM me at any time with additional questions (or ask in #freenode).
90 [20:00] <nhandler> Remember to fill out the survey for UUD
91 [20:01] <nhandler> http://tinyurl.com/UUDSurveyJan11
UserDays/01292011/Using IRC (last edited 2011-01-29 20:06:28 by ptr)