[ale] Has anyone ulocked the secrets of IRC?

[James Sumners]

The problem isn't so much the IRC as the policy of that channel (and
many more on Freenode). The people that run many of the channels on
Freenode want the users to be registered with the NickServ bot to
ensure they are humans. Plus, it makes managing them (read banning)
easier. Registering with NickServer is actually rather trivial.

1) Connect to Freenode with your preferred IRC client (I like X-Chat or bitchX).
2) Make sure you are using the "nick" you wish to be known as: `/nick
<name>` where <name> is the name you want.
3) Provided the name you are using is not already owned by someone
else, type `/msg NickServ register <password>` where <password> is the
password you want.
4) Identify (read login) yourself by typing `/msg NickServ identify
<password>` where <password> is the password you previously set.

* Note: the < and > should not be typed in the previous steps. Unless,
of course, you want those characters in your nick/password.

When you log on to Freenode you have to identify yourself to
participate in channels that require registered users. Most IRC
clients now have the ability to automatically identify you upon
successful connection to the server. The option for that is usually in
the advanced properties of the server definition (editable from the
server list window).

A quick note about IRC commands. They follow the general syntax
`/<command> <option/reciepient> <parameter>`. In the case of the
private message command: `/msg person hello` would send the message
"hello" to someone named "person". Everything you send to a channel is
a channel message; you just don't have to precede the message by a
command. Indeed, most clients open a separate window for private
messages between two users once a private session has been initiated
with /msg; that way, you don't have to prefix every message to an
individual user with /msg.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask them. But, I do
recommend reading the primer if you have the time --
http://irchelp.org/irchelp/ircprimer.html .

On 10/26/06, Jim <ale_nospam at fayettedigital.com> wrote:
> I was trying to join the #svn channel on irc.freenode.org today and was
> totally frustrated.  I'm using kvirc and when I did the join I got a
> message saying I had to register first and gave me a web page to read.
> The page said to register by entering a number of /msg commands, so I
> did a connect to the server followed by a number of the /msg messages
> starting with /msg register ...
> After about 30 seconds I got about as many replies to my /msg commnads
> stating I had to register first.  DAMN IT, that's what I was trying to do.
>
> I have to say, I've been thoroughly confused by irc for years.  It's the
> one part of the internet I've never quite gotten right.
>
> Oh well,
>
> Jim.
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>


-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
CH:D 59