Internet Relay Chat

For a more interactive place to seek guidance from Java programmers, try Internet Relay Chat (IRC), a network of live chat rooms—which are called channels—devoted to specific topics.

The #java channel on the Undernet network was highly recommended by a reader of a previous edition of this book.

Undernet servers can be accessed from any IRC chat client. You also can participate over the Web by visiting http://www.undernet.org.

A Java applet on the site provides the means to communicate in real time with the users in the channel.

Before seeking help, you should review the frequently asked questions for the channel, which have been published on the Web at http://javafaq.mine.nu.

The channel can be rough on new arrivals, as demonstrated by an excerpt from the FAQ: "treating people who are showing a lack of motivation to help themselves like dirt is part of the great master plan of #java to actually scare people, so that they rather investigate their problems at Google for hours before asking in the channel."