StarLink-IRC Network - Your family friendly cybertown!
Send any news items to newsletter@starlink-irc.org Send any gossip or other dirt to the same place. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
NET NEWS Amazing General Information For all who have webpages: Don't forget you can join the webring by going to www.starlink-irc.org or can ask questions concerning it in #WebRing :) All channel owners: If you happen to change
ISP's or have a change of email address please let someone in #channels
know. Word Gamers: Great word game
channels: #Trivia, #Scramble, and #WedNiteTriva. #International: StarLink-IRC is trying a grand experiment with #International. We hope to bring together folks from all nations and languages .. come join us for chat, good friends, and if you can volunteer to translate, all the better. Even a smattering of another language is welcomed! Leave your names with Channel Owner Wullie or one of the other regulars if we can call on you for help. ¡Muchos gracias! LETTER TO THE EDITOR "To the Staff of StarLink-IRC - I want to thank all the Staff of StarLink-IRC. I opened a channel and Amazing was so great with helping me get it setup, I have never in all my IRC days met so many great people on a Server until I came to StarLink-IRC. Not only. are the channel owners Great but so are all the IRCOP and Cservice People. My hat is off to you all for your all your hard work and for giving us users looking for a great Place to have a Good time a Very Safe and Warm Place to do that. Thank you all you are all truly guardian angels from a Very Happy StarLink-IRC user `ocean (#Ocean^s_Wav^s)"
By Dwight of #40up ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WEBTV'S CHARACTERISTICS? Have you noticed all the new chatters now on StarlinkIRC during the last few weeks, many of which are Webtv chatters? Many new folks have found their way here, due to broad dissatisfaction with policy changes on a different chat network. As many of you know, Webtv chatters' systems and procedures are not like those in use on PC's. As a chatter and channel co-owner / op for two and a half years on Talkcity, I have many friends who use Webtv. During the course of that time - through those friendships - I was able to learn a few things about those machines' similarities to, as well as their differences from, PC's. While I am certainly no guru on Webtv, I feel that someone should submit a summary of differences between the systems, in the interest of promoting a better understanding for PC chatters regarding the "Webbie" chatting environment. Even though I have never owned or used Webtv, I feel somewhat qualified to offer my perspective about some of the differences between Webtv and PC chatting. Iam open to suggestions and corrections regarding the content of this article, so please contact me if you find discrepancies or shortcomings. In that case, I'll try to make a revised version of the article available for distribution in some way. I will share with you the following observations for which I hope to create an awareness. * Webtv chatters ("Webbies") cannot send or receive DCC SEND transmissions, nor can they participate in DCC CHATs. * Webbies cannot send or receive /NOTICE messages. * Webbies do not see colors and modified fonts as PC chatters do. Multi-colored "popups" by PC chatters often will be confusing or frustrating to webbies. Webbies see boxes, plus font and color control codes, interspersed with the text of our popups. That makes it hard for them to properly interpret some of the popups. * Webbies often speak of "IRC"s that they are using. Their meaning of IRC isn't exactly what we PC chatters have come to associate with the term "IRC". In the webbie context, "IRC" refers to a URL containing a script through which they access an IRC chat network, rather than merely indicating "Internet Relay Chat". Such IRC's provide webbies with the server connection, and also usually provide neat features for their chat sessions, similar to popups that PC chatters use. Webbies also can chat without an IRC, in which case they simply type the necessary connection info and commands as opposed to having an IRC provide shortcuts for those functions. * Webbies get no indication regarding the occurrence of certain events, such as when someone is OPped in channel. * Webbies get no indication of in-channel nick changes by others. Some confusion might arise, since posts by the new nick will not be easy for webbies to associate with the original nick. Although they will subsequently see posts by the new nick as having come from that new nick, the nicklists in the webbies' whisper areas will continue to show only the original nick. I'm not sure if this whisper nicklist quirk is IRC script related, or whether it applies universally to all IRC and IRC-less chat modes by webbies. NOTE: Since my former chat network didn't permit in-channel nick changes, I have only recently become aware of these quirks for webbies regarding nick changes done in channel, so please help me if you have additional info here. * Webbies do not have the same set of basic IRC commands available to them, nor do they have the client-specific commands used by mIRC or Pirch. While webbies do have certain functions available to perfom some of the basic operations, those functions in many cases are invoked by different commands than the equivalent functions on PC's. My reason for pointing this out is that - based merely on our PC chatting experience - we can't always offer a quick and definite answer to webbies about how to, for example, search for an on-line friend's nick. In other words, be aware of the "language barrier", and don't jump to conclusions about what will and will not work for a webbie. * Webbies do not generally have simultaneous access to more than one channel. Although a few of the IRC scripts available to them might in theory provide multi-channel capabilities, those add-on functions are sometimes flawed, making it difficult or impossible in some cases for the webbies to recognize distinct threads for the separate channels. * YES, WEBBIES CAN SERVE AS OPS ON STARLINK-IRC! Unlike on some networks, webbies on SLIRC can perform the full range of Op functions. In doing so, webbies use the Channel Service bot (CStar) as a proxy for performing the KICKs, BANs, OPs, TOPIC changes, etc. Hence, webbies on StarlinkIRC truly can be fully self-sufficient as Ops, whereas on "that OTHER network", webbie Ops had to seek (sometimes BEG!! LOL) assistance from others in performing many functions. On StarlinkIRC, any limitations for webbies are based on Webtv itself, rather than on arbitrary or indifferent attitudes by StarlinkIRC's management. On StarlinkIRC, webbies are not treated as second-class citizens, but are fully empowered to accomplish anything their systems will support. I hope that this article narrows the knowledge gap for PC chatters regarding Webtv chatting. My opinion is that better understanding will facilitate the development of quicker and closer friendships, which is a pursuit well worth the small effort needed. Again, if you can offer corrections, significant additional info, suggestions, or comments about this article, please contact me at... dwight@snip.net <mailto:dwight@snip.net> Dwight, of #40up
May
SPECIALS
Belated Hapy Birthday wishes
Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Ruled by Venus; Symbol - The Bull Notables: Adolph Hitler, Ho Chi Minh, Karl Marx People under Taurus have a one-way thinking style - stubborn. As if that weren’t bad enough, their constellation includes the Crab Nebula, a cloud of gas. They’re quite materialistic, love to brag and refuse to admit any error.
Congratulations to the new members of CService!! HighWayMan Brad IronHawk Dane36 Congratulations to Blu_ and BEING on the GrantsPass.OR.US.StarLink-IRC.Org server becoming permanent!! ***************************************** StarLink-IRC would like to welcome all of the TalkCity refugees who have found their way to our 'friendly network neighborhood'. Stop in when you have the chance and say hi!! ******************************************* Don't forget to order your StarLink-IRC t-shirts, sweatshirts
and caps!! How to order can be found at http://www.starlink-irc.org/slogos/phaedra.html
****************************************** HAPPY EASTER TO ALL FROM STARLINK-IRC!! And we have received another award .. Check it out at http://www.starlink-irc.org
(Tell us what's happening on your channel - send info to newsletter@starlink-irc.org)
Well .. here we are nearly to summer and what happens but another net done blooied. Based on info obtained COMPLETELY BY ACCIDENT (and I can prove that if you give me a couple of days) .. your intrepid blue one and other nefarious elements on staff discovered that TalkCity was going to kick out a bunch of its users. Well, as usual, boy were we wrong. HAH... they alienated or kicked out MOST of their users. Shows what we know huh? After much investigation, your reporter has discovered that TC has disenfranchised most of its users in order to make it a better place to chat. Of course, their stock tanked in january and their revenue is based on ads so, naturally, the first thing comes to mind from a business sense is kick out the people who might see the ads. Yeppers. (As much as this sounds like an loonie tunes IMI scheme, its NOT!!! even IMI isnt that weird.) Actually, your blue reporter should not exaggerate... the REAL reason for this is that there are too many lamers and 'attacks' for the staff, so, the logical move is to dump the users. (why dont *I* ever think of things like this??) Most everyone has seen that we are invaded by many webfugees (webtv users, they' apparently are called webbies .. i spose 'duckfeets' was taken or something ) .. and theyre all pretty nice folks... and will make a dandy addition ot the net we hope :)) Have a happy Spring !! Itsy
A Couple of Places to Visit
How do I prevent getting a computer virus ?? By Dane36 No this is not gonna be a technical article about virus,but more like a what I would like to think of as a small article that will save some people the trouble getting rid of a virus. Viruses (viri), dont just come flying in, and suddenly appears in every case we get infected because we did something, not saying that we do it knowing it is a virus, mostly we are tricked into doing something. I have tried to list up some things that will help you stay clear of the problems. 1) Do Not auto accept files sent to you on IRC. in mIRC you can make sure that you know what is sent to you by clicking "DCC Options" - and check the box with "on send request" show get dialog. Or in mirc 5.7+ type /sreq +m ask 2) On IRC Do Not accept files from people you don't know or trust. 3) In mIRC check that under DCC options - folders - that the ignore file types is checked. If you need to recieve an exe using DCC you can always uncheck it while getting that file. 4) When you get mail with attachments, then be on alert, do not click on attachments you didnt know you were getting. Even if the mail is from family, or close trustworthy friends, some viruses sends themself out after infecting peoples computers, so your friend or family may not even know he/she is sending the file. Specially be very careful if the file is a .exe - .com - .doc or .vbs, those file types are very popular in the use of spreading vira. 5) Do not make it a secret if you were hit by a virus, Remember while you were infected you might have passed it on to other people, so be open about it, only when kept as a secret the virus can spread because ppl dont know they might have gotten it. 6) Run a good antivirus program, there are many out there, some costs a little some are free. _But_ remember a virus program is never better then you let it be. Update it often, make it a habbit to visit the webpage where you got the anti virus program once a week to get updates, it wont take long, and will save u lots of time in the end. Antivirus programs needs to be updated often to be able to recognise the new viruses. 7) Think before you get any file, no matter what a person tells you this or that will do for you, then every time tell yourself, do I really need this. if not then why take the chance ? If you have been infected with a virus, then do not panic, the computer will not explode. Instead seek help, If your antivirus program isnt updated then visit the website where you got it, there might be a cure there. If not then try look for information about it, there might be information availeble on the web. If it is one of those "viruses" that autosend itself on IRC when people join, then to stop it from spreading you can in mirc type /remote off. This wont cure it, but will stop the spreading, this is good to remember if you get someone in your channel with the problem too, by kicking them you just send them off to infect other places, get them to turn of the remote that will buy them the time needed to smile again. On the other hand, if you see someone spreading files on purpose, then do a /whois on him/her and report it to an Ircop, or come to #channels and report it. At the end of this article (yes I know I said short, but I can't keep it short), I have listed a couple of URL's that might be handy. http://www.nohack.net/
site that have cleaner programs for download. With hope that we stay clear of the virus, and the other bad things. Dane36
Regular
Network Event Schedule
Our heartfelt condolences and sympathy go out to IronHawk and his family on the passing of his beloved wife on March 15, 2000. Memorial Page
Advice Contributed by HighWayMan
|
