Quit Smoking - Chat Rooms And Special Chat Software (chatguru.html)

Revised 2/11/99 -- See changes.html for a revision history

[A] Introduction

First, if you are content in using one or more of the web based chatrooms listed in groupsa.html#Chat, then you probably don't need to read this page at all. All you have to do is click the link to get to the chatroom (in the case of Quitnet, you have to go through about 3 links -- SignIn, Talk, then Chat to get there), and, assuming the page loads successfully, the rest is kind of self explanatory.

However, if you are interested in special chat programs like ICQ, IRC, or mIRC, and don't know anything about them, than you probably need to read this page.

This is a work in progress. I've done a fair amount of chat in web-based chatrooms (which don't require any special programs other than a Java-capable web-browser, such as Internet Explorer 3 or Netscape Navigator 3 -- or is it Netscape Communicator 3?). However, I've never done chat using a chat program such as ICQ, IRC, or mIRC. So regarding the latter -- chat with a chat program -- I'm only putting down some second hand knowledge gleaned from various short online conversations. I am submitting this for corrections to a couple of bulletin boards. If you have any comments or corrections, please email me.

This page first discusses web-based chatrooms (#WbChatRooms). These are very easy to learn and use as long as you have an adequate web browser. Chatrooms are recommended for chat novices to quickly get quit-smoking support with a minimum of hassle. There is no software to download or install. Just go to the indicated web site (see groupsa.html#Chat for the URLS of the web sites of some quit-smoking chatrooms). The chat page and software should load automatically, and then (assuming there are other people in the chatroom), you should see a dialog on the screen between people in the chatroom. To take part in the dialog, you can type something in the indicated box and send it (typically by pressing Enter or clicking some button).

This page then discusses chat programs ( #ChatPrograms ), such as ICQ, IRC, and mIRC. These are programs that you must download and then install. As for what happens next, I'm not sure, as I've never used one. But this page will hopefully help explain what these programs are in general. And it will give you links to the web sites where you can download these programs.

Why would someone want to use a chat program, when web-based chatrooms are so much simpler? The main reason, so I'm told, is that one can find quit-smoking support at almost all times. Whereas the web-based quit-smoking chatrooms that I know of are usually empty except between 8pm and 11pm (eastern U.S. time).

[B] Web-based Chatrooms

See the chatrooms listed at groupsa.html#Chat.

Chatrooms, such as Blair's quit smoking chat room ( http://www.chriscor.com/chat.htm ) and the Quitnet chatroom ( http://www.quitnet.org ), are the recommended way for chat novices to get support quickly for quitting smoking. There is no learning curve.

You don't need any software other than your browser. But for most chat rooms, your browser needs to have Java capability. Internet Explorer 3 and version 3 of Netscape's browser has Java capability.

All of the web-based chatrooms that I have been to are easy -- just go to them, and the rest should be apparent about what to do, or after a little experimentation. Ghus I recommend chatrooms strongly

There are some flies in the ointment, however. First, you might find that the chatroom software declares some kind of error. That is, for example, you click on the link to Blair's chatroom -- http://www.chriscor.com/chat.htm, and the page starts loading. You see some activity in the status bar at the bottom of your browser. You see it showing different Java components being loaded. Then all of a sudden in the status bar, it declares some kind of error loading a Java component.

In summary, the advantages of chatrooms are:

1. Simple to learn and use. No special software needed other than a capable web browser.

The drawbacks to chatrooms as of this writing are:

1. The page may not completely load. Then you are out of luck, except to try again somehow.

2. The two most active quit-smoking chatrooms are usually empty outside of the 8pm - 11pm time period (eastern U.S. time)

[C] Chat Via Special Programs such as ICQ, IRC, and mIRC

[C.1] Introduction

[C.2] IRC and mIRC

I don't know if IRC is the name of a program, or if it a generic name for a capability or service. I know that its initials stand for Internet Relay Chat. My guess is that IRC is a generic name. And that an example of an IRC program is mIRC.

mIRC is also available from the www.mirc.com. The M stands for Mardem, as in Khaled Mardem-Bey, the man who wrote the program.

Cobra and Starlink are IRC networks, as well as Undernet and a zillion others. When you get mIRC, it comes with a HUGE list of other networks that you can chat on.

One downloads and installs mIRC.
You then set the server, and the channel.
The channel is always shown with the "#" in front. There are thousands of channels on each server.

Below are some quit-smoking channels.

cobra IRC network
=================
  servers:   loa.com    
             ftworth.tx.us.cobra.net
 
  channel:   #as3irc

starlink IRC network
====================
  servers:    Durham.NC.US.StarLink.Org
              Miami.FL.US.StarLink.Org

  channel:    #nosmokers

If anyone reading this can comment on it or explain things better, please do!!

[C.3] ICQ

You download and install ICQ. How to use it is probably well-explained in the www.mirabilis.com site, but it seems to be page after page after page of stuff.

It seems like about half the people one finds in Blair's chatroom or the #X# bulletin board are users of ICQ. So you can find out more about it from there.

Unlike chatrooms or IRC, with ICQ you don't go "somewhere". There is no channel you get on. There is no chatroom you go to. You just meet people in places like Blair's chatroom or the #X# BB or any of the many other discussion groups that are listed in groupsa.html, and make friends and exchange ICQ numbers.

You then make a "contact" list with names and ICQ numbers.
You then "get on ICQ" somehow. It will tell you automatically who else is online that is on your contact list. You can beep others on your contact list. You can message people on or off line. (People who are offline will see the message as soon as they get online). You can request chats.

With ICQ you can only talk to those you have in your contact list or those people who go into random chat.

You can start you own chat room on ICQ

ICQ takes about 1.6 MB of disk space (or is that the size of the download?).

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