[.cheese.]

Hi all, as I mentioned in another thread, with the downtime that Derek and the others have been dealing with, somebody mentioned starting a chat, and just to make it simple, I started a chat room on freenode.

#thrchat on freenode should be open all the time now.

I hope this doesn't step on the toes of any mods or admins. If for whatever reason this causes a problem for anybody, please don't hesitate to let me know.

If you need an IRC client, there are plenty of them, I will try to set up an HTML/JAVA or CGI based one soon.

This will be good for in case the board goes down from these unwelcome attacks Derek is dealing with, and also as a supplement, but is of course not intended as a substitute for the board, nor could it ever be one.

[gyp_c2]

...Would you pm the details...JIC, ya' know...sucks to be in withdrawal...at least we can be miserable together:scrutiny:

[.cheese.]

details?

[Old Fuff]

Ya’… explain in plain English for the rest of us that aren’t computer literate, how do we take advantage of this opportunity.

Like how does one log on, in or whatever? ;)

[.cheese.]

ohhhhh... ok. I didn't know what was meant by details. I thought he was asking like if there is a password or something.

Ok. So here's the scoop. IRC is Internet Relay Chat. There are a number of IRC "networks" which consist of many IRC servers linked together.

#thrchat is on a network known as Freenode.

To access #thrchat you will need an irc client. There are a number of them available. The most popular for Windows is http://www.mirc.com but it isn't free. I recommend you download it and give it a try though as it's probably the most well known. One thing some don't like about it and other irc clients is that it has a lot of unnecessary features. So, to address this, there is TinyIRC http://www.tinyirc.net .

Now, if you run an operating system other than Windows, like MacOSX or Linux, there is Xchat, which is free. http://www.xchat.org . Xchat also has a Windows version, but it's not free.

Here is a short list of free irc clients:
Windows - Trillian IRC - The BASIC version is free and is very popular here is the site for both the basic and Pro ($25) version - http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/
Windows - THERE IS A FREE BUILD OF XCHAT FOR WINDOWS XP! http://www.silverex.org/news/
Windows - Visual IRC (VIRC) http://www.visualirc.net
Windows - I believe TurboIRC is still free: http://www.turboirc.com/main2/

For MacOSX check out Xchat as mentioned above. For Linux do the same, or use irssi, but chances are you already have an IRC client seeing as though most of Linux help is via IRC. Same for anybody using FreeBSD.

For other OS's like older versions of Mac, etc. you can PM me as I'll have to dig around to see what's out there. For Mac there is a page I found that lists some options: http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/mac/

-----

To connect to #thrchat

First see these pages for some basic info:
http://www.mirc.com/irc.html
http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html

As mentioned you will want to pick a username. Freenode is a large network, so many usernames are taken. Pick something unique. "Jim" is probably taken. However "JimTheGlockman" probably isn't. Even some creative ones have been taken though, so usually clients will allow you to enter more than one name in case yours is taken.

After that to connect to freenode you have 2 options. Sometimes in IRC clients/programs there is a menu listing the current biggest networks that you can just click and then hit "connect" or "ok". If that is the case, find Freenode and do so. However, if your program doesn't have that, or if you can't find where it is, just enter manually into the bottom form/bar/space (which you will also use for typing your messages while chatting):

/server irc.freenode.net

then to connect to the room:

/join #thrchat

There are other things you can do to make your stay on freenode easier, like register your name, but it's not necessary unless you think somebody will use your name. If you want to do that though, there are plenty of places to find out how, or you can just ask in the chat room.

Any questions?

[.cheese.]

Bob_M had a good idea. There is a free add-on by Mozilla. If you use Firefox or another Mozilla based browser, try ChatZilla. It's free too. Did I mention it's free? Oh I did? Oh well... just to let you know it's free.

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/rt-messaging/chatzilla/

Here is the official site to download:
http://chatzilla.hacksrus.com/

You can also find it by going to Tools->Add-ons in Firefox and then clicking in the lower right corner "Get Extensions" Then click "Recommended Extensions" and Chatzilla is in the list.

[Bob M.]

There is yet another way to get together. It's called Paltalk. www.paltalk.com Another THR member,
(PILMAN) showed this to me awhile ago and there has been a few other THR members that have logged on too.
The thing I like about Paltalk is that it allows chat plus voice and video, if the users have video cameras.
I hooked up my old full-size VHS Camcorder as my Webcam through my TV card to show off all my guns. :)
Lots of pro-RKBA folks drift through....its cool..and it's FREE......that is for the basic service.

I got the "Paltalk X-treem" service....$59.95 for a year. Im able to be in multiple rooms at the same time,
plus have fast and unlimited video abilities. It's a great alternative to just posting...or trying to set up a
chat section to THR. The irc chat is great too, along with TFL, that way we can all at least be able
to "Get our fix" through several ways when things get messed up by that lowlife DoS attacker. :mad:

The room that we have is called "Firearms And The Right To Bear Arms", and is usually opened up at approx.
8:00pm to 9:00pm EST nightly. The room creators screen name is "Wildman 3006" and also there is "Pheonyx77"
and/or bigdog_AK47 usually in the room along with other THR members like PILMAN and myself (Bob_M_THR).

This room can be found under: Sports & Hobbies/Other, Then look for -> Firearms And The Right To Bear Arms.
While in the room listing screen, click "on" the Adult Content in the upper right hand screen, as this is
an adult room. (Cussing is okay, As long as there's no ladies present.) :uhoh:

This is something as an alternative for when ya get bored or just want a change of pace, besides it's
kinda nice to hear the voices and possibly some video of fellow members and others. Im almost always on and
im not shy when it comes to the video camera which I leave on pretty much constantly.

Give it a try....But beware, It could be very addictive!! lol :evil:

[gyp_c2]

...thanx, exactly what I was hoping to see...http://emoticons4u.com/smoking/rauch06.gif

[Balog]

I'm a computer newb and I got the Chatzilla feature up and running in like 45 seconds. Nice.

[pcosmar]

I found out about this during the down time. Nice to know. I have XChat, but I may look at chatzilla. I use Firefox mostly.

[wmeSha]

Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/) which was formerly known as Gaim does IRC in addition to most of the instant messanger services. If you already use it for IM, you wouldn't need another program to do IRC.

[PILMAN]

Paltalk seems to be pretty gun lately, lot of news about guns, and theres a number of gun rooms on there now.

Heres a video with one of the admins doing a interview about gun control

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5EXuza3NN0I

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q0wD6UfsDRM&feature=related

[Grandpa Shooter]

Somebody want to explain what any of the above posts is talking about. Looks like some kind of wierd cyber language to me. Looks to be about as easy as posting pics here.

[.cheese.]

bumped, this is irc chat Grandpa Shooter. Download and IRC chat client, read the readme, and it shall all make sense.

[Derek Zeanah]

Kewl. But if I'm right (and I could very well be wrong, but I feel confident), the 2-minute interruptions you've been seeing are now over.

Thanks for your patience, and good initiative. :D

[.cheese.]

that's true (and thank you for all the hard work). However, over time it would be nice if this could gain some popularity for people to have a live chat in addition to the board. :)

[.cheese.]

Great news all, THR member nalioth, who happens to be a Freenode admin, has set us up with a new room that better complies with the Freenode network policies.

We now are still on Freenode, but the room is called ##thrchat - which as you can see, has an additional "#" symbol. So, connect to Freenode, and then join ##thrchat

Also, he has been kind enough to set us up with a web-based program to use for the chat-room. Those of you who are unfamiliar with IRC or do not have an IRC client/program need not be left out! :)

Click Here For Web-Based Access (http://www.novarata.net/thehighroad/)

A big thank-you to nalioth for the help.

[hexidismal]

I had no idea that was still in use. I assumed it faded away shortly after the THR outage was over.