IRC Channels for Perl Questions and Answers
What is the IRC?
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat, and it is a distributed, real-time form of communication, that was common from relatively early in the history of the Internet, and is still very popular. IRC servers form networks of servers - each network is separated from the other networks and the servers of each network share the same chat-rooms, user profiles and messages. Each network has different rules and conventions and a different culture. This allows chat-rooms (called channels in IRC jargon) with the same name to exist in different networks.
Some popular IRC clients include the cross-platform and open-source Chatzilla (which is part of the Mozilla project and can be installed on top of Firefox), the Windows-based mIRC (which is shareware and not open-source) and HexChat, a cross-platform, gratis and open source IRC client for all UNIX systems including Linux and Mac OS X, and Windows. By downloading one, you can log in to an IRC network and start chatting.
IRC is a great way to get answers to questions quickly and easily. Just note that some networks are not recommended for asking Vim questions on, due to the treatment of beginner question, or general unfriendliness.
Links for More Information
- Wikipedia page about the "Internet Relay Chat"
- IRC Help - comprehensive helps and FAQs about IRC.
- Shlomi Fish’s List of Networking Clients
- The Wikipedia's List/Comparison of IRC Clients
Freenode
This is most probably the best network for getting help with Vim and technical matters in general.
Check the channel #vim.
OFTC
The channel #vim accepts beginner questions.