IRC

IRC is an acronym for Internet Relay Chat. This is a form of instant messaging where users communicate with each other synchronously in real time in forums known as "channels". Audacity has an Internet Relay channel on Freenode where you might occasionally be able to get help from other Audacity users. To join, use any instant messaging client that supports the IRC protocol, connect to irc.freenode.net and type join #audacity. If you want help with Audacity it is better to ask on the Forum or -users list - see Asking Questions. If you wish to report a bug in Audacity, please see Reporting Bugs then write to our feedback address.

Related article(s): IRC Help on http://www.irchelp.org/ Freenode Guidelines - IRC etiquette, also relevant to other text-based communication

General Tips

• Nicknames and passwords: IRC has no built-in provision to protect your electronic identity. Therefore protect your nickname by registering it with NickServ in the IRC client. This prevents others from using your nickname, although the registration expires if you don't sign into IRC for 30 days. Avoid using a nickname with a "." in it. Write your password down on paper, and keep it safe.

IRC is a possible security risk , mainly on Windows machines. Ensure firewall , anti-virus  and anti-spyware  protection is installed and enabled, and scan for malware regularly. Keep your IRC client up-to-date so it has the latest security enhancements.

IRC Clients

There are IRC Clients for all platforms. Three good open source clients are:

• Pidgin  (standalone application, Windows and Linux/Unix)
• Chatzilla  (runs in Mozilla-based web browsers such as Firefox , on any Mozilla-supported platform such as Windows, Linux/Unix or Mac OS X).
• Adium  (standalone application, Mac OS X)

Mac users may prefer the traditional OS X look and feel of Colloquy  (not open source). We have some steps below for users completely new to IRC to get started with Pidgin.

Pidgin

• Set up an IRC account: Run Pidgin after installation. On the "Accounts" window, click "Add", then in the Add Account screen (below), click the "Basic" tab. Select "IRC" in the "Protocol" field and choose your screen name, password and local alias. The screen name is essentially your account name with IRC, and the local alias is the name you will appear as in the Audacity chat room. Check "Remember password", click "Save" and close the Accounts window.

• Add #audacity to your Chats: There will now be two windows visible, "Buddy List" and "NickServ". In the Buddy List window, click Buddies > Add Chat. In the "Add Chat" window (below), type "#audacity" in the "Channel" box. Set "Group" to "Chats", check "Autojoin when account becomes online", and click "Add".

• Register your screen name (known as "nickname") with NickServ: In the NickServ window, click the NickServ tab and in the text box at the bottom, type:

• /msg NickServ register password



• replacing "password" with the password you entered in the Accounts window. Hit ENTER on your keyboard to send the details to NickServ. Then you can if you wish use the command:
  

  /msg NickServ set



• to set options for your nickname. See below for a list of NickServ commands.

There is no "Send" button in Pidgin. Whenever you send a command to NickServ, or a message to your channel, simply type in the text box at the bottom of the message window then hit ENTER.

• Join #audacity and say Hello! If you want to join #audacity in this Pidgin session, you have to join manually now, just for this first time. Next time you start Pidgin, the software will connect you to #audacity automatically. To join now, look in the Buddy List where your alias name appears in the list of chats. Right-click your name and click "Join".

• In the NickServ window, click on the new tab that has now appeared with the name of your alias, and the window title will change to that alias name (below). On the left of the window is the message list with the Audacity welcome message. On the right is a list of the users currently in the room. To say "Hello" to the room, type your message in the text box at the bottom of the window and hit ENTER. You can also send an instant message or a file to a specific user, by right-clicking on their alias in the user list and selecting the appropriate menu command.

• To get more help with Pidgin, search their Wiki .

NickServ commands

Here is a list of the NickServ commands:

GHOST	Reclaims use of a nickname.
GROUP	Adds a nickname to your account.
UNGROUP	Removes a nickname from your account.
IDENTIFY	Identifies to services for a nickname.
INFO	Displays information on registrations.
LISTCHANS	Lists channels that you have access to.
REGISTER	Registers a nickname.
SET	Sets various control flags.
RELEASE	Releases a services enforcer.

The SET command gives you the following options:

EMAIL	Changes your e-mail address.
EMAILMEMOS	Forwards incoming memos to your e-mail address.
HIDEMAIL	Hides your e-mail address.
QUIETCHG	Allows you to opt-out of channel change messages.
NOMEMO	Disables the ability to recieve memos.
NOOP	Prevents services from setting modes upon you automatically.
NEVEROP	Prevents you from being added to access lists.
PASSWORD	Changes the password associated with your account.
PROPERTY	Manipulates metadata entries associated with an account.
ACCOUNTNAME	Changes your account name.
PRIVATE	Hides information about you from other users.
ENFORCE	Enables or disables automatic protection of a nickname.

You can get help with any command by typing:

/msg NickServ help name of command

For example, for help with getting information for a nickname, type:

/msg NickServ help info

For help associating an email address with your nickname, type:

/msg NickServ help set email