ANNOUNCE: RDF Interest Group IRC channel, tools, logs: #rdfig

RDF IG,

I'm pleased to announce that we have put some tools in place to support
an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel for RDF and Semantic Web developers.

	Full details: 	http://www.w3.org/RDF/Interest/#irc
	Server network:	http://openprojects.nu/
	Channel name:	#rdfig
	Channel URI:	irc://irc.openprojects.net/#rdfig

As discussed at the RDF IG face to face(*) last month, Internet Relay Chat
(IRC) has provided itself a very useful tool for many of us at W3C and
nearby. After looking at various options, we've set up an channel using
the facilities provided by the Open Projects Network, who offer IRC server
support to various Open Source initiatives.

In addition to the channel itself we have a few handy collaboration tools
in place already.  Dave Beckett has set up a searchable logging system
that archives the discussions on #rdfig into the Web (text/html/rdf); Edd
Dumbill and friends have given us an installation  of 'chump', an
IRC-to-Hypertext recommendation and annotation tool, and Libby Miller
has hacked an XSLT convertor that turns the 'chump' logs into an RSS 1.0
feed. You'll notice from the logs that news of the experimental channel
has been spreading by word of mouth for a couple of weeks, and already
provides a round-the-clock drop in centre for RDF/SW developers.

For those of you new to IRC, it is a real-time text based chat system,
based on the notion of named "channels". The RDF IG home page (see
http://www.w3.org/RDF/Interest/#irc) has links to a few useful sites, or
browse the existing #rdfig logs to get a feel for how we've been using.

Please bear in mind that this is something of an experiment, both
technically (let me know of any glitches you encounter) and socially
(there are hundreds of people on www-rdf-interest; the pre-announced IRC
channel is already a busy place). Also note that it is a public, archived
and searchable forum: don't say things you don't want to become part of
the Web forever.  It might make sense for us to spawn additional channels
(eg. for Logic or DC or sitemap or calendaring enthusiasts); let's see how
it goes.

Anyhow, I hope this with prove fun, educational, and a useful
compliment to our existing email-based forums. For those of
you who don't have the time or inclination to join us in IRC, do take the
occasional look at the logs and WWW utilities; the channel has already
proved itself a handy way of sharing and annotating Web links, demos and
the like.

see you in irc://,

Dan


(*) minutes/notes still delayed; I hope by midweek next week


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mailto:danbri@w3.org
http://www.w3.org/People/DanBri/

Received on Friday, 30 March 2001 12:38:04 UTC