Curphoo FAQ

Q. I tried `make` in the curphoo source directory but I get this error: 

    make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found.  Stop.
What's the deal?
A. If you look really close, you won't see a Makefile in the source directory. That is why make fails. There is no need to run make. Just run curphoo by typing its pathname on the command line.

Q. I get this error when I run curphoo: 

    bash: curphoo: No such file or directory
What's going on?
A. By default, the top line of the file curphoo looks like: 
    #!/usr/local/Pythn-2.1/bin/python
Modify this line to suit your system. ie: 
    #!<path to your Python2+ interpreter>

Q. My Backspace key doesn't work how do I delete characters?
A. Try typing: export TERM=linux in your shell. Also check out alternatives to using the backspace key or try ctrl-h or shift-backspace.

Q. Can I make a link to curphoo in /usr/local/bin?
A. Yes. This is a good idea. You can make a link to the curphoo script anywhere you like. You want to make sure every module in the curphoo source directory is compiled first though (byte compiled python scripts end with the .pyc extension). You want to do this to improve curphoo's startup time. Compile the modules by running curphoo as a regular user (Do not run curphoo as root!) or as any other user that has write access to the curphoo source directory. You'll know that you have done it right if you see files in the curphoo source directory that end with the .pyc extension.

Q. What do the letters `C', `I', and `B' on the status bar stand for?
A. `C' indicates how many chatters are currently in the room. `I' is how many users you have on your ignore list. `B' is how many users you have on your buddy list.

Q. I am getting errors regarding colors on Solaris. What do I do?
A. Set your TERM variable to ddterm.

Q. Is Curphoo GPL`ed?
A. Yes.

Q. curphoo sucks so much it's not funny. Are there any other preferably cooler chat clients other than this POS?
A. Yes. Check out chat clients written by other programmers or write one yourself.

Q. I type ./curphoo.py after setting the correct '/path/to/python' in curphoo.py and it just exits without an error. Whats wrong?
A. Yahoo! has recently disabled some of there chat servers so for now you must use the -s switch when starting curphoo. eg: ./curphoo.py -s7 Currently server #5 thru #8 are working.

Misc

You do not need to set the environment variable called PYTHONPATH to run curphoo, but if for some reason you need to have it set (maybe for other python programs) make sure the directory containing the Python2+ modules is included in this path.