What is IRCle?
Ircle is a program that Macintosh users is use to connect an Internet Relay Chat sever. An IRC server is a computer that allows hundreds of individuals to sign on and talk via their keyboards in real time. An IRC server has many “rooms” or channels in which people can gather and talk. Why would I want to do this?- You never know until you give it a shot!

Why should I use IRCle?
IRCle is a stable, full featured client that will allow you to hold private chats, program in automatable things, send and hear sounds ( called wavs), display small PICT files called faces, and generally enjoy yourself while chatting!

Where do I get IRCle?
Get the latest IRCle from the IRCle homepage. You will need Stuffit Expander to unstuff the file also. To hear sounds while chatting you will need SoundApp and to make sounds for others to hear I recommend UltraRecorder. All three of those shareware apps can be found at Shareware.

Connecting to the server.
This is Parents Kitchen specific but if you have half a brain you can figure out how to connect to any server and channel, remember you are on a mac!

1. Launch IRCle by double clicking on it. It will whir away for a sec then it will tell you in an input box that you are Offline and talking to nobody. (Well duhhhh). It may also ask you to register and give you information to do so. You can try the program out for a few days to see if you like it, then please pay the shareware fee.

• If the Connections dialogue box is not already in view, select it by pulling down the menu under Window in the top menu bar.

• Select Edit, and a new dialogue box pops up.

2. Connect to Server
For more info on connecting to the starnet server see our starnet page

In the dialogue box, you’ll see a default address for an IRC server, most likely Undernet.

•Choose the Select button. You will now see a million addresses.

•Select the Starnet server that is closest to you. Don't fool with the port number- it should be left to the default 6667

•Hit the Okay button which returns you to the previous dialogue box.

•Now add the nickname you’d like to be called. ( Keep it clean please...) and any other information you’d like to be made available. Other IRC users can access the information in those boxes but that is all.

•Hit the Okay button again and presto! your nick and the Starnet server address can now be seen in the Connections dialogue box.

•To connect just highlight your nick and hit the Connect button in the box. Tada! A console window should appear and some info on Starnet should scroll by.

• You should register your nickname on Starnet so no one can come in and impersonate you. Do this by typing in /msg NickServ REGISTER followed by your nickname then a password. Now every time you log on, you will be asked for your password. If you do not provide it, you are kicked off.

3. Get into the Kitchen! Join one of our rooms by typing in /join #parentskitchen. A new window should appear and you should see a bunch of nicknames and lots of typing!

•Type in Hello and jump into a conversation whenever you want!

•There are loads of people there to help you get acquainted and show you around, you can check out the chat schedule for #parentsroom.

FUN Stuff!

You can send and hear sounds, write in color, and trade “faces” , and other images and text on IRC using IRCle. Here is a quick primer to hear the sounds, but why not stop in at one of my tech chats and practice all the other stuff with the rest of the crowd?

1. Sound
Called “wavs” in the PC world, these snippets of sound you make by recording from CD’s, tapes ,TV, or even your own wonderful voice really add to the chatting experience.

•You need to have the wavfile in your Sounds folder to hear it while chatting.

•To get a wav, you can ask people to send you some via DCC ( direct client connection) or request them from someone who has just played one- you’ll see a message in the chat window that a wav was just played and that you can’t hear it.

•To get them either way, open the DCC window. If someone is sending you something you be able to track the progress of the transfer in the DCC window.

•If the file does not appear to be transferring try hitting the Get button. (You may have to go to the prefs to enable the autoget feature). The file will be stored in your Incoming files folder. If it is a wav, move it to the Sounds folder.

•To hear the wavs, go back to prefs and select the CTCP tab.

• Enable CTCP by checking the box next to CTCP and then tell IRCle where to look for your wavs and what to play them with. The default location for your sounds is the Sounds folder.

•You should place Sound App in this folder too.

•Select Sound App as your wav player.


• Hit the Okay button and save your prefs. Now when someone plays a wav file that you have, you’ll hear it!

•To play a wav yourself, type in this command /sound #parentskitchen filename.wav. This sends a command to the channel to play a sound. There are a few shortcuts around this, namely buttons in your User window, but this will get you going!

2. Color-to send colored text you need to type the following key combinations before you type your text:

^c 1 and text - types black text (that's the control key, the c key and the 1key)
^c 2 and text - types red text
^c 3 and text - types orange text
^c 4 and text - types yellow text
^c 5 and text - types light green text
^c 6 and text - types green text
^c 7 and text - types bluish green text
^c 8 and text - types light blue text
^c 9 and text - types blue text
^c 0 and text - types white text
^c = and text - types dark pink text
^c ; and text - types purple text

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