I may be able to sing...but I can't chat!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I mentioned this in the Pit about a month ago and got the cold shoulder.

I can’t get into the Straight Dope chat anymore! I can get into the room itself like I used to, through http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/chat.adp , but I get stuck in some weird room with Fathombot and no one else to be found!

I talked to SanibelMan, and he said to download mIRC. Is this necessary? If so, how do I go about doing it, which one do I download (there seems to be a huge variety), and how do I install it and get it to work? Please help, since I really miss chats. :frowning:

2

Try typing “/server us.undernet.org” then “#straightdope” (without the quotes, of course) after you get in at Teeming Millions.

3

Where do I type all that in?

You have to remember, you’re talking to a welfish computer dummy here…and being welfish makes it worse! frazzled

4

I just had this problem, and was told that the fathom link doesn’t work anymore. I’d be able to connect, but it was always me and some dopey bot.

I downloaded IRC, and that worked. After your type in your info (username and all that stuff), you connect to s server. Pick any undernet server, and you’ll see in the window if you’ve connected or not. If you have, type (in the little window at the bottom): /join #straightdope

5

In the bar at the bottom where you generally type whatever you want to type, type:
/server us.undernet.org
Then once you’re connected, type
/join #StraightDope

Boilerplate: #Straightdope is not run by or endorsed by the Straight Dope, the Reader nor anyone else affliated with the column. Queries on #Straightdope should go to me, and not the admins or staff of this message board.

(Not that you were asking the admins, Welfy… just doing the usual coverjob.)

6

It doesn’t work. “Your program doesn’t support changing servers”

Just get mIRC.

7

Get a mirc client, it’s soooooooo much nicer and more enjoyable than using a java applet.

Go to www.mirc.com

Download the client.

In options, pick a nickname and choose IRC server: Undernet
Then choose an individual server, most use Baltimore.

Connect, then join channel:

#straightdope

8

Yeah, at that point, I say go with mIRC for the PC or Ircle for the Mac. There’s other java based alternatives out there, but it gets to be a lot of hassle. The biggest plug I can make for mIRC is that I’ve never known anyone who was using java based texts and then tried mIRC to go back to java.

If you simply must java chat (due to a firewall preventing you from downloading or something), drop me a line at edamoth@inil.com and I’ll work out a java alternative for you. I have several.