Intro to IRC (Activity)

Introduction to IRC

Preparation:

Description	Learners will gain a basic understanding of IRC (Internet Relay Chat) as well as the role that IRC plays in open source software development. Participants will learn about IRC etiquette and explore the interactions that occur between members of an open source community.
Source	Communication and Community
Prerequisite Knowledge	None.
Estimated Time to Completion	60-75 minutes
Learning Objectives	1) Understand the importance of IRC as it relates to open source software development, 2) Become familiar with the interactions that occur in an IRC channel, 3) Learn how to connect to an IRC server and join a channel.
Materials/Environment	Internet access, a Web browser and an IRC client.
Additional Information	Other IRC resources: http://www.irchelp.org; http://teachingopensource.org/index.php/IRC
Rights	Licensed CC BY-SA

Background:

IRC is an essential tool used by open source software developers. It allows members of the community, or those interested in becoming involved in the community, to communicate 24/7, regardless of their geographic location. Bear in mind that ‘talking’ is not always a requirement. You will learn a great deal by ‘listening’, especially in the beginning. When you join a channel, it is not necessary to identify yourself or to say hi, you can simply 'lurk'. Feel free to ask questions, and note that it is not necessary to ask first if you can ask a question.

Directions:

Part 1 – Walk through of IRC Conversation

Download this sample IRC Conversation

As you review the conversation, you should:

1. Pay attention to the interactions that occur between community members.
2. Ignore the technical terms.
3. Accept that the content may be beyond your understanding at this point, your first step in being productively lost.
4. Place your answers to the following questions on your wiki page:
   • How do people interact?
   • What is the pattern of communication?
   • Are there any terms that seem to have special meaning?
   • Can you make any other observations?

Part 2 – Installing and Starting an IRC Client

There are many IRC clients to choose from, below is a brief list of suggestions:

1. Windows: HydraIRC (http://www.hydrairc.com/)
2. Linux: Konversation (http://konversation.kde.org/)
3. Mac OS X: Colloquy (http://colloquy.info/)
4. Firefox add-on: ChatZilla is a multi-platform add-on that will work on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X

For example, if you have Firefox running, it is quite easy to install the ChatZilla add-on.

1. Click Tools from the main menu and then choose Add-ons. The Get Add-ons tab should be selected on the left. If you don’t see the main menu, click the down-arrow next to the Firefox button in the upper, left corner, hover over Options and select Menu Bar.
2. Type ChatZilla in the search box found in the upper, right corner.
3. Click the install button to the right of the ChatZilla add-on. Note that ChatZilla is available in a number of languages, so be sure to select the appropriate one.
4. Restart Firefox.

Part 3 – Join and Observe Channel Discussion

Select an HFOSS project from the following group:

1. Join the project's channel and observe the discussions that occur for 24 hours.
   • Note that depending on the project, its size and the amount of activity on a project's channel, it may be necessary to determine an appropriate day for this observation. You might attempt to determine when the developers meet and schedule your observation for this day. You can join the channel and identify yourself as _afk (away from keyboard, for example joe_afk). When you return the following day, you will be able to observe the communication that occurred during the previous 24 hour period.
2. Summarize your observations on your faculty wiki page.