upgrades. Kmail is commonly used by lovers of the KDE desktop that is
commonly run as a part of many Linux-based operating systems. All these
and more are available for installation from the Ubuntu software repositories.
In addition, all of the web-based email applications, such as Gmail, Hotmail,
and Yahoo! Mail, work just fine with Ubuntu.
Internet Relay Chat
As documented in RFC 2812 and RFC 2813, the Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
protocol is used for text conferencing. Like mail and news, IRC uses a
client/server model. Although it is rare for an individual to set up and run an
IRC server, it can be done. Most people use public IRC servers and access
them with IRC clients. IRC is also the favorite and most common form of
quick communication among developers in the Ubuntu community, so if that
interests you, you will certainly want to learn to use this tool.
Ubuntu provides a number of graphical IRC clients in the repositories,
including XChat, Pidgin, and Quassel. Ubuntu also makes the console clients
epic and irssi available in the repositories for those who eschew X and a
graphical interface. Don’t laugh; there are actually many who do this, and not
just server admins. Many people use console clients because they can be run
on a remote server and accessed over Secure Shell (SSH), using byobu or
screen, which means they can be left running 24/7 on that remote server.
For more about byobu and screen, see Chapter 12, “Command-Line
Master Class, Part 2.” If you don’t already have a favorite IRC client, you
should try them all.
XChat is a very popular IRC client and the most common recommendation
for IRC newcomers using Ubuntu. It is no longer actively maintained but is
stable and works well. In its place is a fork called HexChat, which we use as
an example.
The HexChat application enables you to assign yourself up to three
nicknames. You can also specify your real name and your username. Because
many people choose not to use their real names in IRC chat, you are free to
enter any names you desire in any of the spaces provided. You can select
multiple nicknames; you might be banned from an IRC channel under one
name, and you could then rejoin using another. If this seems slightly juvenile
to you, you are beginning to get an idea of the type of behavior on many IRC
channels (but not the ones where serious developer and Ubuntu community
interactions take place).
When you open the main HexChat screen, a list of IRC servers appears, as