Perhaps the best resource (or at least the most fun for me!) has been working with the people in #Citrix (on IRC, not twitter!) on irc.libera.chat. If you don’t know about IRC, perhaps you’re ultra young or you lived under a rock, but Wikipedia can help you out. I invite all readers to join and check out what we have to offer. There are a number of ways to get connected.
Getting Connected
Webchat
Webchat is available and is available to anyone with a browser by visiting Libera.chat. Webchat offers the ability to authenticate and pre-join a channel, which can be helpful, but if you’re a frequent visitor you might want to check out some IRC clients. Once you’ve navigated to the webchat page, simply fill in a username, for the channel type #Citrix click connect and you’ll be ready to chat.
IRC Client
My preferred client at the moment is ChatZilla, which is available either as a Firefox add-on or through a launcher called XULRunner. ChatZilla has been around a long time and is very mature. It includes robust view support, logging, BNC connections and a healthy scripting engine. Other popular options include IRSSI, mIRC (shareware, but perhaps the most used client IRC client of all time), xChat (trialware for Windows), and IceChat.
Slack
If you prefer using Slack, head over to the CitrixIRC Slack page to register as a user of the CitrixIRC Slack Team. Slack is a collaboration platform that has become popular in recent years and has excellent client support on multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, Web and Mobile. Slack supports a variety notifications. The integration with IRC is completed via a “bot” that relays all text from IRC to Slack and back. If you are in IRC, you will see <WoEUC> Username “text”.
Getting Help
Remember, we all work (in one form or another I’m sure!) so people aren’t always watching chat. When you join, remember to state your product (including version if you can) and question. There is no need to ask for permission to ask your question. If no one replies right away, stick around and see if someone can help. It may not be instant support, but it can beat spamming F5 on the forums.
Becoming a Regular
So you’ve joined Libera.chat and #Citrix a few times and decided it is a helpful resource. Perhaps your next step is to become a regular! Check out the Libera.chat website for additional tips on getting started.
You can also check out the CitrixIRC website!
Hope to see you there!
You can also join the webchat on http://join.citrixirc.com. 🙂