Up to SecureIRC

IRSSI How To

IRSSI is a nice text-mode IRC client that supports SSL - SecureIRC.

Screenshot of IRSSI running in screen in Window Maker:

Installing

See the IRSSI download page, easiest thing for RedHat and Debian users is to use apt to install and update.

Redhat

Get apt from freshrpms if you don't have it already, then add this to your /etc/apt/sources.list file:

rpm http://ninja.no/apt 8.0/i386 irssi
rpm-src http://ninja.no/apt 8.0/i386 irssi

### Dag RPM Repository for Red Hat 9 (rh90)
rpm http://apt.sw.be redhat/9/en/i386 dag

for other redhat/fedora versions take a look at: http://dag.wieers.com/home-made/apt/

Then do this as root:

apt-get update
apt-get install irssi

Debian

apt-get install irssi-snapshot
apt-get install xirssi

Mandrake

As root:

urpmi irssi

If you did not have CD2 at install you may have to set 'main' as a source.

Using

Connecting

Start IRSSI:

$ irssi

Then connect to Indymedia:

/CONNECT -SSL irc.indymedia.org 6697

Some people have had problems with using SSL and irssi when querying people who are also using ssl. As of this writing, irc.indymedia.org appears to use an SSL wrapper which obscures the actual originating host of the connection from the IRC server, so all users connected via SSL appear to the IRC server as *irc@localhost. It seems as if irssi (or is it the IRC server?) tracks username (nick?) changes based on the login@hostname, and if both users who are talking to each other have the same login@hostname, then the name changes back and forth and you are talking to youself part of the time. A workaround for this is to do:

/set query_track_nick_changes off

but this means that if someone does change their nick, your query will not follow them, so you will have to manually do this. This is worth it if you ask me.

Registering your nick

The first time you are connected, you might like to register your nick so others can rely on your identity. Choose a good password, and then do:

/msg nickserv register yourGoodPassword

From then on, when you connect to the same host, to identify yourself properly, do:

/msg nickserv identify yourGoodPassword

(see below about how to do this automatically from your ~/.irssi/config file)

Running with screen

Running IRSSI in screen allows you to run a IRSSI client on an always connected machine and connect using ssh from a variety of places to pick up where you left off, very handy :-).

$ screen
$ irssi

And then disconnect the session with Ctrl-a,d (press ctrl and A together, then release both, then press D). This will "detach" you from your screen session and leave it running.

To reconnect to a detached screen session (or to start a new one if none exits), use:

$ screen -R

Config File

You can also add this to your ~/.irssi/config file:

 servers = (

 {
    address = "irc.indymedia.org";
    chatnet = "indymedia";
    port = "6697";
    use_ssl = "yes";
    autoconnect = "yes";
  }
);

and (don't forget to replace yourGoodPassword with your actual password!):

chatnets = {

  indymedia = {
    type = "IRC";
    autosendcmd = "/msg nickserv identify yourGoodPassword";
    max_kicks = "4";
    max_modes = "4";
    max_msgs = "1";
    max_whois = "1";
  }
};

and

channels = (

  { name = "#tech"; chatnet = "indymedia"; autojoin = "Yes"; },
  { name = "#indymedia"; chatnet = "indymedia"; autojoin = "Yes"; }
);

Logging

In IRSSI type:

/set autolog on

and your logs will start appearing in ~/irclogs/

I prefer only autologging private messages, logging everything in every channel becomes a lot of data really fast... if I just log private messages, then if my screen session dies, I will be able to read them. I do this by setting:

/set autolog_level MSGS  -crap -clientcrap -ctcps

Anonomising Logging

If you don't want to log the remote addresses of people (handy for logs that will be posted to lists or the wiki) then copy default.theme (find it using $ locate default.theme) to ~/.irssi/log.theme and edit this:

  # nick host is printed
  #nickhost = "[$*]";
  nickhost = "";

And then:

 /set log_theme log

See also IrcLogs

SILC Plugin

there is a description of how to set up the SILC plugin for irssi on the penguin-breeder site which i found quite easily through google. it is not a straight forward process and, additionally, i only have a mac at the moment on which to play, so i have not tried (yet). it would be good if someone could comment on the instructions...

that all said, is it not a little moot until there is an indymedia SILC server?? or are there others to connect to?

-- GarconDuMonde - 09 Nov 2004

handy screen and irssi howto http://f0rked.com/articles/irssi