#LBo on irc.freenode is our online Linux Basics.org chat channel
#LBo-flood is also on irc.freenode This is the area we use to post larger files. It is probably best to log into both channels right away, because if you join a channel after something has been posted there, you miss it.
Where: irc.freenode.net - channel #LBo - channel #LBo-flood
When: 24/7/365
Why: it's a great resource for exchange of ideas, troubleshooting, or just general chat.
Rules: bring your good manners, please.
How? See this short IRC-tutorial or our Blog post for a quick start.
When you go to chat to ask a question or just to chat, you will probably see other people listed as being in the chat with you. Those people may not be actually looking at the chat window. They may not even be at their computers. Here are some tips for what you can do to attract attention and/or get a response:
Say hello using a user name that you see there: When a user's name appears in their chat window, it causes blinking in their task bar (at least in x-chat). That alerts them that someone is trying to communicate with them on the chat. If jisao, Lonnie, and stw are there, for example, saying “Hi Lonnie, jisao, and stw would flag all of them that a user is on the channel. They will not be alerted by your simply joining, but might see the blinking if you post. Be sure to spell the names correctly. You can do this easily by using TAB completion: Type “Lo” and TAB to complete “Lonnie” for example.
Stay long enough to be acknowledged: You may not want to sit staring at the chat window if no one responds right away. Stay logged in. Do e-mail or something else and look for that blinking on the task bar indicating that someone has responded to you. Those in the know will use your user name to help you know they are talking to you.
If possible, stay logged in even if you go away from the computer. If you have a question, you can post it and then stay logged in. Much later, one of the people who is logged in and has not been around, might give you an answer. You may come and find it after they are long gone. Note that in some irc clients you will sometimes see a user name will be greyed out. That means they have indicated that they are away. If you are going to be away from your computer for a while, you can mark yourself away and then back again when you return or you can change your user name to indicate that you are “away from keyboard”:
/away
/back
/nick MyName-afk