Who else hates IRC?

[WD12]

It's supposed to be the place where like minded people can get together. Recently I've found it to be the place where like minded people simply get excluded.

Years ago I met Shara there. I met Deb there too.

Whenever I attempt to connect now I, at best, get on as a 'guest'. Usually I simply get a cryptic notification that I have to 'register' in order to connect at all. When I register, using all the instructions available to me, I simply get denied access.

Ger has done a lot to help me, and I'm not totally clueless, but I've never, ever, been able to register as a user on IRC. Yep, I got the email, I responded, and I'm still nowhere.

Is IRC now simply reserved for people who are comfortable with DOS and command line instructions? Two years ago I had no problem meeting people on IRC. I didn't get dumber.

Is #ws now reserved for ONLY the people who sit behind their computer all day long?

I found lots of great people on IRC back then, now it seems I'm simply not welcome by the people who control IRC.

Does anyone have an EASY, DEPENDABLE way to get registered on IRC?

I find this incredibly frustrating.

Thanks in advance for any assistance,

wd12

[bspider]

Dunno about your specific problems: I've never had a problem with irc as I've never attempted o use it. Never felt the need - but then, I'm just an old Luddite who can't be doin' with this new fangled stuff. :) I don't even use a mobile phone (I have one, it just doesn't get used!)

Boris.

[~*~ k a t e ~*~]

I agree with you that it seems really complicated to do really simple things with IRC.

There's been so many times when I'm stressin out cos I can't get something to work with it, and someone replies with something like "I'ts really easy, just type the command "/fgfjkgdslfksdjk03t3ojawgpo3rj"

Whats wrong with having buttons to press to make things happen??? command lines make my nose bleed, lol.

Katy
xxx

[WD12]

I like bspyders response that he's never had a problem with it because he's never tried to use it. That's kind of like not minding the food at McDonalds because you never eat there.

I don't expect a full GUI interface, but IRC simply seems to exclude all who can't deal with command line issues. I'm not into that, I go to IRC for fun and to meet new people. If they are more into their technical issues than actually meeting new people, well, I don't mind computer geeks at all, in fact I l like them. What about the people who want to participate but are excluded for no good reason?

I suppose it's really cool to demand users meet certain critera in order to participate, that really does make you 'special'. Special, and lonely!

Oh, you're used to the 'lonely' issue.

Clue to the techies, open up IRC so normal people can participate. Being smug about your expertise only isolates you further.

[skymouse]

How easy or hard it is to use is down to the particular software you use to access it. There's nothing to stop someone making a completely menu-driven program for chatting on IRC, and no doubt such programs exist (mIRC comes pretty close). I guess it's what you're used to. Personally, I destest having a menu or button getting in the way of a command - I'd rather type the command I want, when I want, than spend ages trying to navigate tons of obscure menus and options to find the equivalent.

But, it's down to personal preference. Of the countless different IRC programs that exist, there's probably one to suit most people's preferences.

SM

[bloom061604]

I destest having a menu or button getting in the way of a command - I'd rather type the command I want, when I want, than spend ages trying to navigate tons of obscure menus...Like you, Sky, I'm a computing veteran. I cut my teeth on command line systems (RSTS, IAS, RSX, VMS, MS-DOS, all flavors of UNIX). I could interact with a keyboard in a particular system's language as comfortably as I could speak to someone in my native tongue. I was already 10 years into my computer career when the first Macintosh came on the scene, soon followed by Windows. To this day, I'm still not completely comfortable with GUIs, but I can understand how those who grew up with them might be averse to memorizing long cryptic commands. Not saying we should go back to the good old days, mind you. "Wetting Her Panties" would never have come to pass if we hadn't advanced beyond the Apple II+ with 48k RAM, 140k floppy drives and a 300-baud modem.

—Bloom

[WD12]

The last replies are from people I totally respect, Sky and Bloom, and I have to say I'm not a ludite, I delight in new technology.

I've never been averse to new technology, but I didn't grok computers untill around 1996. Then it was well past the command line thing.

Still, at times I had to deal with DOS in my business system. I remember LOTS of times talking on the phone with tech support where even one misstroke meant failure. "No, that's not a space, it's an underline."

Gees!

So, for IRC I use the latest version of MIRC, but the system is, or seems to be, administered by people who would like it to be exclusive to those who still have command line knowledge and a preference to deal with that. Talk about ludites!

The Internet is no longer the plaything of government sponsored educational institutes. IRC is still dominated by techies and the sooner they get a clue the better.

Smug administration of registration or other values that exclude many users is not in your best interests, at least from a social perspective.

[Warm Lemonade]

Is #ws now reserved for ONLY the people who sit behind their computer all day long?

On which IRC Network are you having prolems?