IRC channel

From Compsci.ca Wiki

The #compsci.ca channel on IRC is where all the cool members are hanging out. Chances are, if you're not there, you're missing something exciting and important.

Information

Server: irc.afternet.org

Main Channel: #compsci.ca

Self-taught Programming Channel: #cs-self-taught

History

Of The Main Channel

Much of #compsci.ca's early history is shrouded in mystery. Nobody is quite sure the exact time when it was created, but rumour has it that Coutsos was its founder, although he did not begin to regularly attend it until quite some time later. Its first regular inhabitants were wtd and a mysterious lurker named Ultrahex, who doesn't seem to be a bona fide member of the CompSci.ca community, although he's always in the channel. Things took off sometime in early 2005, when a wave of members, including Hikaru79, Coutsos, Cervantes, and Gandalf started regularly attending the channel. At present, #compsci.ca has a regular population of about seven, give or take, although it is subject to occasional flurries of activity, often when the moon is full.

Of The Self-taught Programming Channel

This channel was thought of on the forums by wtd on December 14, 2005. The main interest of this new channel is Ruby and O'Caml. This channel is not for the people who are taught programming in high school but for the people who self-teach it. When wtd announced it, there was a great cheer for wtd since he created the channel for the rest of the users to use and ask questions about.

Daily Life

Much of #compsci.ca's time is spent in utter silence (while its members spend time in deep personal reflection and thought), broken periodically by outbursts of conversation, instruction, and weirdness. Hilarity often ensues. Confusion can become rampant when the mature members take to stealing each other's nicknames (see Coutsos Identity Crisis). On a good day, wtd can be observed teaching some interesting, mind-blowing new programming concept.

IRC Names to CompSci.ca User Names

• wtd - wtd, Lotho
• Cornflake - md, minor_deity, or cornflake
• Coutsos - Coutsos
• Cervantes - Cervantes, Minsc, and 100's of other variations that come up
• Gandalf - Gandalf, [Gandalf]
• Hikaru79 - Hikaru79
• Hacker Dan - Hacker_Dan, Dan
• timmytheturtle - timmy, timmytheturtle, timmythetortoise
• Amailer - Amailer
• TheFerret - TheFerret

*Note: May vary greatly when name-switching game is in progress.

The Future

The future for #compsci.ca is looking bright, as it receives more and more attention in the compsci.ca community, particularly through the siggies and evangelism of Cervantes, Coutsos, and Hikaru79. With any luck, it will soon be as integral a part of the compsci.ca experience as the forum has come to be.

Hacker Dan has made plans to integrate a Java-based IRC client that will send users to the channel directly from the forums. The feature is planned to be included in the new forum software, V3, that hopefully will be completed over the 2005/2006 Christmas break.