To join GRAIL Chat
- To join GRAIL Chat, open a new browser and go to http://grail.oise.utoronto.ca/irc/irc.cgi?adv=1. (Right-click and select Open in New Window or Open in New Tab to keep these instructions open.)
- Enter a nickname. Your nickname can be up to 9 letters and numbers in length.
- Enter your real name.
- Do not change the Server, Port or Channel.
- Enter the password required to join the server (provided to you in email)
- Press Login.
- If you do not see #grail at the top of the page in a grey box, check your password and try again.
- Chat away! Enter text and commands in the one-line box at the bottom of the screen.
- To quit, close your browser.
Terminology
GRAIL Chat is based on Internet Relay Chat (IRC), a synchronous communication technology developed in 1988.
IRC uses the following key words:
| nickname | Someone's nickname or handle. Often these are very different from the person's name; other times, it may be based on someone's initials or an abbreviation of their name. |
| channel | A group chat session. All channels start with a #. #Grail is the persistent GRAIL chat channel. Channels last as long as one participant continues to be part of the session. Anyone can create their own channel and invite others on the server. Channels have operators. Sometimes people will (incorrectly) refer to IRC channels as rooms; this was a metaphor created by America On-Line (AOL) in the mid-1990s. |
| query | A private, one-on-one chat session. This is the basis for the one-on-one chat in most current IM programs, such as AIM, MSN, ICQ and Google Talk. |
Interface Screenshot & Description
Along the top of the page is a list of tabs. There will be a tab here for each channel you are in, and each query (private message) you have open. To close your current window, click the X button on the far right of the tab list.
The userlist is on the right. When in a channel tab, it will show a list of all the people in that channel. Double clicking a nickname will open a query with that user or perform whichever other action you select in the select box at the bottom.
The text entry box should be simple, the little arrow to the right of the text entry area shows a toolbar that allows easy typing of colour, bold and underline. It is also where you enter all the commands.
Commands
Commands begin with / and should be familiar to anyone who has used a group chat tool before. Here is a quick summary of the most useful commands.
| /me <action> | This turns the text after /me into an action, eg: /me looks around. |
| /join <channel> | Joins the specified channel, eg: /join #SideDiscussion |
| /list | Lists all the channels on the network. Change to the Status tab to see details. |
| /part | Leaves the current channel (same as clicking the X while in the channel). |
| /quit | Quits IRC totally (same as clicking X in Status window). |
| /msg <nick> <message> | Sends a private message to a user, eg: /msg someone Hi |
| /whois <nick> | Gives some information about a user. Change to the Status tab to see details. |
| /invite <nick> <channel> | Invites a user to the channel you specify, eg: /invite CBrett #SideDiscussion |