!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ICS ONLINE CHATTING SCHEDULE VIA IRC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<BR>
<BR>
Our first ICS online meetings using WebChat did not attract enough members to hold useful discussion.  Many members still do not have access to the Web, so we are going to try something else.  ICS is going to open multi-user online real time chatting over the Internet via IRC (Internet Relay Chat).  Thanks to the efforts of our IRC host Nicoletta Pintor, ICS will be opening up the channel #ICS.  Everyone can open the channel at any time, and our IRC host will be online:<BR>
<BR>
        EVERY SATURDAY AT 1:00PM PST OR 4:00PM EST starting November 4th.<BR>
<BR>
Please join us; we need a good showing to make this worthwhile.  If you have any further questions, please direct them to Nicoletta Pintor at cellos@icom.icom.it<BR>
<BR>
Again, the channel's name will be #ICS<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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STARTING IRC<BR>
<BR>
- Brief Overview on IRC<BR>
- Very useful IRC documents<BR>
- A brief command list<BR>
- MS Windows users (WSIRC)<BR>
- Mac users (ircle)<BR>
<BR>
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Brief Overview on IRC<BR>
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IRC is a multi-user online chatting system. It allows users to talk to other users all around the world via the Internet. This is done by connecting a client program (such as ircle for Mac or WSIRC for Windows) to a server. The port number used by IRC servers is usually 6667. <BR>
<BR>
On IRC, users are identified by nicknames of their own choice. Nicknames may be at most 9 characters long. The nickname is set via the NICK command (/NICK yournick). If you choose a nickname already in use, you have to set a different nick. Some users have registered their nicknames with the NickServ database. If you get a message from NickServ that your nick is in use, please choose another.<BR>
<BR>
Communication on IRC is done via Channels and Private Messages. Channels have names starting with # (public channels) and & (local) and usually up to 12 characters long. You can see a list of the channels currently in use via the /LIST command. As soon as you join a channel with the /JOIN command, everything you type is sent to that channel and seen by all other users on that channel. You will see what the others type, respectively. If a channel doesn't exist it will be created as new. <BR>
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Very useful IRC Document:<BR>
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<BR>
IRC FAQ<BR>
ftp site	location<BR>
---------	----------<BR>
ftp.undernet.org	/irc/docs<BR>
rtfm.mit.edu	/pub/usenet/alt.irc/<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
IRCprimer<BR>
ftp site	location<BR>
--------	----------<BR>
nic.funet.fi	/pub/unix/irc/docs<BR>
cs-ftp.bu.edu	/irc/support (here you can find more docs on IRC)<BR>
coombs.anu.edu.au	/pub/irc/docs<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
If you use Nestcape or Mosaic, good URLs to try are: <BR>
<BR>
http://www2.undernet.org:8080/~cs93jtl/IRC.html <BR>
<BR>
http://urth.acsu.buffalo.edu/irc/WWW/ircdocs.html <BR>
<BR>
http://www.undernet.org/~agifford/undernet/underfaq/ <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/irc/undernet-faq/part1/fa q.html<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/irc/undernet-faq/part2/fa q.html<BR>
<BR>
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A brief command list<BR>
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<BR>
/list<BR>
list of all the channels that your server sees. This may take a while, if the server disconnects due to ping timeout, use	another<BR>
server that allows a longer timeout.<BR>
<BR>
/join #channelname<BR>
join the #channelname<BR>
<BR>
/invite nick channel<BR>
invite nick to channel<BR>
<BR>
/bye message<BR>
displays message and quits irc<BR>
<BR>
/leave channel<BR>
leave a channel<BR>
<BR>
/msg nick message<BR>
sends nick a private message<BR>
<BR>
/names channel<BR>
list users on channel<BR>
<BR>
/part channel<BR>
= /leave<BR>
<BR>
/query nick<BR>
open window for private message to nick<BR>
<BR>
/quit message<BR>
= /bye<BR>
<BR>
/who channel<BR>
list people on channel<BR>
<BR>
/whois nick<BR>
give information about nick<BR>
<BR>
/whowas nick<BR>
give information about nick no longer online <BR>
<BR>
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MS Windows users<BR>
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<BR>
WSIRC Help<BR>
<BR>
For WSIRC regular distribution of latest versions you can try these sites:<BR>
<BR>
USA: cs-ftp.bu.edu (/irc/clients/pc/windows/wsirc20.zip) USA: winftp.cica.indiana.edu (/pub/pc/win3/winsock/wsirc20.zip) USA: ftp.undernet.org (wsirc20.zip)<BR>
EUR: ftp.funet.fi (/pub/msdos/network/irc/windows/wsirc20.zip) COMPUSERVE: INETFORUM, TELECOM, WUGNET (WSIRC.ZIP) <BR>
<BR>
First, you must extract the .zip files, then you must be running MS-Windows. WSIRC is MS-Windows based software. <BR>
<BR>
Dial up your internet service provider to your SLIP account. <BR>
<BR>
Once connected, start up WSIRC. Open up the 'Options | Server' dialog box and enter all information in the boxes provided. For server names, browse the SERVERS.TXT file and choose the server. Do not use the actual IP address (123.222.222.222) use the human text name (irc.funet.fi). Use port 6667. Use nicknames that are NO LONGER than 9 characters. Use no spaces in between for anything.<BR>
<BR>
Click on the connect button (or use File | Connect). If it doesn't connect, try another server. If 11004 error occurs, you entered an invalid server name, enter a valid server name. If 10060 or 10061 occurs, either the server is down, busy or otherwise not responding, try another server. If the server says "Nickname in use", change your nickname on the fly with '/NICK newnick'. The server should then displays its MOTD (Message of the day) file.<BR>
<BR>
Once connected to the irc server, you can join a channel immediately e.g. by tiping '/JOIN #chat' to join the #chat channel. Channels on irc always begin with the '#' character. A Channel Window should pop up, if not check your nickname to see that is 9 character or less.<BR>
<BR>
Once in the channel, type anything you want. It's usually common courtesy to simple say 'Hello all' to see if anybody is there and friendly. Some channels are 'behaviorally challenging', if so simply join another channel or create your own. To leave a channel type /LEAVE or /PART or close the Channel Window.<BR>
<BR>
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Mac users<BR>
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<BR>
ircle HELP<BR>
<BR>
Ircle is a Macintosh-based, windowed user interface to the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network.<BR>
<BR>
For 'ircle' regular distribution of latest versions you can try this site: <BR>
<BR>
http://www.omroep.nl/~onno<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Dial up your internet service provider to your SLIP account. <BR>
<BR>
Once connected, start up 'ircle'. Open up the 'File | Preferences | Startup' dialog box, choose the server and enter all information in the boxes provided. Do not use the actual IP address (123.222.222.222) use the human text name (irc.funet.fi). Use port 6667. Use nicknames that are NO LONGER than 9 characters. Use no spaces in between for anything. Click OK. <BR>
<BR>
Use Open Connection from file menu. If it doesn't connect, try another server. If 11004 error occurs, you entered an invalid server name, enter a valid server name. If 10060 or 10061 occurs, either the server is down, busy or otherwise not responding, try another server. If the server says "Nickname in use", change your nickname on the fly with '/NICK newnick'. The server should then displays its MOTD (Message of the day) file.<BR>
<BR>
Once connected to the irc server, you can join a channel immediately e.g. by tiping '/JOIN #chat' (option-j) to join the #chat channel. Channels on irc always begin with the '#' character. A Channel Window should appear, if not check your nickname to see that is 9 character or less.<BR>
<BR>
Once in the channel, type anything you want. It's usually common courtesy to simple say 'Hello all' to see if anybody is there and friendly. Some channels are 'behaviorally challenging', if so simply join another channel or create your own. To leave a channel type /LEAVE or /PART or close the Channel Window.<BR>
<BR>
**********<BR>
<BR>
-IMPORTANT FOR ICS MEMBERS-<BR>
The channel to join or to create is #ICS so when you open IRC programm you have to do like this:<BR>
/join #ICS<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
**************<BR>
<BR>
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<BR>
_____________________________<BR>
/	\<BR>
|Nicoletta Pintor (Balda in IRC)|<BR>
|	&	|<BR>
o O |Andrea Pettinau (Baldo in IRC)|<BR>
¹	|	|<BR>
`\|||/ | cellos@mailbox.icom.it	|<BR>
(o o)	\_____________________________/<BR>
ooO_(_)_Ooo___________________________________________ _____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| __|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|__(monaco font) <BR>
<BR>
------------------------------------------------ Thanks to Attilio Motzo (for WSIRC)<BR>
and to all irc friends<BR>