# MIRC **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 26, 2000, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966 "2000-07-26T21:29:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/1 "2000-07-26T21:29:26Z")
Where is #straightdope? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/2 "2000-07-26T21:32:35Z")
You need to connect via an Undernet server (such as **[us.undernet.org:6667](http://us.undernet.org:6667)** or **[chicago.il.us.undernet.org:6667](http://chicago.il.us.undernet.org:6667)**. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/3 "2000-07-26T21:37:28Z")
I’d also like to add that #straightdope has no official connection with the Cecil Adams, The Straight Dope, The Straight Dope Message Board, or the Chicago Reader. It is something that has been set up by current and former members of this message board and members of the old AOL board. The above named entities are not responsible in any way for anything that takes place in the chatroom. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/4 "2000-07-27T05:33:28Z")
OK, thanks…I just wanted to know what net it was on… ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/5 "2000-07-28T01:56:52Z")
We’re the SDMB. Providing extra information is our fortè. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/6 "2000-07-28T01:59:52Z")
That word was supposed to be: “forté” I feel like an idiot. I was the one who figured out that you had to hit preview to get the escape sequences to show up right, yet I keep forgetting to. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/7 "2000-09-01T19:36:09Z")
I’m still confused. How do I get there? I’ve never been in a live chat room before. Do I have to have AOL for #straightdope? How does this work? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/8 "2000-09-01T19:46:46Z")
Sunshine, you’ll need an IRC (internet relay chat) program. One of the best is mIRC ([downloadable here](http://www.mirc.co.uk/)). mIRC will allow you to set up a user name and will prompt you to log into a particular network of IRC servers, one of which is “undernet.” It doesn’t matter which server in particular you log into, as long as it’s one of the undernet machines. Then you’ll enter “#straightdope” (no quotes) as the room you want to enter. The help file for mIRC is pretty useful. I’m willfully clueless about AOL, it may have an IRC client built in. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2000, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/9 "2000-09-01T19:56:49Z")
With a link and everything! Thanks, andros. I’m going to try it! ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2000, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mirc/26966/10 "2000-09-01T20:49:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > That word was supposed to be: “forté” Though I commend waterj2 on his attempt to use accents (which many people omit when using french words), it pains me to have to say that in thise case the accent is incorrect. The english word “forte”, pronounced “for-tay”, derives from the french adjective “fort” (pronounced like the english word “for”), meaning strong, with the feminine form of the adjective being spelled “forte” (pronounced like the english word “fort”). It is a mystery to me why the english word came from the feminine of the adjective. In French, to say “that’s my strong point” you would use the masculine, i.e. “c’est mon fort”. People pronounce it “for-tay” in English presumably because the Italian word “forte” would be pronounced that way. Finally, by looking at waterj2’s two posts, you might arrive at the (incorrect) conclusion that é is an e _accent grave_. The é is an e _accent aigu_ aka acute accent.