Editorial -
(N)etiquette for IRC that Transcends a World of Cultures, Philosophies, and Backgrounds
by marks
How we perceive others with whom we come in contact is determined almost relative to how we had patterned our behavior over a span of our childhood years and emerging adulthood. Making a determination of what is acceptable, proper, and even considerate behavior in our interaction with others from afar is not always so easy a task.
There exists presently on Undernet IRC, as well as on most of the other larger networks, such diverse groupings of individuals as to preclude there being only one set of rules that is sufficient to provide guidelines for our on-line conduct. While there are those whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc for their own demented pleasure or out of a need to have some sense of control in their life over others for any of a number of psychological reasons, the clear majority of those who use IRC on a regular basis do so because they desire social interaction with others who are among their technical interests, those who share sporting and recreational goals, and even music and arts. Being able to choose one's own time to join and participate in discussions has a wide appeal, due to its relative flexibility.
At this point, a set of standards of some sort, however loosely defined, must come into play. The first impression that seems to surface is that old maxim, "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." This social behavioral guideline is predicated on the idea that we will at least offer others the courtesy that we ourselves expect or desire from them were the situation reversed in some way. This works well among peoples who as a group have common ethnic backgrounds or possibly other cultural similarities where there is a set of well-defined behavioral patterns that have seemingly emerged over a long period of time.
Today's rapidly evolving technology, especially that which takes the distance factor out of communications, seems to change all the rules. No longer do individuals find themselves in groups with similar languages, religions, mores, and other environmental similarities. So now the question, ah, what to do? How tolerant should one be of what is deemed to be rude or abusive behavior by others? How far is far enough? What does a person really have in their thoughts and intend to communicate when they "pseudo-verbally" type a string of letters and words into a text dialogue entry box?
These are certainly issues that will tend to resolve themselves over a period of time. But, in the meantime, how should they be handled? Perhaps giving others the "benefit of the doubt" would "go a long ways" in promoting more of a positive image among those engaging in both channel and private conversations. Too often we tend to become offended at words which were not in fact intended to be that way in even the smallest way.
In summarizing, try focusing on understanding in a positive tone those things of which you might have a doubt as to the writer's intentions when you are engaging in channel conversation or a private chat. Assume the other person may possibly not be able to express their real thoughts due to language and cultural barriers. Be reluctant to feel offended just because there is an appearance of text which in some meanings could be taken that way. There are so many positive responses which can be given that would adequately provide the means of ascertaining the "true" intentions of that person. So many more aspects of "netiquette" could be the topic for a discussion here, but without initially recognizing that until we can communicate in the true sense of the word, the others really do not matter.
(The opinions expressed here are those of the editor, and not necessarily
that of the Undernet, its admins, the User Committee, or any related organizations.)
Comments? Send them to us at newsletter@undernet.org
A random selection of feedback will be published in future issues of UnderCurrents.
A Portrait of Toronto
by `8ball
Usually, when two people meet for the first time on the Internet Relay Chat,
they exchange their not too personal info, the customary "a/s/l", meaning
age, sex & location. After that, the two new friends usually get no more
information about one another, how their city is, and local customs that
would be considered exotic to people that are foreign to that region. Well
thanks to the suggestion of a person I respect a lot, I have decided to
educate the unknowing Undernet users about my "neck of the woods" - Toronto,
Ontario.
Toronto is a relatively new town, compared to the great European and Asian
cities that have been well established for thousands of years. The city,
originally called York, was first established as a fur trading post for fur
traders in the early 1700's, however not until the early 1800's was the city
known as a major city, before it was simply an outpost.
Today, it is unrivaled as Canada's financial and cultural capital, with such
monuments as the CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure at
585 metres. We also have what is a marvel of sports facilitation, the Sky
Dome, home to our baseball club, the Blue Jays and out Football team, The
Argos. Also, the Air Canada Centre is home to the newest and best team in
the NBA, The Raptors.
We are known as Hollywood North, having a billion
dollar a year film industry. We also have a great Canadian version of
Broadway, with many great theatres and opera houses around the city. Toronto
was voted numerous times the world's best and safest big city to live in, by
the UN. Also, Canada is consistently voted the best country to live in by
the UN. Toronto is one of the greenest cities in the world; on top of that,
we are the world's most ethnically diverse city. Every culture is respected
in this city, with many closely grouped ethnic neighborhoods, such as Little
Italy, Chinatown, Greek town and many others. People say we are not a
melting pot, rather a cultural mosaic.
Toronto has a total population of around 3.5 million, making it a small city
compared to US & International standards. There is a waterfront, however our
lake, Lake Ontario is the world's most polluted lake due to heavy shipping.
However, big projects are underway to clean the lake up, and already people
have started swimming more often in the lake.
There is a very proud sentiment among Torontonians that is not visible in
other cities of the world, a certain pride knowing that you are part of a
truly special city. We here are fiercely proud of our Hockey team, the Maple
Leafs, one of the greatest teams in all of sports. Everything in this town
revolves around the Leafs and their schedule. The soccer fans of Europe only
match this patriotism for a team. Most people look forward to winter, which
brings hockey, and snow. During the winter everyone travels an hour or so up
north and goes skiing for the weekend once or twice a year, it is
practically a tradition.
As the winter season approaches here in Toronto, already the holiday mood in Toronto
is visible, with the lights lighting up the night in the neighborhoods. The
holiday season is always very special in Toronto, signifying a time for family and
friends; this is my favourite time of year without a doubt. During the
summer, another event lights up the night, the Benson & Hedges Symphony of
Fire, and internationally renowned Fireworks festival where countries from
all over the world come and compete to gain the recognition of this prize.
It is a great spectacle for all to see.
This is all for my article on Toronto, however I hope to be able to write
for the great User-Com in the Future, I hope you all enjoyed reading this
article and learned something new about this Great City.
Signing off from Toronto, have a great Holiday Season and take care of
yourselves :)
Peter, a.k.a. `8ball-
8ball@othernet.org
What's Happening in #Userguide
by DCraig
-- #Userguide - The User Committee's Help Channel --
Here at #Userguide, we're proud to offer friendly and accurate help with
users' questions about IRC, the Undernet, or just computers in general. We
firmly believe in providing personal one-on-one help that may be hard to
find in other channels. Our members also enjoy chatting, so feel free to
join us even if you don't have a question. We'd like to have you!
#Userguide is also a great place to learn more about the User Committee and
its various projects. So if you find yourself in need of help on IRC or
would just like to chat with some friendly folks, feel free to /join
#Userguide and you'll be met with helpful assistance!
-- Craig
Got questions? We’ll try to help.
Just email user-com@undernet.org
HTML Editor Contrast - Composer and DreamWeaver
by Idoru
HTML Editors
Comparison of Netscape Composer and Macromedia Dreamweaver 2
Last issue of Undercurrents
Newsletter featured a review of AceExpert3 HTML Editor. This
issue will feature a comparison of Netscape Composer - which comes free with
Netscape Communicator - and Macromedia Dreamweaver 2, which retails at
$299USD.
If you have never made a webpage before, or need to make a
relatively simple website, you should probably take a look at Netscape Composer
before you shell out any money. You may even have this already installed on your
computer if you use Netscape Communicator - you can find out if you have it
installed by choosing File -> New -> Blank Page while using Netscape. If
it is not installed, reinstall Communicator and check this option, or download
from home.netscape.com/download/
Netscape Composer is easy to use; making a webpage is no different to
creating a document using your favourite word processor. It uses the same
familiar interface, and even the same keybindings as most word processors. It
has an integrated spellchecker and software to upload your finished webpages to
your server. If you know your server name, username and password, publishing
your webpages should be as easy as clicking on a single button.
You may find Composer lacking if you try to create a flashy webpage, or an
entire website. It has no support for any advanced features such as applets,
forms, or plugins. Also, it is not possible to create a page using frames,
although I personally see this as a good thing. If you wanted to do
anything advanced, you would probably end up inserting tags or creating
framesets using Emacs / vi / notepad. Trying to create or maintain a whole
website using Composer would be an arduous task. It has no tools to do this,
nothing to validate links or show the overall structure of the site.
Dreamweaver 2,
on the other hand, makes the toast. Okay, so not literally, but if there is
anything missing from this program, I can't see it. You can do almost anything
with this editor, including Dynamic HTML, cascading style sheets, rollover
images, support for Java and ActiveX applets, Flash, Shockwave and generic
plugins.
The option to turn a page into a template is a powerful tool. You
can quickly decide on how the site should look overall, and every new page
created from the template will look like the original. Want to change the look
of the site? Change the template and every page created from the template will
also be updated.
Site layout and link validation are handled by the site
applet. From here you see how individual pages on the site are related to each
other and how a browser might get to a particular page. Broken links show up in
red. Link checker also shows you if there are any orphaned files, that is to
say, files which are not linked to by any page. This is useful if you forget to
create a link to a page which you have been working on. Editing a particular
page is as simple as double clicking on it. From here you can also upload your
site with a single click if you set it up previously.
It is not without its faults, however. The interface is not standard, more
akin to an Adobe product. This makes the learning curve a little steeper. The
extra windows that open by default take up a sizeable amount of the screen at
lower resolutions (640x480, 800x600), although it is not too difficult to
temporarily remove them. Advanced webpages created using Dreamweaver 2 may not
be viewable by all browsers however, and should be tested on a range of browsers
before deploying them.
Conclusion
Netscape Composer writes clean html, and should display properly on any
modern browser. It is available for free with the Communicator suite, and is
available for many platforms. If you have no need for advanced features and want
a quick way to create a webpage or two, then this should suffice. In this
situation, Dreamweaver 2 would probably be overkill. However, if you want to
create cool webpages, or to create and maintain an entire website or two,
then you should definitely consider Dreamweaver as the solution to your needs.
Check out a demo version first here. Dreamweaver 3 is now
also available at a price of $299USD.
Upcoming
Online Classes
#class (Undernet User Committee)
Html Class
Advanced Class
Beginner Class
Classes are held Thursday
evenings. For exact times/dates of each class, please inquire in #userguide
#opschool (Undernet Channel
Service)
For an automatically updated
listing of #opschool classes please go to the following link:
http://www.cservice.undernet.org/opschool/
Skirting The Pacific Rim - The Land of Malaysia
by Beeth0ven
Name: Dominic Lucien Luk
IRC Nick: Beethoven
Age: 16
Location: Malaysia
Hello! I am Dominic, or more known in IRC as Beethoven. I am an Eurasian boy.
My father is Chinese, and my mother is French. I live in Sabah, the second
largest state in Malaysia. I am currently in my fifth year of high school,
and have one more year to go before I am able to further my studies in a
university or college.
Malaysia is where I was born. It is indeed one of the most beautiful
countries in South East Asia, and probably even in the world.
Malaysia is located in the heart of South East Asia, slightly north of the
Equator. Malaysia is divided into two main regions: Peninsular Malaysia,
which lies just south of Thailand, and East Malaysia, which can be found
north of Indonesia on the island of Borneo. These two regions cover a total
area of 329,758 sq. km, and are separated by the South China Sea. Malaysia
is divided into thirteen states and federal territories, and has a
population of about 22 million people.
Malaysia is a very unique country, and it is truly blessed by Mother Nature.
With its sun-drenched beaches with swaying coconut trees, mountain parks and
forests, Malaysia is truly a land of fascinating sights and attractions. 70%
of the land in Malaysia is still green and untouched.
Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in South East Asia, is situated in
Sabah, the state in which I live. I have had the opportunity to climb
Mount Kinabalu. It was a great experience. Everything there was just
amazing and refreshing. The view of the sunrise from the peak is just awesome!
Any visitor coming to Malaysia should really not miss the chance of
climbing this mountain.
Although Malay is the official language, English is widely spoken, and the
English language is a compulsory subject in all schools. The other language
spoken in Malaysia are Chinese, Indian, and some tribal dialects.
Malaysia is a multi-racial country. The three major races are the Chinese,
Malays, and Indians. The other races are the Kadazans, Dusuns, Ibans, and a
few others, all of which are the local tribes of Malaysia. Despite this
population mix, Malaysia is a harmonious country.
If anyone is still planning a holiday or vacation, please do
consider Malaysia ;-) Most tourists do not regret coming to Malaysia, and
always return with beautiful memories.
Web sites you can visit for more information on Malaysia:
Lees Travel
Asia Travel
Sunsite NUS
Catcha
Other Personal Site
Exploring Advanced mIRC Commands
by htmlgeek
Hello everyone - we're going to
explore a couple of commands in mIRC.
If you don't have mIRC, you can download the shareware by clicking here.
Exploring the /ban command.
The syntax for this command is: /ban [-ru#] [#channel] [type]
If you use the -u# option, then mIRC will pause # seconds before removing the
ban.
For example, if we want to ban the user JOE for 3 seconds, we would type: /ban -u3
#channel joe 1
If you specify the -r switch then /ban removes the ban of the specified type for
that nickname, for example: /ban -r joe 1 would remove the ban on joe that we just set for
joe.
You can put a user@host in for the nickname instead if you like. For example, if we
wanted to ban everyone from AOL, we would use the following: /ban #channel *!*@*aol.com
and to remove that ban, we would use: /ban -r #channel *!*@*aol.com
When banning a nickname, it is useful to know that there are different types of
user@host masks you can use. The table below shows what each result of using the command: /ban
NICK #
# represents the numbers in the chart below. There are 9 different types of bans -
they are as follows:
0: *!user@host.domain
1: *!*user@host.domain
2: *!*@host.domain
3: *!*user@*.domain
4: *!*@*.domain
5: nick!user@host.domain
6: nick!*user@host.domain
7: nick!*@host.domain
8: nick!*user@*.domain
9: nick!*@*.domain
If you don't specify a type (number at the end of the ban), and you were to just type
/ban #channel NICK then mIRC will ban the user's exact user@host.
#channel isn't totally necessary either. If you are on typing in a channel window, for
example, #channel, you could use: /ban NICK 3
The above command would result in NICK being banned from #channel with
the hostmask: *!*user@*.domain
Exploring the /silence command
The silence command works much like the /ignore command. There is an added bonus to
this command though, as it blocks the user from talking to you FROM THE SERVER - this way,
you can prevent ctcp floods. You can't use hostmasks with this command though, and you
must specify one yourself. For example, let's say that joe!flooder@i.flood.users.com was
ctcp flooding you. You could use the following command to stop this: /silence
*!*flooder@*.users.com
This cuts the user off, and he is not able to send anything at all through the irc
server to contact you.
To remove someone from the /silence list, simply add a - (minus) sign in front
of the hostmask. If we wanted to remove the silence we just set, we would use: /silence
-*!*flooder@*.users.com
*** Parts of this document taken from the mIRC help file.
*** Produced and directed by HtmlGeek |
New Automated Practical Training Classes for Channel OPs
by DrCkTail
Recently, the Undernet Channel Service Committee decided to provide a better platform of training for our services and the overall IRC environment than was formerly available. Previously training classes were periodically performed in the channel #opschool and executed by live participants. Thanks to some design modifications to our automatic client Notify, which was recently deployed to inform channels of a pending registration application, the classes in #opschool are now automatically run perpetually and in several different languages.
Opschool Part 1 explains the functions available through our service bots X and W in a classroom environment with better depth than is approached by our online documents. Additionally, an in-depth discussion of userhost formation is presented at the end of the class. Opschool Part 2 addresses a variety of subjects. The best discussion we have of the registration process and our expectations of applying channel managers is presented first. A description of the Undernet environment and what it takes to maintain it as a free service to the internet community follows. Then, information concerning the proper care and feeding of a registered channel, including our expectations of conduct and maintenance is presented. Afterwards, definitions and descriptions of certain abuse issues are addressed. The finale is a discussion of flooding and how to prepare for and avoid it.
Currently, classes are presented in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Malay, with Norwegian and Dutch versions on the drawing board. Schedules are available online; merely join #opschool and read the topic for instructions on getting a specific language schedule or a complete schedule. Classes are initiated on the hour and take about 40 minutes each. Several helpers join and op in the channel to be available for students having questions during class.
If a student has a question and can't get the attention of any of the ops in #opschool, the helpers in #cservice are prepared to discuss the class content at any time. We hope this new training tool is more convenient to Undernet users and that you will attend frequently. We aspire to add content in the near future and make Opschool an even better place to get you up to speed on services, registration, and other features that make the Undernet experience the best among IRC networks.
Meeting Someone on Undernet IRC - A User Recounts
by Cressida
As I remember my first meeting with the IRC network, I often smile to
myself. For those of us that are a part of the Undernet for some time, memories
of our newbie days are usually full of stories to tell, of fun, humour, and
sometimes a certain degree of naivete. As for myself, I remember myself
marveling at the enigmatic charisma of X, thinking what kind of a person he - I
never imagined that it could be a she - could be in order to be an operator in
nearly every channel I see, not even aware of a term "bot". For the other few
basics, I was lucky to have someone helping me at the beginning, but the rest I
learned from my observations, sometimes sour experiences, and my never
ending curiosity. But not everyone is lucky; most of the users that access IRC for
the first time usually have a hard time getting used to the "etiquette" of it.
Although virtual, the Undernet is nevertheless a community in itself, with
all its formal and informal codes of behaviour. Just as one needs to comply
with the social conducts in the communities they live, we as users should respect
these and go along with them. Entering a new place with unknowns may seem a
little bit scary at first, but if one imagines this as a chance to meet new people
and socialize, then the answer to how to act gets a little bit clearer.
All the channels on the Undernet may have different ideas of what is
acceptable and what is not. The best to do in this case is to watch and observe
what's going on when entering a new channel. This may give important clues on
how to start a conversation with those in the group in the first place. However,
there are a few basics that generally apply everywhere as well. Swearing and
making abusive comments are considered rude and improper as they would be in
real life. Just as one wouldn't shout and repeat what he says in his normal
conversation, it's rather crude to repeat what you say and use capital letters. In
most cases, this will be considered flooding, and may result in getting you kicked
out of the channel.
In large channels, one often notices a lot of advertisement
going on. It is understandable that people would like to see more people in their
channels or have them visiting their web sites and let people be informed about
this, but think of how you would react to a number of sellers all advertising their
products and never leaving your side. Most channels react to this by banning
these users, and such messages are considered disturbing. To get to know
people, it is a good idea to greet the others, but do not be disappointed if
someone that you sent a private message doesn't reply you in return.
Most
people also spend their time with other activities on the net, and may be usually
busy to give back a reply. Some people do not reply people those that they do
not know; this is similar to a strange person coming to you on the street and just
starting a conversation out of nowhere. In such cases, do not feel frustrated and
make accusatory comments to that person; remember that relations always start
with little chit-chats and introductions everywhere, it will be easier to speak in
depth when you are already familiar with a person from the channel.
For matters of a more technical nature, you can always get help from the
numerous friendly help channels on the Undernet. These channels are full of
people that like helping others, but this a volunteer work which people do in their
spare time, please be kind and tolerant when asking for help as helpers may be
busy with something else, and they are there to have fun as well.
There is also an extent of the help you may get; matters concerning what happens in a
channel as to who gets kicked and banned are not in the hands of any helper but
the operators of that channel. In such matters, talking with the operators of that
channel is a possible solution, telling about the situation and apologizing for any
wrong doing, but you may not always get a guaranteed solution.
As time goes by, we all learn how to adapt to the communities we live in,
but for that time span of adaptation, it's always good to keep in mind not to do
onto others as you would not want them to do onto you.
A Few Interesting Links To Try.
New Games - Humor - And Whatever
Quake III Arena
http://www.quake3arena.com/
Your Personal Mobile MP3 Player
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~altman/mp3mobile/
Fonts and Things
http://www.fontsnthings.com/
Unusual Things To See and Do on The Net
Try these when you are REALLY bored
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2880/unusual.html
Send us your contribution for consideration in the next issue.
newsletter@undernet.org
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