The #cuams IRC Channel

IRC is a widely used system for online chat rooms (pre-dating AOL and all that). If you're really curious, the mIRC website has a more thorough introduction to IRC.

The CUAMS IRC channel is hosted on the Student Run Computer Facility (SRCF) servers. For those familiar with IRC, the details are:

Server: irc.srcf.ucam.org
Channel: #cuams

For those new to it, there follows a brief introduction to IRC using mIRC for Windows (other operating systems Coming SoonTM):

  1. Download of a copy of mIRC for Windows from here
  2. Install it! The default settings should be fine
  3.   Adding a server.
    When you first run mIRC, after the introduction screen, it will pop up a window headed "mIRC Options" which is asking you which server you want to connect to. As the SRCF server will not be in the list, you'll need to add it first, so click the "Add" button.

  4.   Server details.
    This will pop up a box asking for some details about the server. Fill it in as follows:
    Description: SRCF or Pip or something you'll remember
    IRC Server: irc.srcf.ucam.org
    Port(s): 6667 (it should default to this)
    Group and Password can be left blank

  5. Click OK and it will add information to the list of known servers (the large drop-down box at the top). It will also select the new server for you so you don't have to change that now.
  6.   Choosing a nickname.
    Next you need to add your personal details: Put as much as you're willing to give away in the "Full Name" and "E-mail" boxes, then pick a nickname to use and type it in - this will be the name that you appear as to others (and will probably be referred to in real life, if you hang out in the channel too long...). Select and alternative nickname just in case the first is taken, and you're good to go! Click the large "Connect to IRC Server" button.

  7. Some text should scroll up the window and it'll probably beep at you a few times. When it's done with that, you should be connect to the SRCF server. Read any error messages (such as 'nick already taken'), they're usually helpful enough.
  8.   Joining the channel.
    The next thing to do is join the cuams channel - type "/join #cuams" (without the quotes) and press enter. You'll get a new window pop up for the #cuams channel, and you're there! The left-hand pane of this new window is the chat history of the channel, and the right-hand side is a list of who's currently in the channel. From here on, you can ask questions in the channel, just type your message and press enter.

  9. When you're reconnecting to IRC again, after loading mIRC you can skip straight to connecting (as it will remember your settings). However, if you want to avoid having to type "/join #cuams" every time then, on the options window, select the "Perform" entry (under "IRC"). Check the tick-box labelled "On connect, perform these actions", and then type in the large box below "/join #cuams". This will then automatically join the channel every time you connect. Once you're done select "Connect" (the top entry) from the left-hand list box to get back to the connection screen.