We use the Freenode network for chat.
Understand that IRC servers can be standalone, or joined into any one of a number of networks of geographically dispersed servers across which traffic is relayed (hence the R in IRC). Server administrators, moderators, channel operators, and other participants cooperate to run the networks.
Freenode hosts several RIT-related IRC channels and, largely through the coordinated efforts of RIT's Justin Flory (jwf/jflory) and Freenode staff, it reserves the namespace #rit for RIT use.
These include
#rit-innovation
#rit-foss
#rit-foss-unregistered
#ritlug
#rit
#ritlug-teleirc
#rit-tigeros
#rit-foss-admin
Documentation for using IRC on Freenode is split amongst:
- whatever client you use
- inline documentation available from the server via /help
- inline documentation available from services via /msg ServiceName help
- The Freenode Knowledge Base
The following Freenode KB items cover the basics of using Freenode:
- Familiarize yourself with Freenode's General Expectations for Conduct which are largely in line with RIT's policies.
- Read about connecting to freenode
- Once connected, register your nick. You will need to supply an email address to them.
- Review how Freenode channels work
You may eventually find these more advanced topics useful
- Resetting your password
- Channel Guidelines
- Connecting with SASL
- Channel modes
- Channel namespaces
- Extbans
- User and project cloaks
- User modes
Freenode is a free and open source software community. Its emphasis is more on supporting FOSS developers and users rather than producing software directly. As such we might include it in our broader study of FOSS communities and practices, noting for instance its stated philosopy and policies and comparing and contrasting to other FOSS communities.
Beyond the conduct guidelines, policies and documents there are some cultural things that might help you understand how participating in IRC works. One significant thing is that the I in IRC stands for Internet, as opposed to the Instant in IM. Though you may see a nick connected to the channel, the person running that connection may be idling and not available to interact immediately.
If you have something to say to someone whose nick you see connected, go ahead and highlight them by starting your message with their nick.
Depending on how they have their notifications set, if they are attending to the system on which their client is running, this may alert them to your message. If they come back to the client later, this will help them find your message in the backscroll.
Please avoid asking if someone is paying attention with a contentless ping
Also, generally speaking, while you are expected to make some effort to "do your homework" in preparing to ask a question by doing a web search or capturing relevant error messages or version numbers or the like, you should avoid asking to ask. If you have a well-formed question, please just ask it. Don't ask to ask, don't ask if anyone can help, don't ask if anyone knows THIS THING or THAT THING. Just ask your question, and if someone thinks they can help, they will try.
Most of VM Brasseur's getting started (archive) and quickstart (archive) guides to IRC also apply and deserve a good look, too.
The interactive behavior associated with some of the nicks in a channel are not directly guided by a human operator. Rather, these are automata, programs designed to connect to a channel to carry out various tasks, aka bots. (See IRC bot
Though their full operation is beyond the scope of this document NickServ and ChanServ services are effected through bots operated by Freenode staff. They are, if you will, bots-with-benefits.
Useful, well-behaved and well-managed bots are generally welcome in #rit-foss though as in most things consulting with the community and keeping them informed as to the purpose of your bot is a good idea. You should ensure that there is a well-known, out-of-channel means to contact you in case a bot becomes a problem. Your bot may be kicked or banned from a channel if it becomes noisy or otherwise causes trouble.
foss_bot is managed by dzho, inherited from decause (whether decause initiated it or whether he inherited from previous instructors or students dzho does not, at the time of this writing, know).
foss_bot's addressing prefix is the exclamation mark, aka bang: !
foss_bot can be given quotes to store:
!quote add test of quote goes here along with any attribution or comment
and it can be directed to retrieve quotes, either randomly:
!quote random
or by number, eg:
!quote #383
foss_bot tracks karma
foss_bot helps us manage class meetings. As such, it sometimes logs the channel in a highly visible (though not entirely public) way.
Read more about using something like foss_bot for meetings.
Other bots include:
fm-rit and fm-stg-rit post notifications into the channel whenever
messages are sent to one of the FOSS@RIT mailing lists
hosted by the Fedora Project.
In a way, they resemble a bridge, but are one-way.
Giphy[m] connects through the Matrix bridge to the Giphy service
managed by nolski
also managed by xforever1313
When feeling well, will moo out a message as per Cowsay
Try, for instance, something along the lines of:
!cowsay Hello, world!
Managed by jwf/jflory. Powered by Limnoria. Config found here.
fanshawe's addressing prefix is a single period: .duckduckgo Hello world!
Managed by xforever1313. It is sensitive to ALL CAPS.
bot emeritus managed by Qalthos
As with any form of social media, one should exercise some caution in what one posts to IRC.
That said, there is an expectation that any logs made in a channel should not be published (eg, rendered publically readable) without due consideration and prominent notice, particularly in the /topic of the channel.
We do not publish regular, public logs of channel activity. Neither should you without significant consultation and buy-in from the community.
NB: Please do be aware that individuals may be logging activity, that foss_bot logs the channel during meetings, and that some bridges cache channel content.
IRC is the chat method used for HFOSS.
IRC is an old and very deeply established FOSS communications method. Many chat services have come and gone during its time, and several others are available today. As with any technology, it has its strengths and weaknesses. These are valued more or less highly depending by turns on need, preference, and fashion.
We cooperate with the broader FOSS@RIT community by welcoming the establishment and maintenance of bridges between IRC and other chat systems, however. An HFOSS student is welcome to use whatever bridge on an as-available basis. The student may wish to do so particularly if that student is already using one of the other chat systems.
That said, bridges are available on a best-effort basis by those providing
and managing them. They may come and go. They may carry traffic in only one
direction. They may drop some information. Some features may not be
available from one diretion (eg, the /names IRC command only shows
connected IRC clients, and except for Matrix cannot see beyond the bridge as
to who might be connected). They may require the use of a third-party
service for accessing some content (media or long messages in Matrix get
replaced with a link).
Generally, to address someone on the other side of a bridge, you have to a) already know their userid on the remote service (this may be available from backscroll) and b) you must prepend their userid, in GitHub or Twitter fashion, with the at symbol: @
NB: A student is not excused from participation in class activities, exercises, nor assignments requiring IRC due to a problem with a bridge. Each student should be prepared to participate through a proper IRC client when required.
Students may report problems with bridges, but those reports will be treated as informational and advisory wishlist or wontfix bugs rather than as blocking bugs. Students are encouraged to cultivate a working relationship with the community developing and operating the bridges and to go to that community for support as they see fit.
Some bridges and the chat systems to which they connect to IRC are end-to-end free, which is to say, these systems consist entirely of free and open source software. These systems and bridges are more in scope as objects of use and study for the course and may attract additional support from the instructor.
Some bridges and chat systems are only partially free. Often, the bridge software or other clients for the other system are free software, but the server software for the system is not. These systems are tolerated in HFOSS so that we may better welcome newcomers to FOSS approaches. Your instructor will thank you though for avoiding encouraging or promoting the use of these proprietary programs.
We have bridges for several services, including:
There now are several clients for Matrix, but the one available through f-droid.org and for browsers is riot.im. We have so far used the bridge maintained with the help of Freenode with matrix.org servers.
Bridging with Matrix is done on a per-connection basis. Each connection from
the Matrix side shows up as a separate nick, eg, dzho[m]. The [m]
postfix is commonly, but not universally or obligatorily, used for such
nicks.
Matrix is FOSS.
Read more about using Matrix.
Configure Matrix to autoidentify your account to IRC services
tg-ritfoss bridges to Telegram. Though many clients and bridges for
Telegram are FOSS, the Telegram server software is not FOSS.
slack-ritlug bridges to Slack. Generally, Slack is not FOSS.
Though currently no community of FOSS@RIT participants use XMPP in a coordinated way, biboumi is available to allow XMPP clients to bridge to IRC. Implementing this is a wishlist item.
In the other direction, one can connect with an IRC client to an XMPP server via bitlbee