Konversation
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LINUX USER KTools Konversation Talk to me! Why roam afar, when the next Chat Room is so close? Virtual chatterboxes will simply love Konversation, the latest KDE IRC tool, for its user friendly desktop. BY STEFANIE TEUFEL our telephone bill is too high, but assumes that the KDE3 and Qt3-Dev (Figure 1) and type the details for that you haven’t exhausted your fla- packages, and the standard compiler server in the window shown in Figure 2 Ytrate? Then, instead of grabbing tools, are installed. (Freenode [2]). At the same time, you the phone, chat with your distant friends To get started, either go to the Internet can also choose a channel to immedi- via the keyboard. The IRC service, short / Konversation entry in the K menu or ately connect to the new server. This for “Internet Relay Chat”, is ideal for this. enter konversation & in a terminal win- little gimmick can save you a lot of time For almost every subject, no matter dow of your choice. (If you compiled the later. If you want to connect to a specific how far-out, there will be an appropriate program yourself, you will have to sup- server each time you start the program, chat room, or IRC channel, available. ply the correct path.) then use the check box next to the And if there isn’t, then you can create The main window (see Figure 1) is not desired server in the Server List. one for your subject. To do so, all you only your ticket to the world of IRC, but The Identity entry in the selection list need is an IRC client and a connection to also the command center for configuring on the left of Figure 1 is also important. one of the many IRC servers on the Inter- the program to your individual needs. While pseudonyms are frowned on in net. Although there are many IRC clients The entry point, a dialog box called newsgroups, here they are preferred and available, we will be discussing Konver- Server list, is used to manage the various encouraged. So pick an appropriate Nick sation [1], a KDE program built for this IRC servers. and enter it in the nickname field (see task, that stands out above all due to its Unfortunately, this is where we stum- Figure 3). Because there are many users, ease of use. bled over one of only a few shortcomings your chosen nick may already have been ”Extra Gear” (http://extragear.kde. of the chat program. Unlike similar IRC taken. Konversation supplies three more org/) is a loose collection of KDE pro- programs, the Konver- grams that for various reasons are not sation developers did included in the Core KDE package. It can not supply a list of the be downloaded at http://konversation. most popular IRC-Net- sourceforge.net/. As well as the source works and the data for code, there are also several RPM pack- their matching servers. ages for the best known distributions Select the only avail- from Debian to SuSE up for grabs. Pro- able entry, and then grams such as rpm, kpackage, dpkg can click on Connect, to facilitate the installation steps. contact the KDE IRC There is no package available for SuSE server on the largest 8.1 and a few other distributions, but IRC server network, after unzipping the konversation-0.12. IRCNet, and enter the tar.gz package in /usr/local/kde/bin, the KDE channel by click- standard configure; make; make install ing #kde-users. After steps will do the job just fine. This opening the chat win- dow that appears, you KTools can select Settings/Kon- Figure 1: Your window to the world of IRC In this column we present tools,month by versation Configure to month,which have proven to be especially return to the configura- useful when working under KDE,solve a tion dialog. problem which otherwise is deliberately In order to connect to ignored,or are just some of the nicer things chat servers on other in life,which – once discovered – you would IRC networks, click on not want to do without. the New Server entry Figure 2: New servers, please! 74 December 2003 www.linux-magazine.com KTools LINUX USER Figure 3: A suitable identity for everybody Figure 4: Chat, or just listen first? nickname fields where you can enter nel tab whenever something happens in This page makes extensive use of the alternative nicknames. The program the channel. This could be someone IRC term Op. It has the following mean- works its way through the list, if your writing a message or a user entering or ing: a user who enters a newly created first choice has already been taken. leaving the channel. channel is assigned more rights than Konversation also has the capability to Besides chatting, IRC can be used to users who come in later. As the channel be in one IRC network with a certain exchange of data files. DCCs, “Direct Operator, you can kick another user out nick, while using a different nick in Client Connections” are used for this pur- of the channel for misbehaving, or for another network. The button Add new pose. Two IRC clients, you and your reasons of your own. identity allows you to put on a new “cos- partner, set up a direct connection to one The most important commands for tume”. While the standard name New another without having to go through the Ops are found below the user list on the Identity is not very specific, you can IRC server. You can use the DCC settings right. You can click on kick to “kick” a change it with the Rename button. As to configure the connection’s behavior. user out, and Ban outlaws a user from soon as you have saved your new The option DCC accept downloads your channel. Op allows you to assign “nick”, it will become available in the automatically should be used with cau- other users Op rights – DeOp will revoke Identity pull down menu. It is also avail- tion, as it will allow Konversation to them. If you want to apply a command able in the Server Lists, after you have download anything offered to you with- to more than one user, use [Ctrl] left made the proper entries using the Edit out asking any questions. This could also mouse button to select those users button. This allows you to customize a include malicious program code. If you before applying the command. separate identity for each server. want the program to add the name of the Users who spend more time in IRC are The behavior of your IRC client can be sender to the downloads, simply check bound to make friends. Konversation changed with General settings. If you the Sender in data name checkbox. helps you maintain these contacts, by enable the Automatically Connect and monitoring when your IRC buddies are Automatically Enter options, Konversa- On Your Marks, Get Set, Chat! online. Drop down the Window/Notify tion will try to automatically re-connect Once in the channel of your choice, there list menu, and enter the appropriate if the connection should be broken. A is nothing to stop you from having excit- nicks using the New button. Konversa- check on blinking tabs tells Konversation ing conversations. The channel window tion will then notify you when these to light up a small indicator on the chan- is divided into three areas (see Figure 4). users are in a channel or enter a channel. The messages from your channel part- As much as you may be happy to see GLOSSARY ners or the server are shown in the main some users, others can be a problem. But window. On the right, Konversation lists never fear, the program provides the Core: All KDE programs that are officially the users currently in the channel. Window/Ignore list menu entry to solve released are assigned to so called “Core”pack- ■ ages.While “kdelibs”and “kdebase”must be Your own messages are typed into the this problem. installed, other packages, that are organized command line at the bottom. If you have by subject matter such as “kdeadmin”or kept the default settings for General set- INFO “kdemultimedia”,can be left out. tings/command char, each of your [1] Konversation:http://konversation. IRC-Network: You can reach all the users on system commands will begin with a sourceforge.net/ all the servers of a specific IRC network. But slash /. Entering /help will display the users on different networks are unable to [2] Freenode:http://www.freenode.net available commands. A quick start can connect to one another. [3] IRC help:http://www.irchelp.org be found at IRChelp [3]. www.linux-magazine.com December 2003 75.