Here you will be able to join in live, real-time chat with many other people who enjoy and program with Perl. This java applet will allow you to connect to the channel #perl, on the global Internet Relay Chat system (IRC) EFNet. You can also join the discussion by using a IRC application, such as ViRC.

Before going into the chat room, please read the following rules: (or go directly to the Official Channel Rules)

• No CGI or WWW questions
  
• Read the documentation (particularly the FAQ)
  
• Speak plain English (no "k3wlt0k")
  
• Minimize text attributes (bold, colors)
  
• No automatic noise (auto-away)
  
• Other Misc Stuff
  

Now that you understand the rules, here's how to use the client:

1. Click on the "Join the Chat" link below. A window will pop up to load the IRC client
   
2. Grant permission to the applet. You MUST GRANT permission for it to work
   
3. Enter a nick name in the "Nick Name" box.
   
4. You can enter a channel name or choose a channel from the list:
   • "perl" - the general perl channel
   • "rochpm" - a channel set up for Rochester.PM folks.
     
5. Choose a server from the list. The 1st one should be fine, but if it's down, try some of the others.
   
6. Press the "Connect Now" button at the bottom of the screen.
   
7. Click in the bottom text box and start typing. Press [Enter] to send the message. You can leave by pressing the "Close Chat Window" button.

Now, Join the Chat (Will pop up a new window)