Chatting in the Fedora Chat Room 267

• Figure 38-4: The currently open channels.

The Fedora channel is displayed, as shown in Figure 38-5.

• Figure 38-5: The current activity on the Fedora IRC channel.

To join any of the channels displayed in the list of open channels, enter the command /join

#channelname. If you’re interested in SuSE or Mandrake specific channels, skip ahead to the sections titled “Looking for Answers in the SuSE Chat Room” or “Finding Fellow Mandrake Users in the Mandrake Chat Room.”

Chatting in the Fedora

Chat Room

You’re almost ready to start chatting. Before joining the Fedora conversation, you should read the etiquette directives at tinyurl.com/anel. It’s also a good idea to lurk for a while to check out the flavor of the conversation before jumping in with your questions and/or answers.

Hackers can be brutal if provoked. Be polite in IRC channels and observe etiquette, even if you’re chatting with someone who goes by the nickname of pigfilth.

When you’re ready to ask a question (or respond to one), follow these steps:

1. Type into the unlabeled field (near the bottom of the window) and press Enter when you’re finished.

Your question appears in the scrolling region, prefixed with your nickname.

Some IRC servers require you to register before you can talk (but you can usually listen without registering). If you run into such a server, follow the directions that it sends your way.

You can monitor multiple channels at one time. As you open each channel, a new tab control is added to the bottom of the KSirc window (see Figure 38-6).

2. When you’re done participating in a discussion, you can leave a channel by opening the Channel menu and choosing Close.

The tab control closes, leaving your remaining channels intact. If you have only one channel running, KSirc closes.

• Figure 38-6: You can monitor multiple channels at one time.

Looking for Answers in the SuSE Chat Room

If SuSE Linux is more your style, you’ll find lots of help on the Freenode IRC server. Join the SuSE chatroom by entering the command /join #suse in the unlabeled field at the bottom of the KSirc window. The SuSE channel opens, displaying the current conversation in the large window on the left, with the active participants in the panel on the right.

After lurking for a while, you may want to join the conversation. Just enter your comments or inquiries in the field at the bottom of the screen and press Enter. In a flash, you’re participating in the chat.

When you’re ready to leave the chat room, just choose Channel Close. That’s all there is to it!

Finding Fellow Mandrake Users

in the Mandrake Chat Room

You should check out the rules of conversation for the Mandrake chat room at http://mandrake.brain.org

chat room on the Freenode IRC server. When you are comfortable with the rules of conduct, just enter /join #mandrake in the KSirc chat field and press Enter. The screen promptly presents the current conversation in the Mandrake chat room and the list of users currently in attendance.

When you’re finished chatting, just choose Channel Close.

Customizing KSirc — Who Do You Want to Be Today?

You can customize your KSirc environment to suit your tastes and work habits in a flash with the KSirc Configuration dialog.

To customize KSirc, start a KSirc session and choose Settings Configure KSirc. The Configure KSirc dialog opens, as shown in Figure 38-7.

• Figure 38-7: The Configure KSirc dialog.

The buttons on the left panel control the four configuration menus:

General: Use the General menu to set options that affect the general look and feel of the session, from the session information included in the display to the wallpaper.

Colors: Use the Colors menu to set your color preferences for your IRC session.

Fonts: Use the Fonts menu to set the font type and size for your IRC session.

After you’ve set your preferences, click OK to save your changes and close the Configure KSirc dialog.