IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Info
If you're new to Linux and Open Source software, it's frequently not clear where you can get help.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC, for short) is a method for a group of people to interact via keyboard on the Internet. It's a good way to obtain help if you have a problem, or to just chat with like-minded people.
SCLUG maintains their own IRC channel, known as #sclug. It resides on the Open and Free Technology Community's (OFTC) IRC network. Another popular SoCal IRC channel is #lalugs, which resides on Freenode (irc.freenode.net).
To use IRC, you need an IRC client. Popular ones for Windows are MIRC and Pirch. If you're using Linux, as we'd hope, popular clients are (for KDE): Kopete or Konversation; for GNOME: Xchat.
If you've just installed Linux on your computer, at least one IRC client will probably already be on your system in the menus, most likely under Internet. If not, or you want to try a different IRC client, they can be installed from your repository, using whatever package management software you use.
If you're new to IRC, there's information on using it here.
Join us on irc.oftc.net / #sclug - newcomers are welcome!