Old DALnet SydLexia.com IRC channel

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The official SydLexia.com IRC channel is #sydlexia and is located on DALnet. It was established on July 24th, 2008.

Important Note - Some clients do not recognise /ns as a command. /ns is a shortcut for /msg NickServ@services.dal.net. While almost all clients do accept just /ns, if you have one that doesn't, substitute the long form wherevhttp://www.sydlexia.com/forums/irc.phper you see /ns on this page.

Getting Started

Connecting to IRC

In order to reach the IRC room, you will need an IRC client. Following are basic instructions for connecting with some popular clients on various operating systems, as well as the webclient. If you are having trouble connecting with any of these clients, try googling around for advice, signing into the room through the webclient and asking there, or PM'ing Captain_Pollution on the forums.

Windows

mIRC

Disclaimer: You can only use this for so long. After that you have to pay to use it.

  1. Download and install mIRC.
  2. Run mIRC. By default, it will connect you to a DALnet server.
  3. Pick a username and whatnot.
  4. When the channel window pops up, type in #sydlexia and join.
  5. Alternatively, you can type /join #sydlexia into the status window to join.
ChatZilla

Note: You need Firefox to use ChatZilla.

  1. Install ChatZilla.
  2. Open Firefox and click the Tools menu.
  3. Click ChatZilla.
  4. In the ChatZilla! window click the ChatZilla menu.
  5. Click Preferences....
  6. In the Nickname field type in your screenname.
  7. Click the OK button.
  8. Close the ChatZilla! window.
  9. Click this link. It may take a few moments to connect, but you should then be connected to the #sydlexia channel.

Mac

Conversation
  1. Download Conversation from http://homepage.mac.com/philrobin/conversation/
  2. Go to file>preferences and pick a username and stuff.
  3. Click the “+” icon and select “Server” from the pulldown menu
  4. Type irc.dal.net in the appropriate space and click “open” from the pulldown menu at the bottom.
  5. Click the “+” icon again and select “channel” from the pulldown menu
  6. Type #sydlexia into the space provided, and click open once more from the pulldown menu.
  7. Enjoy IRC chat

Linux

XChat
  1. Download XChat or install it through your distro's package manager.
  2. Run XChat.
  3. Pick a username.
  4. Pick the DALnet server from the list.
  5. If XChat asks for the channel enter #sydlexia.
  6. If it doesn't ask, enter /join #sydlexia.
BitchX
  1. Download BitchX or install it through your distro's package manager.
  2. Run BitchX.
  3. Type /server irc.dal.net.
  4. Type /nick YourScreenName.
  5. Type /join #sydlexia.

Web Based

Note - While the webclient is a quick and easy way to get online from pretty much anywhere, it has a tendency to lag and randomly disconnect, for some people. Others report no difficulties whatsoever. As a client, however, the webclient does lack a lot of the functionality that downloaded clients offer.

lap.ee
  1. Go to http://elar.lap.ee/cgi/irc.cgi
  2. In the Nickname field type in your forum login name
  3. In the Server field type in irc.dal.net
  4. In the Channel field type in #Sydlexia
The easy way
  1. Make sure you are signed into the forums
  2. Go to http://www.sydlexia.com/forums/irc.php
  3. Enter your name
  4. Press the button

Mibbit

  1. Go to Mibbit
  2. Click "Launch Chat Now"
  3. There will be a screen that says "IRC:" and then has a dropdown box of servers. Click the word "server" beside this dropdown box.
  4. In the textbox that appears, type "irc.dal.net"
  5. In the Nick: space, type your name.
  6. In the Channel: space, type #sydlexia.
  7. Click "Go"

Note - Only a certain amount of Mibbit connections are allowed to DALnet at one time. If you get an error message, try again in a few minutes, or try a different connection method.

Registering

Once you spend a bit of time in the chat, and decide that you might want to make it a kind of regular thing, it is reccomended that you register your name with DALnet's nick registration service, NickServ. This prevents people from impersonating you, and allows you to ghost a nick if neccesary (More on that later). NickServ will only keep a name registered for one month without anyone identifying for it. That means you need to use the nick at least once a month, or it will de-register automatically.

How to Register

  1. Make sure you are using the name you wish to register. Type /nick "NewName" to change your name.
  2. Type /nickserv register YourPassword YourEmailAddress and press Enter.
  3. Check your email account for a confirmation email. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days for this email to arrive. If you haven't heard anything in a few days, try again.
  4. Once you get your confirmation email, it will have a link that you can click to complete registration, and a NickServ message you can copy/paste and send in your IRC client. It is not reccomended that you use the link provided, as this sometimes mucks things up.

You can now identify yourself by typing /identify YourPassword after you logged onto the server. For a full documentation on registration and identification read the DALnet NickServ Registration guide.

Note - NickServ automatically registers the hostname you are using when you register your nick as an accepted address. This means that if you sign on again from that address, it will not force you to identify for your name. Unless you are worried about other people on your internet connection impersonating you, this shouldn't be a problem. However, the webclient hides your IP address, and gives you a generic hostname. Everyone who connects via the webclient has the same hostname. As such, to prevent people impersonating you, it is highly reccomended that you use /ns access wipe to empty the list of accepted addresses for your nick, if you registered it on the webclient.

Ghosting

As we rarely have imposters, probably the biggest advantage to registering your name is the ability to ghost it. Sometimes, your IRC client will momentarily lose its connection to the internet. Once it reconnects, occasionally the server will have not yet noticed that the old you has disconnected, and so there will be two of you. Because only one person can use a name at a time, your name (Unless you set an alternate nick with your client or are on the webclient) will usually be your name with an underscore on the end. Usually, you just have to wait for the old you to disconnect before you can use the name again, but if you've registered you can type /ns ghost "OldYou" "YourPassword" to forcably kick the old you off the server.

Channel Details

Ops

Ops (operators) are the mods of the chatroom. Ops will have an @ before their name on most clients. They have the ability to change the channel topic, kick IRCers, ban IRCers, op other people, and more. If an op tells you to stop doing something, you stop doing it.

Being an op is a position of function. People are made ops if it is decided that the room needs another op, and that person fits the position. As well, temp ops (the kind of ops you lose when you leave the room, as opposed to perma-ops which you get every time you join) are usually handed out because an op decided that someone was needed to watch the room for a bit. Do not ask for ops. If it is decided that an op is needed, an op will pick someone.

SOP

AOP

Voice

Some users are given voice, either whenever they join the room (by Lexiabot9000) or just when an op decides to give them voice. When a user is voiced, it will look like this:

* FigNewton sets mode: +v Klimbatize

Users with voice will have a + before their names on most clients. Autovoice (the kind that a user gets whenever they join the room) is given to some popular members who have been around for a long time. Temporary voice (the kind that is lost when a user leaves the room) is given out entirely arbitrarily. Voice exists because there are certain channel settings ops can effect which make it so that no one without some form of status (voice or ops) can speak. Voice is there so that people can be given that status without being given any additional power. Ninety-nine percent of the time someone is given voice in the chat, though, it is just because. Voice is unimportant and does not matter at all. Don't worry about it.

Rules

  1. If you are warned by an operator, take it seriously
  2. No using inappropriate language in a hateful context
  3. No spamming the channel
  4. No abusing the bot
  5. Don't steal other users' names.
  6. If you link to any pictures or websites that are NSFW, please label them as such.
  7. No ASCII dicks.

Banninated!

Not following the rules, or acting like a dink in the room, could get you banned from it. The length of the ban is at the discretion of the channel ops, but could be anywhere from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Repeat offenders could find themselves banned for much longer times, or just kicked out forever.

If you're banned, suck it up and wait. Don't try and get around it, it just pisses the ops off and extends your ban. If you want to appeal your ban, the person to talk to is the one who banned you, or Syd.

Getting Along Smoothly

The IRC room is not an especially strict place. We like to have fun and dick around a bit. It is still possible to get on a lot of people's nerves in the chat, however. These are just guidelines for behaviour, not hard and fast rules, but keep them in mind nonetheless. You'll probably have a lot less fun in the chat if you go around stepping on people's toes.

  • First, please note, the IRC is not the forums. While we are gathered around the same site, and there is undoubtedly a huge overlap, the IRC does its own thing. A lot of people are huge in the IRC but hardly notable on the forums and vice versa, several people who come to the IRC do not have forum accounts, got them long after they'd been coming to the IRC, and/or use them very sparingly, and the IRC has its own jokes and norms. In short, the IRC is not a section of the forums. It is more of a subculture among the larger SLF community. Things or people that might be popular on the forums might not be popular in the IRC, and we have our own set of rules. Again, most IRCers visit the forums, and there is a large overlap, but please do not complain about any disparity you notice.
  • A certain standard of intelligibility and grammar is expected. You don't need to worry about whether to use "who" or "whom," but we do expect you to type clearly and have at least okay spelling. Stuff like "ur so senstivit" isn't going to fly. Remember, you are represented solely by your text, here; that is the only impression we get of you. Try to make it a good one.
  • Try to stay on topic. The flow of the conversation will inevitably change a lot, but do your best to stay relevant to what's being discussed. Pay attention to what other people are talking about: if everyone else is starting to move onto another topic, don't cling to the original one. If you try to bring up a topic of discussion, and no one else seems to care, let it go. Also, it's fine to express a thought out of the blue every now and then, but try to keep it to a couple lines during conversations. That said, if the room's dead, whatever.
  • This kind of goes in line with the last one. If you want to talk to one person about something that doesn't concern the rest of the room, PM them. You can do this with the command /msg "Person" "Message". Little things are fine, like telling someone to go check their inbox on the forums, but if you plan on having a discussion, keep it in private.
  • If you have a problem with something someone's doing, don't call them out on it in the main room. You can fight all you want in PM, or you can PM an op if you feel they should be punished, but try to keep it out of #sydlexia. The command /ignore "Person" makes it so that none of their messages show up on your screen. You might find it useful. This rule only applies for regular users who are bothering you, though. If someone comes here specifically to start shit, they are what is called a troll. Please do not feed the trolls. If someone comes in and is obviously trying to get a rise out of people, don't pay them any mind. Most trolls will just go away if no one bites. The only action that should be taken against trolls is an op disciplining them, you can ask an op if you feel a troll should be punished, but do this in private. Trolls come to the channel because they think it's fun to upset people. Giving them any attention at all is giving them exactly what they came for, encouraging them to continue, and in addition, doesn't do a darn thing. Don't do it.

Misc.

In addition to terms previously explained, there are other things which you may encounter while IRC'ing.

  • Netsplit - DALnet, contrary to how some people refer to it, is not a server. It is actually a network of connected IRC servers. When one of these servers disconnects from the rest, any users connected to it will be separated from the rest of the chatters. Everyone on the still-connected servers will see each other, and everyone on the separated server will see each other, but people on one side of the split will not see people on the other side. It will look like everyone on the other side of the split is signing off simultaneously, and their quit message will be their server's name. (eg Quit (toronto.on.ca.dal.net global.hub.dal.net)
  • K-Lined - When someone is IP banned from the server (Not just #sydlexia), they are said to have been K-lined.
  • Slashes - When someone puts slashes around a word on ChatZilla, it will be italicised. While this does not work on most clients, people using all clients use slashes around a word to note that the word should be italicised.
  • Asterisks - Unlike on forums, where placing asterisks on both sides of a bit of text idicate it as an action, in IRC asterisks note that text should be read as though it were bolded. This is because, similarly to how slashes work, asterisks make text appear bold on ChatZilla. On mIRC you can bold text by pressing ctrl+b before and after the part you want bolded.
  • To perform an action in IRC, use /me. Note that the text will be written in the third person. So /me penises around a bit will appear as:

* @Socialist_Sophie penises around a bit

  • Ping - The word "ping" has two meanings in IRC. You have to figure out which is meant by context.
  1. The more correct usage is to explain your connection to the server. You can find this out by pinging people--/ctcp person ping--or by typing !ping to tell Lexiabot9000 to ping you. The result of a /ctcp ping will probably appear in the status window of your client, as will notifications that other people have pinged you. A ping reply will look like this: [Sapphire_Rose PING reply]: 1secWhich would mean that there is one second of lag between you and Sapphire_Rose. Note - In addition to ping, there are other /ctcp commands that are used similarly, those being /ctcp time (Which tells you the local time of the person you try it on) and /ctcp version (Which tells you what client they are using). There is also /ctcp finger, which returns their idle time and a finger message, if they have one set. /ctcp finger only works on clients that support it, however, and that might just be mIRC.
  2. Most clients have the capability to set words which, when someone in the channel says them, will make the client beep and flash. Some clients, such as ChatZilla, automatically set the name you are using as one of these words. For other clients, like mIRC, you have to go into the options menu and set any terms manually. To say someone's name so that their client beeps is sometimes called pinging them.
  • If someone's connection lags to the point they are dropped from the server (Their quit message will appear as (ping timeout)) they are said to have "pinged out."

See also

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