Most graphical clients let you open a private chat by right-clicking on a user name.
==Tools for collaboration==
The best way to share long sections of text with other IRC users is '''not''' to paste it into the channel. For any text longer than === Using a few lines (9 being the maximum), for example build output, source code, error messages, configuration text files, etc., you should avoid pasting it into an IRC channel directly. Instead, you should use one of the following methods:Pastebin ===
===Using #flood===The best way to share long sections of text with other IRC users is '''not''' to paste it into the channel. For any text longer than a few lines (9 being the maximum), for example build output, source code, error messages, configuration text files, etc., you should avoid pasting it into an IRC channel directly. Instead, you should use an on-line "pastebin". These are websites that allow users to temporarily host large quantities of text, and assign them unique URLs. There are a number of pastebins available with similar features (they really differ only in syntax highlighting and retention time):
* The #flood channel is designed to allow users to "flood" the system with text too long for regular channelsoriginal pastebins: http://pastebin. It is always available, and users come and go as they need to show one another somethingorg http://pastebin.com* Canadian pastebin: http://pastebin.ca* Mozilla pastebin: http://mozilla.pastebin.org* Fedora pastebin: http://fpaste.com
===Using private chats with individual user(s)===You use simply paste your text into the textbox, and optionally select any syntax highlighting you desire. Finally, add your Name and click the Send button. You'll be taken to a new page. Copy the URL from the address bar, which will look something like this:
Another option is to use a temporary channel, which comes to the same thing as using #flood, but is more private if you need to share something less publicly. You could ask two or three people to join you in a channel name of your choosing, then paste your text therehttp://pastebin.mozilla.org/4248
/join #temp1234 ...invite others to come and see... ...paste Now, you can easily share this URL in IRC without actually copying your text and chat about itdirectly into the channel.The length of time that the pastebin data will be stored varies between the pastebin sites.'''Note:''' pastebin data is not in any way secure or private! -- don't pastebin confidential information. /leave
===Using pastebin.mozilla.orgprivate channels with small groups ===
The thirdTo hold a private discussion with more than one person, and perhaps most common, solution is to use an on-line pastebin. These are websites that allow users you could ask two or three people to temporarily host large quantities join you in a channel name of text, and assign them unique URLs. Mozilla hosts its own pastebin, which is publicly accessible at httpyour choosing://mozilla.pastebin.org.
You use simply paste your text into the textbox, /join #temp1234 ...invite others to come and optionally select any syntax highlighting you desiresee by sending them a /msg or: /invite ''nick'' ... Finally, add your Name and click have the Send buttonprivate discussion.. You'll be taken to a new page. Copy the URL from the address bar, which will look something like this:/leave
http://pastebin.mozilla.org/4248=== Sharing long complicated URLs ===
NowMany of the URLs that users share with one another on IRC are long or complicated. Because some users work with command-line clients, you it can easily share this URL in IRC without actually copying your text directly be difficult to copy-and-paste these URLs into the channelbrowser. By default such A better solution is to use [http://tinyurl.com TinyURL.com]. TinyURL allows users to paste and submit long URLs will exist in order to generate a much shorter URL. A typical TinyURL, for 1 monthexample the location of Seneca on Google Maps, but you can manually override looks like this prior to clicking Send.:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Sharing long complicated URLsseneca+college&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=57.424512,108.28125&ie=UTF8&z=12&ll=43.814463,-79.381027&spn=0.103554,0.211487&om=1&iwloc=B
Many of the URLs that users share with one another on IRC are long or complicatedbecomes. Because some users work with command-line clients, it can be difficult to copy-and-paste these URLs into the browser. A better solution is to use [http://tinyurl.com TinyURL.com]. TinyURL allows users to paste and submit long URLs in order to generate a much shorter URL. A typical TinyURL, for example the location of Seneca on Google Maps, looks like this:
<code> http://maps.googletinyurl.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=seneca+college&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=57.424512,108.28125&ie=UTF8&z=12&ll=43.814463,-79.381027&spn=0.103554,0.211487&om=1&iwloc=B32pcyt
becomes...TinyURL now includes the ability for you to specify the last part of the URL, so you can make easy-to-remember short URLs:
http://tinyurl.com/32pcyt</code>seneca-at-york
TinyURLs never expire, so passing them around in emails, newsgroup postings, etc. won't cause problems.
