The EpiDoc Community maintains an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel to facilitate synchronous communication between its members. All active EpiDoc practitioners are highly encouraged to login to the channel as often as possible when doing so does not interfere in other work. In this way, questions can be answered quickly and Community interaction enhanced.
Channel host and address
- network: freenode
- server: irc.freenode.net
- port: 6667
- channel: #epidoc
Chris Lilley adds:
Or to say the same thing in a shorter way:
Once you have an IRC client, it can be triggered automatically by just following [or typing in] such a link.
Note: freenode requests that users "register" their nicknames in order to prevent other users, or bots, hijacking them. See the instructions for freenode user registration for more details.
How to connect
- Freenode provides a good Using the network FAQ, which provides links to a variety of "how-to" information, as well as information about specific IRC clients (the software that is necessary to interact with an IRC server. See also our own list of IRC clients, below.
Potential problems
In some circles, IRC has acquired a bad reputation as a conduit for everything from rudeness to viruses, spam, porn and terrorist communications. The same could be said of many means of bridging distance, both physical and electronic. Where IRC is concerned, some institutions (universities, companies or internet service providers) choose simply to block the IRC "port" (an interface through which data are sent and received, in this case: port 6667). This means that no communication is permitted via this mechanism. Some personal firewall software also disables IRC activity in this way.
Most up-to-date client software has mechanisms for preventing virus propagation, especially if you do not allow other users to send you files via IRC.
If you find you cannot connect to IRC, port blocking may be the problem. Try the following steps:
- If you have a personal firewall, consult its documentation to see if there is a way to "open" the port, "permit communication" on the port, or "allow" IRC communication (it may describe this action as "allowing" or "denying" access to the internet by your client software).
- Consult your institution's IT support staff. It may be possible to have the port opened selectively for your computer, or your institution may provide an "IRC proxy," which is a special server through which IRC traffic can be routed in order to provide additional virus screening and other security measures. You will need their help in configuring access to their proxy server.
- Failing all of the above, if you have a wireless card, head out for a coffee shop! You'll be alert and getting work done!
IRC Clients We Know and Love
EpiDoc practitioners are invited to contribute short descriptions of client software they have personally used here.
Chatzilla
Chatzilla is an extension for the Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Download or upgrade, if necessary, to the latest version of Firefox.
- Visit the Chatzilla page and follow the instructions there for downloading and installing the software (it's easy!).
- Restart Firefox
- Choose Tools -> Chatzilla
- In the text box at the bottom of the "Chatzilla" window, type: "/network freenode" (without the quotation marks) and press the "Enter" key on your keyboard.
- When the "freenode" tab appears, type "/server irc.freenode.net 6667" and press "Enter"
- When the "irc.freenode.net" tab appears, wait to see a number of "INFO" messages ... this may take as much as a minute or two. Eventually you will see a message indicating the server to which you are connected, and a "Message of the Day" (MOTD).
- Now type "/join #epidoc"
- A new "epidoc" tab will open, and you're ready to chat.
Visual IRC (VIRC)
Visual IRC is a standalone IRC client for Windows, and happens to be the one Chris Lilley uses. You can read about its features and then download it
- Download it
- Click on the installer
- Start the program, choose File -> New Connection
- Type irc.freenode.net:6667 in the location box
- Click on the connect icon, top left of the window
- Type /join #epidoc in the text entry field at the bottom of the window
- A new window opens and you are ready to chat
MIRC
Mirc is another, Windows-only, IRC client. It is shareware, and has a 30-day evsluation available. You can read about it and download it