You Won't Believe What Happened Next!

1. This Man Needed Help,
So He Went on IRC
You Won’t Believe What
Happened Next!

2. What is IRC?

3. What is IRC?
❖ It’s complicated

4. What is IRC?
❖ It’s complicated
❖ TL;DR 80s-era tech for real-time(ish) chat

5. What is IRC?
❖ It’s complicated
❖ TL;DR 80s-era tech for real-time(ish) chat
❖ Home of this guy

6. What is IRC?

7. What is IRC?

8. Helpful People? Where!?

9. Helpful People? Where!?
❖ On IRC

10. Helpful People? Where!?
❖ On IRC
❖ In #python

11. What is #python?

12. What is #python?
❖ The home of the Python community on IRC

13. What is #python?
❖ The home of the Python community on IRC
❖ ‘pound Python’, not ‘hashtag python’

14. How Do I Get There?

15. How Do I Get There?
❖ Have you used IRC before?

16. How Do I Get There?
❖ Have you used IRC before?
❖ Yes: Use your client of choice & pick a server from
https://freenode.net/irc_servers.shtml

17. How Do I Get There?
❖ Have you used IRC before?
❖ Yes: Use your client of choice & pick a server from
https://freenode.net/irc_servers.shtml
❖ No: https://webchat.freenode.net

18. How Do I Get There?
❖ Have you used IRC before?
❖ Yes: Use your client of choice & pick a server from
https://freenode.net/irc_servers.shtml
❖ No: https://webchat.freenode.net
❖ Sign in and /join #python

19. What’s #python-unregistered?

20. What’s #python-unregistered?
❖ The place you go the first time you try to join #python

21. What’s #python-unregistered?
❖ The place you go the first time you try to join #python
❖ More accurately, it’s the place you go if your nick isn’t
registered

22. A Short Digression on Nicks

23. A Short Digression on Nicks
❖ How people interact with you on IRC

24. A Short Digression on Nicks
❖ How people interact with you on IRC
❖ FCFS

25. A Short Digression on Nicks
❖ How people interact with you on IRC
❖ FCFS
❖ Not persistent

26. A Short Digression on Nicks
❖ How people interact with you on IRC
❖ FCFS
❖ Not persistent
❖ Registering your nick means you’re the only one who
can use it

27. Why Does #python Care?

28. Why Does #python Care?

29. Why Does #python Care?

30. Why Does #python Care?
It cuts down on:
❖ Trolling
❖ Griefing
❖ Harassment
❖ Generally being a jerk

31. Fine, How Do I Register?

32. Fine, How Do I Register?
❖ /msg NickServer REGISTER $PASSWORD $EMAIL

33. Fine, How Do I Register?
❖ /msg NickServer REGISTER $PASSWORD $EMAIL
❖ Verify your email address

34. Fine, How Do I Register?
❖ /msg NickServer REGISTER $PASSWORD $EMAIL
❖ Verify your email address
❖ Don’t forget to /msg NickServer IDENTIFY $NICK
$PASSWORD when you log in

35. Fine, How Do I Register?
❖ /msg NickServer REGISTER $PASSWORD $EMAIL
❖ Verify your email address
❖ Don’t forget to /msg NickServer IDENTIFY $NICK
$PASSWORD when you log in
❖ /join #python

36. I’m In! Now What?

37. I’m In! Now What?

38. I’m In! Now What?
❖ Don’t blurt a question (yet)

39. I’m In! Now What?
❖ Don’t blurt a question (yet)
❖ Read the topic

40. I’m In! Now What?
❖ Don’t blurt a question (yet)
❖ Read the topic

41. OK, I Read It. Now What?

42. OK, I Read It. Now What?
❖ Ask your question

43. OK, I Read It. Now What?
❖ Ask your question
❖ Don’t ask to ask, just ask

44. OK, I Read It. Now What?
❖ Ask your question
❖ Don’t ask to ask, just ask
❖ Show that you’ve thought about the problem

45. OK, I Read It. Now What?
❖ Ask your question
❖ Don’t ask to ask, just ask
❖ Show that you’ve thought about the problem
❖ You’re not entitled to an answer

46. OK, I Read It. Now What?
❖ Ask your question
❖ Don’t ask to ask, just ask
❖ Show that you’ve thought about the problem
❖ You’re not entitled to an answer
❖ Answer follow-up questions

47. OK, I Read It. Now What?
❖ Ask your question
❖ Don’t ask to ask, just ask
❖ Show that you’ve thought about the problem
❖ You’re not entitled to an answer
❖ Answer follow-up questions
❖ Be prepared to show your work

48. Congratulations!

49. That Still Didn’t Work. Now What?

50. That Still Didn’t Work. Now What?

51. That Still Didn’t Work. Now What?
❖ Ask a friend

52. That Still Didn’t Work. Now What?
❖ Ask a friend
❖ Try a more specific channel

53. That Still Didn’t Work. Now What?
❖ Ask a friend
❖ Try a more specific channel
❖ Try a project-specific mailing list

54. Get A Free ZNC Account

55. Get A Free ZNC Account
❖ ZNC is an IRC bouncer

56. Get A Free ZNC Account
❖ ZNC is an IRC bouncer
❖ RescueTime is giving out accounts for free

57. Get A Free ZNC Account
❖ ZNC is an IRC bouncer
❖ RescueTime is giving out accounts for free

58. Questions?
Hank Gay
hank@rescuetime.com