--Welcome to #macintosh, often called "Poundmac" by the regulars. The first thing you should do is change the nickname and username by which IRC identifies you to the other people here.
[Somebody who uses Homer should insert instructions here.]
Discussion on #macintosh covers two topics:
1. Macintosh hardware and software 2. Everything else.
If you have access to the world wide web (WWW), you can find out more about #macintosh and the people who live there by reading the information at http://disserv.stu.umn.edu/~thingles/PoundMac/
Feel free to ask questions on #macintosh, but if nobody answers, don't ask again right away. Social norms on IRC take time to get used to, so you may want to lurk a while before leaping into the discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions for #macintosh
Q: What are these 'bots' that everybody is talking about?
A: There are several 'robots' which live on the channel and help keep order. They archive files, give operator status to regulars, guard against incursions from malevolent #amiga users and otherwise make themselves useful.
Q: How do I find out who else is using the channel?
A: [A Homer user should inter instructions here]
Q: What does that little @ symbol mean before somebody's name?
A: [Does Homer use this notation?] That means that the person so marked is a channel operator (he or she "has ops," in IRC parlance.) An individual with ops can change the channel topic, kick off other users and do other childish^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hcool things.
Q: How can I kick somebody off the channel?
A: You need to be a channel operator. The command to kick Fred off of #macintosh is "/kick #macintosh Fred", though it can also be done via the kicking icon in Homer.
Q: How can I keep from getting kicked?
A: Excellent question. There's no law on this, but the guidelines at http://disserv.stu.umn.edu/~thingles/PoundMac/ should help you stay out of trouble. A quick summary follows: 1) Don't threaten another user. 2) Don't flood the channel with messages. 3) Don't harass anybody. 4) Don't abuse the channel. (A catch-all that includes posting nasty anti-Macintosh messages, among other things). 5) Don't solicit software piracy.
Q: How can I become a regular, like you?
A: Hang around, be clueful, answer the questions of Newbies, attend umn, and after a few months, fill out the bot- recognition application at http://disserv.stu.umn.edu/~thingles/PoundMac/