[comp.groupware] Problems with a conversation system: IRC

yam@cbnewsi.att.com (toshihiko.yamakami) (06/28/90)

From article <2983@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu>, by jst@cca.ucsf.edu (Joe Stong):
> I've had an upleasant interaction on a currently implemented
> "groupware" conversation system, Internet Relay Chat, (IRC), which
> suggests to me some ways of re-designing that system.

Any implementation of 'groupware' which cannot support
explicit group member definition(maybe with some role support)
and group dynamism(addition of members, suspension, ...)
will encounter some serious inconvenience, I suppose.

Many current communication systems forget everything
when connection or association is disconnected.
There are some approaches to cope with them, however, not much
successful these days.

-- yam, a groupwork architect
-- 
Toshihiko YAMAKAMI(NTT, Japan) Resident visitor in Bell Labs until Feb 1991
 Room 4G634, AT&T Bell Labs, Crawfords Corner Rd. Holmdel, NJ 07733-1988
 Tel:(201)949-5742	e-mail: yam@vax135.att.com (was: yam@nttmhs.ntt.jp)

jto@ousrvr.oulu.fi (Jarkko Oikarinen) (07/04/90)

In article <2983@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu> jst@cca.ucsf.edu (Joe Stong) writes:
>   As an operator in IRC, I have no other tool but a /kill command, which
>   will entirely log people off.  It mostly serves to annoy the victims.  
>   It's easy for them to log back in, and there's no /kill immunity for
>   operators, so they can "take revenge".  It perpetuates hostility.

See the newest version of IRC, which has been in test use for several weeks
now.

Channels can have operators who can decide many things about a channel,
For example the following flags can be set (or cleared by operator):
  - channel topic settable by channel operator only
  - invite-only channels (only channel operator can invite people
    to a channel)
  - moderated channels (only channel operator(s) can write to a channel)
  - channel operator can kick people off channel

Doesn't that help a bit ?

--Jarkko

paivi@hila.hut.fi (Paivi Hyvarinen) (07/05/90)

I was surprised to see a discussion about IRC here, but then again, IRC
certainly qualifies as groupware.

IRC is originally a Finnish program that nowadays has developped into
(at least) two different branches, so it is hard to say anything about
its features without knowing what version of who's IRC you are talking
about.

The newest IRC I know about is a proto that IRC's first creator,
Jarkko Oikarinen (known as WiZ in IRC) from Oulu University, Finland
will give out to you to test if you mail him. His email adress is

jto@tolsun.oulu.fi

He could be on holiday now, but usually reads his mail even when
travelling.

You could also try to persuade him to write a brief history for this
group of the two (or more) IRC branches. As IRC is freeware, he won't
probably even know everything that has happened since IRC started
spreading in the US. I would certainly like to know what versions
are out there and how they work or don't work.

There is also at least one American variant of IRC. I have used
several versions of WiZ's "old" IRC and one version of the new
American one (called Irc2, or something like that), and I am very
interested to see, what the newest WiZ-IRC will look/feel like.

Please feel free to comment directly to WiZ, he has been working with
the program again quite a lot lately and has always been glad to see
new ideas and contributions. You can also tell it was me who blew the
whistle. ;-) (We're good frieds)

Paivi

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