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Hi Robert,<BR>
IRC is Internet relay chat.. sudo apt-get install xchat to get a good irc client. If you want to use synaptic instead of the command line you'll find two versions of xchat. One is labeled xchat-gnome.. Don't use that one. <BR>
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Once downloaded you'll find the start icon in Applications/ Internet. Start the app and then in the upper left corner click on xchat then server.. This will pull up the server list for many different IRC servers.. At the top of the new box enter your desired "nickname". <BR>
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Now look for Freenode.net and highlight it. Click the edit button. In the new window at the top you'll see the server, irc.freenode.net. Highlight it and click the edit button to the right and change the server to chat.freenode.net/8001. This will eliminate future problems on the server in various channels. Click "use global", "auto connect to", & "Use proxy server". Now in "channel" put #ubuntu,#ubuntu-california.<BR>
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You're almost there.. Now click "connect" at the bottom. In a few seconds you'll be connected to the ubuntu help channel (#ubuntu) and our Calif. Loco (#ubuntu-california). <BR>
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The next time you load xchat it will automatically connect to both channels.<BR>
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We don't do video conferences probably because of each persons current computer setup and bandwidth as well as an appropriate method of doing it. Second Life might be considered a 3rd life for some of us.. :) just too time consuming to setup, create avatars and figure out how it all works.. at least for me.. <BR>
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Best,<BR>
Mark (Scunizi)<BR>
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