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Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

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Re: Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

#3
Usually I join topic-specific channels, got tons of answers in #django , #javascript, #drupal, #flask, #python, #celery, #nodejs etc ..

Those are on freenode, there are channels for software users (e.g: photoshop) but on a different servers.

Re: Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

#4
I hang out on Freenode, in #nimrod, ##php, #elementary-dev and a couple of others.

I'd love to know some good security ones to idle in; I've got a bit of experience in it and am trying to expand it some more, and would love a place to ask questions regarding web security and the like.

Re: Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

#6
Personally, I never found IRC to be a helpful tool for learning new things from unfamiliar people.

To me, IRC has always been a "grapevine" tool, where etiquette, social pecking orders and gossip are shared amongst a smallish close-knit social circle. IRC always feels more like a social scene, and a distraction.

If anything, perhaps an IRC channel is useful for managing fluid, rapidly changing situations, where you might need an up-to-date, live information source, to use in immediate decision making (hence, why bot net command and control tends to be integrated into IRC programs), but, otherwise, chat logs from IRC usually read like a disorganized array of participant's various scattered streams of consciousness.

Are you looking for reading material, or a hangout?

Re: Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

#7

Personally, I never found IRC to be a helpful tool for learning new things from unfamiliar people. To me, IRC has always been a "grapevine" tool, where etiquette, social pecking orders and gossip are shared amongst a smallish close-knit social circle. IRC always feels more like a social scene, and a distraction. If anything, perhaps an IRC channel is useful for managing fluid, rapidly changing situations, where you m…

On the flip side hanging out in #nginx taught me so much. I started helping out other people. Started a blog to write about common topics which caused me to write a book about nginx and currently planning another one. Ultimately IRC is a tool and like most other tools it is what you make of it. Become a contributor to channels and you will learn so much.

Re: Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

#8

Personally, I never found IRC to be a helpful tool for learning new things from unfamiliar people. To me, IRC has always been a "grapevine" tool, where etiquette, social pecking orders and gossip are shared amongst a smallish close-knit social circle. IRC always feels more like a social scene, and a distraction. If anything, perhaps an IRC channel is useful for managing fluid, rapidly changing situations, where you m…

Many IRC channels have the kind of social pecking orders you describe, either in the form of in-groups or general rudeness to newbies, but many are still extremely informative and helpful.

Re: Ask HN: Best IRC channels?

#10
This is going to be borderline off-topic as it's not general for developers.

I have to mention #clojure on freenode for being an incredibly welcoming IRC channel. The discussions you will see can be very interesting, and the community is more than often willing to help. Living in Japan, I was worried about the timezones being an issue, but there seems to be people from different parts of the world on the channel, making it very nice.

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