Connecting To Chat - Using Macintosh:
This Connecting To Chat section is divided into three major pages:
This page is to provide additional help specific
to Macintosh users. Most of this page explains setting up Ircle (the leading
Macintosh IRC program). There is a link at the bottom for setting up SNAK.
One of the easiest ways to connect to our room with a Macintosh is by using the
Java feature of your internet browser. Our website provides links (at the
left below the menu) to faciliate this quickly and easily. No software is
required, and this works with Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and most
other browsers. For more detailed information about using Java, click on
the “Connecting to Chat (a summary page)” link at the top of this
page. Here is a list of downloadable programs that you might consider using
for Internet Relay Chat (IRC) if you don't use Java from your browser.
These programs typically provide a lot more features than Java allows, just like
the mIRC program for Windows operating system.: Ircle 3.1b16(beta release)
http://www.ircle.com
($20 after 30 days) [by far the most used Macintosh IRC client]
Ircle 3.0.4
http://www.ircle.com
($20 after 30 days) [by far the most used Macintosh IRC client]
Snak 4.9.2
http://www.snak.com
($20 after 30 days)
ShadowIRC 1.1 http://www.shadowirc.com
(freeware)
Athena 2.1b1 http://www.chipersoft.com/athena
(freeware)
smIRCle 1.0.1a25 http://www.smircle.de
(freeware)
Global IRC-d 0.5.4r4 http://www.globalircd.com
($20 after evaluation)
IRCmagic 1.2.8 http://microcosmsoftware.com
($10 after 30 days)
ChatNet 2.3 http://www.elsinc.com/chatnet.html
($25)
MacIRC 0.9.6 http://www.ex.ac.uk/~jastaple/irc/macirc.php
($20 after evaluation) [abandoned since 1997] The rest of this addresses
setting up Ircle for our room: Start of #slaa buffer: Tue Jan 22 00:27 2002
(thanks to df for his help in this dialogue)
<TimF> Can you explain
a bit about installing and using Ircle with this room?
<Ircle-user>
Well, for me it's already installed and I have my preferences set up so that starlink-irc
loads up automatically.
<Ircle-user> It's the first server in my connections
window and when you go into the 'edit' button there's an option to load the server
automatically, so it loads up.
<TimF> when you install ircle - does
it already have a list of servers available (of which starlink-irc.org is but
one)?
<Ircle-user> Yes, a very long list.
<TimF> And what
exactly is this server group called?
<Ircle-user> The group is called
starlink-irc, and it has most of the individual servers listed
<Ircle-user>
Once the server loads up you need to join the channel (but I have #slaa and #sca
in my shortcuts)
<Ircle-user> So shortcut #1 is "/join #sca\n"
and #2 is "/join #slaa\n"
<TimF> If they have just installed
and now chose starlink-irc - the screen will ask which channel?
<Ircle-user>
Well if you've just installed, you need to go to the connections window
<Ircle-user>
Click on an empty server slot (or whatever one you want to use) and press the
'server...' button and /join <#channel>
<Ircle-user> I have them
in my shortcuts so it's easy.
<Ircle-user> Shortcuts are defined via
the shortcuts menu, before or after joining a channel.
<TimF> How does
the menu read "Shortcuts / Add" or something similar
<Ircle-user>
Shortcuts > Define... > Set 1/2/3
<Ircle-user> There are three
sets of shortcuts
<TimF> What does the \n mean?
<Ircle-user>
That's a carriage return
<TimF> So that is how they would type it in?
<Ircle-user> ONLY if they were defining the shortcut
<Ircle-user>
If typing it into the inputline, they would just type "/join #slaa"
<Ircle-user> \n is specific to the shortcuts, it helps separate commands,
so everything fits on just one line in the definition box.
<TimF> So
for instance, recovering people here might want #slaa #sca and #saa...
<TimF>
It there are three shortcuts allowed, what if they want another room, must that
be manually?
<Ircle-user> No, there are three sets of ten - so 30 in
all
<Ircle-user> So there's Shortcuts > Define... > Set 1 -- which
brings up a window with 10 boxes to define shortcuts -- 3 sets of 10 in all. Start
of #slaa2 buffer: Tue Feb 12 00:40 2002 (thanks to Peter for his help in this
dialogue)
I have set up shortcuts to join 4 different rooms, slaa, slaa2,
saa and sca
When I first got IRCLE it came pre-loaded with 9 servers
Unfortunately,
starlink was not one of them
So I manually added it to my connections list.
Step 1 - Open the Connections window
At the bottom of the window are
5 buttons: Connect, Disconnect, Edit..., Server..., and Nick...
Clicking on
the Server... button brings up a window with dozens of servers
On the right
side of that window is a series of radio buttons
If you find the server you
are looking for on the list of available servers, you merely click once to highlight
that server and then Click on the Select button
There are 8 starlink servers
listed
But the 1 I was instructed to use (Atlanta) was not on the list
So I then clicked on the Add button which brought up another window
And in
the edit server window I merely typed in atlanta.ga.us.starlink-irc.org
Clicked
on OK and there it was in the 10th spot in the Connections window
Click once
on it to highlight it then click the connect button below it and there you are
Now you must join a channel, 3 ways to join (there may be more, but I haven't
found them yet)
1. Go to the Commands dropdown menu on the menu bar and select
Join, or type command J
A Join window will appear, type in #slaa, or whatever
room you are looking for and you are in
2. In the inputline window type /join
#slaa
The command (which is also known as the apple button) J will bring up
the join window
The inputline window is where you will be typing your comments
3. The third way uses the shortcuts and is the easiest for rooms that you visit
often
Go to the Shortcuts dropdown menu on the menu bar and select Define,
a sub menu will appear offering Set 1, Set 2, and Set 3
Select Set 1. A window
will appear, it is titled user-defined shortcuts
There will be ten spaces,
the first three are taken, but you can delete those if you want to. In the first
available space type
the following /join #slaa\n and note which space it
is in
On mine it is in slot #4, so when I want to join slaa i merely press
command (that apple button again) and 4 at the same time and I have joined slaa
That's all it takes
that's one other thing
On the connections window is
the nick... button
That is where you change your nickname. It keeps your ten
most commonly used nickname in a dropdown and you can select one or simply type
a new one in the space Another explanation is found at http://web.archive.org/web/20010908211301/http://www.autismchannel.net/mirchelp/machelp.html
For Snak, in line 13. type "/j #slaa" or "/j #sca" or "/j
#saa" (without the quotation marks)
For Ircle, in line 12. type "/j
#slaa" or "/j #sca" or "/j #saa" (without the quotation
marks)
Be sure to include the “#” in front of the chat room names
(contrary to the instructions at this webpage). If any Macintosh members
can clarify these instructions or provide detailed installation instructions for
other Mac IRC clients, please feel free to email the webmasters using the link
at the bottom of this page. We would be happy to update this page with more
information for other future members.
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