This is the #SLAA Online
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Connecting To Chat - Summary For Everyone:This Connecting To Chat section is divided into four major pages:There are many ways to connect to the #SLAA Online Group chat room on IRC. The method mostly depends on what operating system you are using (Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, MSN-TV/WebTV, etc.). With the exception of using Java from a web browser and MSN-TV/WebTV, there are common pieces of information and commands that you will need to know. CStar is a “bot” (robot) and is always present in the #SLAA and #SLAA2 rooms. If you enter our chat room and the only nickname is CStar, please realize that you are alone in the room — althought you are at the right place. Even when regular meetings are not scheduled, however, you will often find other recovery acquaintences with whom to chat. IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is a real-time way of people being able to converse. Just like web browsers let us “browse” static websites, IRC clients (programs) let us connect to servers and specific chat rooms. Since IRC is textual, it allows people with all types of computers and operating systems to unite in rooms of specific topics. Our room, called #SLAA, is a 24/7/365 room for recovery. There are many ways to connect, but most people use the same specific method each and every time. For those interested in the history of IRC which goes back to 1988, http://daniel.haxx.se/irchistory.html is excellent reading. For those interested in more about StarLink-IRC, there is a link to your left. StarLink-IRC is porn-free and advertising-free. If you engage in chat (either in a chat room or in private messages using IRC with others) that is considered pornographic or advertising or promotes IRC servers other than StarLink-IRC, you could be subject to a ban (g-line) by StarLink-IRC operators. For those interested in the history of our chat room, there is a link to your left called "Online History." We have had as many as 31 concurrent members in the room (on 1/2/02 and 6/10/02), although there is no limit to room capacity. Set-up for most clientsMost programs will prompt you for the following information during installation or set-up: Nickname — we recommend your first name and last initial or something unique and anonymous (like “JohnQ” or “JaneS”). Alt Nickname or Alternate Nickname — this is often very similar to nickname with a “_” in it (like “John_Q” or “Jane_S”). The Nickname and Alt Nickname can be up to 10 characters, but we recommend 4 to 9 characters. They can contain only letters, numbers, and the following special characters { | } [ \ ] _ ` - ^ Identd or Ident — this can be just your first name or something unique and anonymous (keep it simple like “john”). “Real Name” or “Full Name” or “Info” — this should NOT be your real name. Again, a first name is wise for anonymity. Some programs suggest that you can enter your personal homepage address here — again, we suggest that you do not do this for anonymity. Server — this is the server(s) we use. Some programs will already have some listed or a group listed. If so, choose “starlink-irc.org” or “starlinkirc” (not Starlink or StarlinkOrg). If they aren’t listed or you wish to add more, the current servers are (capitalization is not important with server addresses):
Port — some programs will ask you for a port number. All servers may connect using ports 6663 through 6669 or 7001 (6667 is the usual default). Logging — if the program asks about “logging,” you must make sure that you have this feature turned off. Our room does NOT permit logging of any conversations (which means saving the text to a computer file for review later). Using Java from web browsersThere are many clients available. Which you choose depends on what Operating System you use. Probably over 70% of our members use mIRC and 20% use Java from their web browser. To the left are links with more information of importance to Windows mIRC users, Macintosh users, and MSN-TV/WebTV users. Java (using IE-Explorer, Netscape Navigator, or other Java-enabled browsers). — This is the simplest form of chatting. You don’t need a seperate program. All you need is your Internet web browser to be Java-capable. There are links to your left below the menu links to connect using Java directly with your browser— two for #SLAA and two for #SLAA2 with “Java Canada” or “Java US” after them. Webpage chats will not work with Netscape 2.0 or 3.0, nor will they work with Internet Explorer 3.0. Using Java, all you can do is chat to the room, chat with an individual, display actions, and change nicknames. Things like changing colors of text or sending sounds to other users is not supported. You can’t run scripts or customize anything about the chat interface. Java-based chat is often very slow compared to other forms of chatting. Since about 20% use this, especially initially, here are the steps you use in great detail:
If your computer does not get to step 2 above, you probably have Java turned off in your browser.
Once you have seen the room's benefits for a number of meetings, you might consider another IRC client from the list below instead of using Java. They offer a lot of additional features and commands. Our trusted servant (operator) scripts are written to work with mIRC. Probably more than 98% of our members are using Windows (95, 98, ME, XP, 2000, or NT) and of them probably more than 75% use mIRC. Commands in IRCCommands in IRC begin with a forward slash “/” in the first position of the line. Otherwise you are typing a regular message to the room. IRC is not case sensitive, so you can use upper or lower case for commands and nicknames. Channels (or rooms) always start with a pound sign “#” (with a technical exception of “&” which you will never see). With the exception of very limited commands available using Java as described in step 5 above, most IRC clients use the same commands. The list is vast, but the more common commands that you will use are: /join #room (such as “/join
#slaa”) to join a channel. For a more detailed list of commands that work with most clients, please visit the Using Windows mIRC link at the top of this page. Clients for various operating systemsWindows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/NT/etc. —
mIRC is further explained in the “Using Windows mIRC” link here or
at the top of this page. Windows 3.1 or 3.11 — mIRC is further explained in the “Using Windows mIRC” link here or at the top of this page. mIRC 5.91s http://www.mirc.com or http://www.mirc.co.uk ($20 after 30 days) [be sure to select v5.91s instead of current mIRC versions for use with Windows 3.1 or 3.11] Macintosh — Apple Macintosh computers and clients are further explained in the “Using Macintosh” link here or at the top of this page. MSN-TV/WebTV — MSN-TV/WebTV is further explained in the “Using MSN-TV/WebTV” link here or at the top of this page. Unix/Linus/BSD/Solaris/etc. — the
following clients are beyond the scope of this website, but work successfully.
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