> [!warning] > This is no longer applicable! I’ll leave it here for archival interest. Some folks have asked me how they can join in the Transneptune IRC channel. What follows is a guide for those new to IRC. This guide is still technically accurate, but at this point, we’re mostly on [Slack](https://slack.com/). Ping [Kit](https://twitter.com/wlonk) on Twitter if you want an invite. Or just use [the automatic signup form](http://slack.transneptune.net/). --- IRC is not quite like the chat you know. It’s a wild and woolly frontier from the early days of the internet. That means: * Anyone can run their own IRC network; the first thing you need to know is whose server you’re connecting to. The next thing is what channel(s) on that server you want to join. * Identity is not stable in IRC; you need to use an identity service (running on the server) if you want to claim and protect an identity. * Anyone can write their own IRC client; there are a bazillion to choose from, and many can be configured within an inch of their life. So, for Transneptune, you’ll be connecting to Freenode (one of the largest and best known IRC networks out there) at `ircs://irc.freenode.net:6697`. That means: the hostname is `irc.freenode.net`, the port is `6697` (the default for secured IRC) and the protocol is IRCS (IRC:IRCS::HTTP:HTTPS; it’s IRC wrapped in SSL. So, you might need to make this happen just by checking a box that says “SSL”). Then, you’ll connect to the channel `#transneptunegames`. Except you can’t! The channel is set to only accept users who are registered with IRC’s identity service, `NickServ`. So you’ve gotta do that first. (A note: usernames in IRC are referred to as “nicks”, short for “nicknames”. Traditionally, before identity services, it was common to change them fluidly, as and where you needed. Wild!) So, `NickServ`. Dealing with `NickServ` is like messaging a user, except it’s not a human, of course. So, you can type: /msg NickServ help And that’ll start a private conversation with `NickServ` where you begin by saying “help”. At which point, `NickServ` will reply with basic help. READ. IT. One lesson from IRC is that many of your existing mental categories don’t apply, so you have to take the time to read and learn how the system works. Sorry. You’re gonna want to then send: help register to learn more about the register command. That should guide you the rest of the way to reserving your nick. Once you’ve registered and identified yourself, you can join `#transneptunegames`: /join #transneptunegames And then, let’s talk! (One addendum: you can usually configure your IRC client to auto-join certain channels, and auto-identify with `NickServ`. It’s really helpful. My client of choice is IRCcloud, which also maintains a persistent connection, so I can see logs of all the conversations that happen when I’m not actively on. But there are many other ways to skin that cat.)