IRC HELP PAGE

Here are some pointers to IRC (Internet Relay Chat) information:

IRC from America Online

If you have an IBM-PC clone you can join IRC from America Online. Unless things have changed, Macintosh AOL users cannot use IRC.

Instructions for AOL IRC can sometimes be found on AOL by going to the Keyword IRC and browsing the Winsock Message Boards. The gist is that you download an IRC client and run it while AOL is minimized, and connect to an IRC server using port 6670 or higher instead of the default port number. If your Help/About AOL version says "AOL 3.0 for Windows 95" or AOL version 4.0 or higher, you can download a 32-bit IRC program. If it says "AOL 3.0 for Windows", or it's an earlier version of AOL, you must use a 16-bit IRC program. If you use Windows NT you must use a 16-bit IRC program unless/until AOL wakes up about NT support. You must have AOL version 3.0 or later, or download and install AOL Winsock. Currently none of AOL's IRC servers connect to NewNet. To use a non-AOL IRC server you must use port number 6670 or higher. You can use aol.newnet.net port 7000, which connects to one of a group of servers supporting AOL ports. Or, see the list of NewNet IRC servers to find servers which support these port numbers.

IRC from WebTV

Instructions to reach #tinnitus chat from WebTV, courtesy of flutist:

Select Community from the main menu
Select Chat, which automatically kicks you into Talkcity.
Select Go To
On the IRC line, type irc.newnet.net
Leave the port number the same
On the room line, type tinnitus or #tinnitus
Select Connect
Be patient, sometimes it is very busy and takes either a long time, or says it is not available. Keep trying.

Ed. Note: If you are having trouble connecting, see the list of NewNet servers, and substitute one of the servers on the "leaf" list for "irc.newnet.net". See also the WebTV IRC Help Page for more information.

Common abbreviations & jargon on #tinnitus IRC

IRC fact #721: No one types or spells well on IRC.
IRC fact #722: Typing gets tiring.
So, we use a lot of abbreviations. Some of those we use most are listed below. You can also try http://www.acronymfinder.com/ for general acronym lookup.

{{{}}} - virtual hug. (from AOL chats?) alt. form {{name}}

AFK - away from keyboard
a.h. - auditory habituation
a.s.t. - alt.support.tinnitus newsgroup
ATA - American Tinnitus Association (or, Australian Tinnitus Association!)

BBL - be back later
BFN - bye for now
BRB - be right back
BTA - British Tinnitus Association
BTW - by the way

CU - see you
CUL8R - see you later

FAQ - frequently asked question(s)
FWIW - for what it's worth

<g> - grin <bg> big grin <eg> evil grin <vbg> very big grin <vbeg> ...you get the idea
ga - go ahead
GMTA - great minds think alike

H - hyperacusis

IMHO - in my humble opinion
IMNSHO - in my not-so-humble opinion
IMO - in my opinion
IRL - in real life
ISP - Internet service provider
IYKWIM - if you know what I mean

J - Jastreboff, Dr. Pawel -- U of Md. Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Center, Baltimore, US
j/k - just kidding

l8r - later
lag - aggravating, variable delay between typing and response on IRC
LOL - laughing out loud
ltns - long time no see

netsplit - a common IRC network malfunction (see IRC help links). One symptom is the sudden apparent disconnection of some or all of the other people on the channel. Wait in patience a few minutes... or try reconnecting, possibly to a different server.

OHRC - Oregon Hearing Research Center, Portland OR, US
OIC - Oh, I see
OTFL - on the floor laughing
OTOH - on the other hand

PDR - Physicians Desk Reference

R - recruitment
re - re-enter ("hi" to someone returning to IRC after being disconnected)
RL - real life
RNID - Royal National Institute for Deaf People, London UK
ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLMAO - rolling on the floor laughing my a** off

T - tinnitus
TTFN - ta ta for now
TTYL - talk to you later

wb - welcome back

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