[X-Unix] IRC, lynx, newsgroups, RPM install, etc.

[Stroller]

On Jul 17, 2004, at 4:32 pm, Alexandre Quessy wrote:
>
> I have fun reading your mails. It helps me to get used to *NIX on my 
> Mac. Apple is fortunately now the largest UNIX-based OS distributor ! 
> Great !
>
> I actually have many questions for you, guys:
>
> ======>
> 1. IRC
> I'd like to use a Terminal-based IRC client.

Erm... why..?!?

For me, the joy of the Mac is that it combines the usability of a 
fantastic GUI to the power of the Unix command line (when I need it). , 
although KDE has come along well in the last couple of years, for my 
money OS X is the only low-maintenance Unix with a really usable UI. 
For tasks like answering emails & chatting, where I might want to open 
a URL in a web-browser it's much better to use a GUI client & click on 
the link than to have to copy & paste from the terminal.

> I downloaded ircii 2.8.2 on http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/ircii/ 
> which seems THE command to use. Now I need to install this package. I 
> think it's with RPM, right ? There is no such entry in MAN RPM, at 
> least in TCSH. What about in BASH ? Now, how can I install my IRC 
> client ? Is there one that is already installed. OS X seems to come 
> with very little UNIX commands installed. (about a thousand...)

Hmmmn... RPM stands for Redhat Package manager, and is most commonly 
used on Linux systems. RPM files can contain program source code, but 
most commonly contain binaries, suitable for a certain architecture / 
platform (most commonly x86 & Linux). I don't know if there is a port 
of RPM (the _manager_ part) for OS X - it certainly wouldn't be the 
most common way to install stuff on OS X.

On the page you give the link to ircii 2.8.2 seems to point to this 
file <http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/ircii/ircii-2.8.2.tar.gz>, which 
is the source for ircii. If you unpack this, `cd` to that folder & type 
`configure && Make && cd source && irc` you will have a running, but 
apparently very primitive, IRC client. (Hint: `server irc.efnet.net`)

Also mentioned on that page is <http://www.irssi.org/> & the sources on 
their download page should work the same way. There is a link to a 
binary for OS X, but only the GUI port 
<http://gizmolabs.org/~andrew/andrewweb/project.php?pid=2&tab=1>.

Personally, I use BitchX on the rare occasions I wish to use IRC at the 
terminal. I run it on my Linux box & access it via SSH - useful if I'm 
on a Windows network on which the sysadmins do not approve of chat 
applications. Try the "MacOS" binaries at 
<http://www.bitchx.org/download.php> - the G4 .sit file worked for me - 
under Panther I could just double-click on it, but if you wish to be 
more "Unix-like" I'm sure you can type `/path/to/BitchX` at the 
terminal.

Finally, take a look at Colloquy 
<http://colloquy.info/downloads/nightly.zip>. It's GUI & it's still in 
development, but it's the nicest IRC client I've used in a loooong 
time. See the testimonials & screenshots at <http://colloquy.info/>


> 2. USR/ETC/.CONFIG or so ?
> I'd like to make the command lynx automagically make my 
> usr/bin/local/lynk works all the time. I forgot the file to edit with 
> VI (or Pico). Where is it and what should I write into it ?

I'm not sure what you mean. Maybe these links explain what you're 
asking..?
<http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/1455/swol-0915-unix101/>
<://helpdesk.ua.edu/unix/tipsheet/tipv1n12.html>

> 3. NEWSGROUPS
> Any idea for a Terminal-based newgroups reader ?

Yuck!

Stroller.