Turns out to be easy to use irc in NetBeans IDE 7.2. Install Irssi (I was able to do apt-get to install it), which has a handy guide here, and then use the Terminal window in NetBeans IDE (Window | Output | Terminal):
In the above, do this:
irssi
/connect irc.freenode.net
/join #netbeans
Then, next time you have a problem in NetBeans IDE or there's some question you have about how to do something, just type your question in the Terminal window and someone will help you, if someone is there who knows the answer.