IRCle Setup |
For the latest version and info and to download and install IRCle, go to:
 | http://www.ircle.com/ |
The
following is an illustrated, step by step guide to setting up IRCle and will
help you connect to Ascends.Net. Note: these instructions are for the latest
IRCle (version 3.x or later). They do not apply to earlier versions:
After proper downloading and using Stuffit
Expander (if neccessary), launch IRCle by double-clicking on the icon called
ircle3.0bUS or something like that - it'll be the only one called
"IRCle"-something. You will then see the following array of windows.
To get connected, highlight the first line from the Connection window if
it isn't already and click Edit (as shown by the red arrow).
This opens up a new Connection preferences window. Enter your nickname
(your online "handle"), username (typically the part that precedes the
"@" in your email address, or make up something short, lower case,
with no weird characters), and your real name (or make up whatever you want
people to see). By default the server has been set to phoenix.az.us.undernet.org
which is a server on the "Undernet" - 1 of the 4 major networks.
You'll want to select a Ascends.Net server/port combination to get to
#QuiltChat, so click on the Select button (as shown by the red arrow) and
go to the next step.
Note: you can check Auto connect to server if you want IRCle to automatically make this connection when it is launched. You can also check Invisible so people who are not on the same channels as you cannot find you as easily, this will give you more privacy and help to avoid unsolicited ads or attacks.
This opens up the Server list window, where you can select a different
server or port number. Scroll to see the list of available servers (in the
figure below I selected irc.cris.com). If you find an Ascends.Net server,
highlight it and click Select to accept that change. Otherwise, proceed
to the next step.
This skill is important, because IRC servers come and go constantly. Many of the
servers in IRCle's default list are in fact defunct. For more servers please see
the server list at left or go to the Ascends.Net Home Page. To add an Ascends.Net server to the list,
just click Add. If you want to edit an existing entry such as to keep the
server name but change the port number from the default 6667 to speed up
connecting, just select the entry and click Edit. Either button brings up
the Edit server name/port window shown below. Just enter the server and
port, such as hurricane.va.us.ascends.net and 6667 as shown below.
If you know the network name like "Ascends.Net" go ahead and select it
in the popup menu, if not don't worry about it. Finally click OK. This
returns you to the Server list window where you can click Select
to use your new or edited server.
This part is optional. To personalize your copy of IRCle, return to the Connection
preferences window (previously described in Step 2) and click on the tab on
top labeled Misc./CTCP and fill in the blanks with anything you like.
These replies are given when others query you with the /ctcp yournick finger
or /ctcp yournick userinfo commands.
Note: the Autoexec tab (between the Identity and Misc./CTCP tabs) will let you enter startup IRC commands that you routinely type when you first connect to IRC, such as /join #QuiltChat.
You are now ready to connect to IRC. Close the Connection preferences
window, you are now back to the initial palette of windows shown below, except
the first line in your Connections window now has your proper nickname
and the new server if you specified one (in my case, Joshmo and irc.mo.net)
. Make sure that line is highlighted and click on the little Connect
button (where the red arrow is)... voila, now you're on IRC! Note the
lines spewing by in the Console window as IRCle connects to the server
and they exchange some information. When the connection has been made, the
status picture in the Connections window changes to a unbroken line with
the little color arrows. Before you go further, select Save preferences
under the File menu so you won't have to redo these steps in the future.
What are those Console messages? The identd is a way to confirm your identity (the username and your machine's IP address). After the connection is made, the server tells you how many people are connected to this network, how many channels there are, etc., plus a message of the day (MOTD) which contains important policies and announcements.
You can now issue all standard IRC commands -- for a quick introduction, check
out the Command Reference in the Help Menu (near the upper right corner
of your screen, the thing with the Apple Guide and Balloon Help) or see the very
short introductory guide at http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/ircprimer.html
and http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/irchelpfaq.html
written by the knowledgeable helpers of the #irchelp channel on EFnet. In the
figure above, I typed "/join #irchelp" (text shown in red for emphasis
only) to join that channel, and a new window appeared. The channel name and
server are shown on top (#irchelp: irc.mo.net) while the channel topic is
shown on the bottom (Topic: Ask your IRC question etc.). To chat, I just
type into the bottom Inputline window.
What are all these windows? The chatting is in the big window - purple for my speech, black for everybody else's speech, red for private messages, blue for miscellaneous stuff like people coming or going, etc. The people in this channel are listed in the Userlist window. The red nicks are operators or "ops" who run the channel. The channel modes (green and purple switches in the Userlist window) are +tn. Since I am an op on this channel, all the buttons for kick, ban, etc. are activated. For more information on all this stuff, see the introductory guide mentioned above.
The following is an example of a more advanced setup. You can customize IRCle to
have arbitrary colors, sounds, and fonts. Here I've changed the colors and
established simultaneous connections to 2 channels on different networks
(EFnet's #irchelp and Undernet's #macintosh).
You can disconnect from any server by selecting its line in the Connections
window and clicking Disconnect. To quit IRCle, just select Quit
under the File menu. You can enter an optional farewell message which
will be sent to all channels you are on. If you've made further changes to the
preferences, go ahead and save them when prompted to do so. That's it!
Once you are connected to Ascends.Net, you can use the Ascends.Net
services (ChanServ, NickServ and MemoServ). You can learn a lot about these
by typing (for example) "/nickserv help" at any time. You can also
download servhelp.txt (a text file of the
commands available). For more help with Ascends.Net Services or for more
information, try #Ascends.Net or visit their web site at:
For more info on IRC, please check out:
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