An IRC client is the most reliable method of connecting to us.
eg:
mIRC for windows - www.mirc.co.uk
xchat for linux - www.xchat.org
snak for mac- www.snak.com
or one of the many others available
(no client is endorsed by CotW, the above are just used as examples)
- you will need to connect to server irc.crackofthewhip.org, port 6667
- once connected, it is recommended that you join channel #general
