Software Technical Support - IRC DALnet Channel #dgl

Damar Group instructors and technical support staff are available free of charge on the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) DALnet network in channel #dgl. Discussions include topics related to software applications and their use.

Technical staff members are online in the evening, eastern time (GMT -0500), and occasionally during daytime hours. All Internet users are invited to participate in these discussions. If you would feel more comfortable reading, but not actively participating in the conversations, you may sit back and read the other participants' postings. All Internet users are welcome.

Damar Group, Ltd. is pleased to offer this assistance as a public service.

Internet Business & Commerce Forum - IRC DALnet Channel #inetbus

Damar Group, Ltd. President and CEO, David Stephen Murphy, and other staff members host discussions of the current uses and potential applications of business and commercial activities on the Internet and other electronic media.

These discussions are open to the public, and Internet users interested in electronic commerce are invited to participate or view the ongoing dialogue. There is no fee to join in the conversation.

Discussions are normally held in the evening, eastern time (GMT-0500). Special daytime conferences will be announced in ITINFO, our electronic information service.

To subscribe to ITINFO send email to majordomo@softaid.net. Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message, type SUBSCRIBE ITINFO [Internet-email-address] (substitute your email address for the bracketed text). Example: SUBSCRIBE ITINFO dave@dgl.com

Please join Mr. Murphy and his special guests in DALnet channel #inetbus.

Introduction To Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

As a word of introduction, Internet Relay Chat networks are Internet links that allow users to communicate in group and private conversations in real time. Conversations are entered as written text into "channels," which are similar to the oral conversations that we have in face-to-face meetings and conferences.

Some of the channels on the IRC networks are technical in nature, others focus on business topics; however, most channels are dedicated to recreational topics. The mIRC program, which Damar Group, Ltd. recommends, has a button to list the active channels, and most channels include a topic next to the name.

A word of caution: at busy times, evenings and weekends especially, many channels hold conversations that may be considered offensive or off-color to some people. When you list the active channels, be prepared for a wide variety of topics.

Also, the #dgl and #inetbus channels are open to the public. If during the course of your conversation, another channel participant becomes offensive, please do not respond to the person. The Damar Group, Ltd. staff member who is moderating the channel, called the channel operator, will deal with the person privately.

If necessary, the channel operator may remove the participant from the channel and prevent this user from accessing the channel in the future.

Accessing The DALnet IRC Network

After much research, Damar Group, Ltd. selected the DALnet IRC network to host its information channels. DALnet is the newest of the three major IRC networks, its servers are generally faster, and its worldwide network connections are more reliable.

DALnet offers greater control to the channel operator to ensure participants in #dgl and #inetbus are afforded the professional atmosphere they expect and deserve. DALnet is also well known for the friendliness of its growing number of participants.

To access any IRC network, you need a client program. For users of all versions of Microsoft Windows, we recommend the mIRC program which is available from our ftpsite. The downloadable filename is mirc4532.exe.

The download file is self-extracting. Once the mIRC program files are installed in a directory (i.e. C:\MIRC), you must create an icon in Windows for one of the executable programs. The two versions of mIRC are:

• mirc.exe - the 16-bit version of the program for Windows 3.1x users.
• mirc32.exe - the 32-bit version for Windows 95 and Windows NT.

Our technical support staff has created an improved mirc.ini file that includes the general configurations necessary to access the DALnet IRC network. The channels #dgl and #inetbus have been added to the menu system. If you would like to download this improved mirc.ini file, it is available from our ftpsite. This file may be viewed on screen and saved to the directory in which mIRC is installed (i.e. C:\MIRC). Due to licensing restrictions, Damar Group, Ltd. may not include our improved mirc.ini file in the same ftp download file as the mIRC program.

The mIRC program is shareware, and it works very well with popular Internet access software, including Internet In A Box, Windows 95 TCP/IP dialer, and the NetWare^® - Internet access product Instant Internet.

Once mIRC or your own IRC client (wsIRC, Netscape Chat, etc.) is executed, you may connect to a DALnet server. During the configuration of the IRC client program, you must select a nickname (nick) to use while on the network. DALnet allows nicknames of up to 30 characters; however, the shorter the nick that you choose, the easier it will be.

All messages that you post to the channel are prefaced with your nick, so other participants know who sent the message to the channel. And, other participants will address you by your nick. We suggest that you keep it as short as possible. For example, Mr. Murphy uses the nick "dsm"...his initials.

If after accessing the DALnet system, you receive a message informing you that the nick you've selected is already in use, please select another nick with the command "/nick [nickname]." For example to change your nick to "PCNerd," type the command: /nick PCNerd, and press [Enter].

You may find the best performance by selecting a server near you; however, they are all open to public access.

• irc.dal.net, port 7000 (General DALnet - first available server will respond)
• amsterdam.dal.net, ports 6665, 6666, 6667, 7000 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• cin.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
• davis.dal.net, ports 6666, 7000 (Davis, California, USA)
• dragon.dal.net, ports 6668, 7000 (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)
• glass.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Toledo, Ohio, USA)
• groucho.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Sonoma, California, USA)
• igc.dal.net, ports 6665, 6666, 6667, 7000 (Pembroke Pines, Florida, USA)
• liberator.dal.net, port 7000 (Bristol, UK)
• mindijari.dal.net, ports 6668, 6669, 7000 (San Jose, California, USA)
• phoenix.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Houston, Texas, USA)
• rutgers.dal.net, ports 6667, 6668, 6669, 7000 (New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA)
• skypoint.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)
• toronto.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• uncc.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)
• usd.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Vermillion, South Dakota, USA)
• xanth.dal.net, ports 6667, 7000 (Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA)
• xgw.dal.net, ports 6668, 7000 (Espoo, Finland)

It's important that you connect to the DALnet network, not the EFnet, Undernet or another IRC network. The #dgl and #inetbus channels are only staffed on DALnet.

Additional information about the DALnet IRC network and its services is available on the DALnet website.

If you have a specific question regarding how to access our online technical support or Mr. Murphy's Internet Business & Commerce forum, please email Technical Services (tech@dgl.com) or David Stephen Murphy (dave@dgl.com).

We look forward to chatting with you online!

updated August 4, 1996
http://dgl.com/irc.html

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