FICS - Free Internet Chess Server
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FICS
8708 31ST Ave N
New Hope
Mn 55427

Town Meeting #1: May 4, 1998
----------------------------

mlong(*)(2) here we go....fics is a private club
Goldorak(2): Why there is no free speech channel mlong?
mlong(*)(2): we do not condone nor can we support a channel for 
\   swearing and the like
hasenpfeffer(2): because children login too, i think.
mlong(*)(2): we did have a "hormone channel" but it got out of 
\   hand and yes we have kids here.
Obliviax(2): many parents do not have a problem with their 
\   kids seeing "profanity"
Obliviax(2): it's all about how it's used
hasenpfeffer(2): apparently, it's inappropriate to swear in 
\   front of children online, whereas it's perfectly ok to swear irl.
Goldorak(2): that answers my question, thanks
aceface(2): question - where does fics get their funding 
\   from??
mlong(*)(2): you can pretty much say anything in tells you like 
\   but we ask you do not do it in a public channel or in shouts.
mlong(*)(2): please please please
mlong(*)(2): the format is this: tell me if you have a question (tell mlong) 
\   and I will call on people in the order I recieve it...please refrain from 
\   any chit chat or helping to answer the questions.
mlong(*)(2): its really tough to read things that way.
mlong(*)(2): okay esekla is next
mlong(*)(2): yoru question esekla is?
Esekla(2): what can I (we) do to help FICS
Esekla(2): is there anything especially needed?
Bobeskillz(2): they need programmers don't they
mlong(*)(2): right now there isn't much for users to do.  We will be asking 
\   for DONATIONS in the future.  We are still waiting on our NPO status 
\   before asking for anything from the users.
Esekla(2): follow up question:
Greywolf(2): is the meeting began?
hasenpfeffer(2): wait your turn, greywolf.
Esekla(2): I understand the FICS code is closed for reasons I agree with...
mlong(*)(2): there is a good point that users could help fics by spreading the 
\   word, advertise at tourneys you go to otb
Esekla(2): I am a programmer, can I be of any use in that capacity?
mlong(*)(2): when you meet people interesting in chess let them know about 
\   fics.
muffin(2): hi?
mlong(*)(2): right now I don't think so BUT we definately will need them in 
\   the very near future.
muffin(2): is this meeting?
mlong(*)(2): if your offering your services I would contact friar about 
\   becoming an admin.
Esekla(2): already done so :0
Esekla(2): I'm done.
mlong(*)(2): next is bobeskillz and sachinov is on deck
Bobeskillz(2): where do you get the money to keep this running
muffin(2): what is the agenda?
muffin(2): can it be messageed to me?
Esekla(2): go to chan 255 muffin and I'll clue U in.
mlong(*)(2): fics is run entirely by volunteers, we volunteer our time, we 
\   donate our own money and we get the connnection to the internet for free 
\   from onenet for the time being.
mlong(*)(2): we also have started to put together a brochere to advertise and 
\   an admin will be putting up the money for that too.
mlong(*)(2): so to answer your question the admins donate the money needed.
Bobeskillz(2): thanks
mlong(*)(2): sachinov is up and tanstaafl is on deck
Sachinov(2): my question:  will the server be supporting 4 board bughouse 
\   sometime in the future ?
mlong(*)(2): please contact another admin.
mlong(*)(2): hmmm honestly have never heard anything about it.
Sachinov(2): ok
mlong(*)(2): is this somethign other servers are supporting?
Sachinov(2): no
Sachinov(2): i just thought it would be pretty fun to try
mlong(*)(2): okay I am not even sure how that would work...but if you want to 
\   message suggestion we will take a look at it.
Sachinov(2): thanks
mlong(*)(2): tanstaafl is up kumarms is on deck
Tanstaafl(2): how does the future look regarding server and network connection 
\   etc.
mlong(*)(2): good question....
mlong(*)(2): the server looks fine, we will always own our code and machine 
\   that will run fics are cheaper every day.
mlong(*)(2): the connect is a bit shakey for reasons I can not go into but we 
\   are exploring other alternatives right now.
mlong(*)(2): regardless the address you connect to will for now and always be 
\   fics.freechess.org
mlong(*)(2): we will move that to where ever the machine goes.
muffin(2): should it not be freechess.org?
kumarms(2): Do we allow team games to be played ?
mlong(*)(2): well freechess.org works also but if you want to be 100% sure of 
\   the server your getting fics.freechess.org is better
mlong(*)(2): hold on kumarms, lets finish this thread first.
Tanstaafl(2): eics.freechess.org?
mlong(*)(2): bandwidth requeirments are about 1/3 a T1 in our normal usage.
mlong(*)(2): I am told now we average about 120 kbits/sec
mlong(*)(2): and we can up to triple that.
foxbat(2): 1/3 of T1 seems high
Tanstaafl(2): but we can stay at onenet.net for some time?
mlong(*)(2): theoretically yes we can stay at onenet for awhile
mlong(*)(2): whether or not it works out that way I don't know.
mlong(*)(2): we will have an alternative in place before any thing more 
\   serious happens.
mlong(*)(2): okay next is kumarms and goldorka is on deck
mlong(*)(2): kumarms your question please?
mlong(*)(2): kumarms?
mlong(*)(2): going once
kumarms(2): ok my question is Hcoming
Goldorak(2): :-)
mlong(*)(2): going twice.
kumarms(2): Will teams be allowed to register in future?
mlong(*)(2): there are already team accounts on FICS
mlong(*)(2): you can apply for one by contacting an admin.
kumarms(2): thanks mlong
mlong(*)(2): goldorak and syboxs is on deck
nitemove(2): hi
Goldorak(2): Ok I type it
mlong(*)(2): please have your questions ready to go
Sybox(2):  My Question is What is Fics doing to curb the computer problem in 
\   stc tournaments?
Goldorak(2): There were plans to build a central database for players account 
\   (eics, fics...), will it be finished someday?
mlong(*)(2): okay goldorak is first let me answer that first.
mlong(*)(2): there are plans to do that however they are very very early in 
\   design and we have encountered problems in the basic philosophy
mlong(*)(2): meaning that there are issues that we hadn't thought of before 
\   that make the central database not such a good idea.
nitemove(2): My question is that there seems to be a lot of bad blood and 
\   censoring going on and I would like to see most of Us try to get along and 
\   not fight Also....I would like to see Flesh allowed back on this Server
Goldorak(2): what about using the same system than IRC to connection between 
\   servers and mirroring system?
mlong(*)(2): that has been proposed and we are looking into it.
mlong(*)(2): we already are mirroring a bit between eics and here.
Goldorak(2): what are the things that make central database a bad idea?
mlong(*)(2): for one sycronization is a huge problem, also lag back and forth 
\   would be bad.
mlong(*)(2): ie you connect to a local server that is connected to the main 
\   server
Greywolf(2): I don't see why it would want to be done anyway.
mlong(*)(2): your connection is fast but there is serious lag back to the main 
\   server.
nitemove(2): doesn't a winsock connection stop most of that
mlong(*)(2): it would make things very nice for creating one big server...and 
\   at first glance it appears to solve lag problems
Goldorak(2): there are ways to workaround that mlong
Sentman(2): I have no question you can answer... but i have a request:
Sentman(2): i want a statue for 'theblob & woof'
nitemove(2): statue......
Sybox(2): my question is will you guys someday organize uscf or cfc 
\   tournaments on Fics?
mlong(*)(2): but it would create many problems also, we want to work through 
\   all the problems and come up with an answer to them before we implement 
\   anything.
mlong(*)(2): okay sybox who already asked his question is up and muffin is 
\   next.
mlong(*)(2): currently there are no plans to do so sybox
mlong(*)(2): we would have to become affiliated with uscf or cfc to run their 
\   tourneys
mlong(*)(2): there is also an issue of cheating in an internet game, and there 
\   is no way for us to stop that or verify that it is happening.
Obliviax(2): people can also cheat when sending it games to be rated
loopy(TM)(2): they could have a separate rating system :)
Sybox(2): So there isnt a crack cammando team of Computer busters like 
\   ICC(grin)
mlong(*)(2): that all said it is something that has been discussed and I 
\   personally interested in seeing it happen.
loopy(TM)(2): like postal...
Goldorak(2): In fact, this is the big flaw of internet chess...
Sybox(2): Well I hardly play rated anymore becuse I know that alot of my 
\   Opponents cheat so I try to take the reward out of it but its tough 
\   getting people to play
Greywolf(2): worst is the servers rating system would be bungled because we 
\   would have to have USCF rating- not this and the server would have to pay 
\   for every game rated.
mlong(*)(2): hmmm loopy nice suggestion - people could have interenet ratings 
\   like they have postal ratings...this would require something from uscf but 
\   it is intriging.
loopy(TM)(2): just a thought....
loopy(TM)(2): i have so few games actual USCF...but thousands here...
mlong(*)(2): sybox my personal feeling on that is that I will play (with my 
\   playing account) anyone and if they want to cheat then fine I will not and 
\   I am the one getting the game out of it not their computer.
loopy(TM)(2): I feel there are probably many lik ethat...
mlong(*)(2): I have 9 official USCF games and over 5000 here.
Goldorak(2): Fics is mainly blizt though
loopy(TM)(2): that's sbout the same for me mlong...
mlong(*)(2): esekla good question please repeat it in the channel it is on 
\   topic and I will allow it.
Sybox(2): but in STC Tournaments I know (I use to play in ICC) it was 
\   predicatable that in a prize tournament a computer with a 2500 rating or 
\   more was present I quit playing in disgust
mlong(*)(2): prize tourneys will always bring out cheaters.
mlong(*)(2): esekla's question in a tell was does uscf know about us and if so 
\   what do they think?
mlong(*)(2): the answer is that to my knowledge they do not know about us but 
\   I will follow that up with the statement that I will contact them and see 
\   what they think about a variety of issues.
yerminator(2): they are too poor to think about anything
mlong(*)(2): okay muffin is up and aceface is ondeck
Tanstaafl(2): really who cares about uscf
Sybox(2): I think the CFC USCF Tournaments on ICC are a great idea because 
\   they save players money in hotel fees travel time and offer the opprtunity 
\   to get a national rating but I agree that until the computer problem is 
\   dealt with by everyone on the net scene its not a good idea
mlong(*)(2): tanstaafl it would be nice to have a mutually beneficial 
\   partnership with uscf IMHO
Sentman(2): Did anyone ever consider renaming this server to World-Fics 
\   instead of the current A_Fics
mlong(*)(2): muffine your question?
mlong(*)(2): thats muffin
Greywolf(2): a rose by any other name...
nitemove(2): bughouse muffin
muffin(2): When will style 12 be changed for something more efficient?
Sybox(2): will there be correspondence chess offered on fics?
mlong(*)(2): hehe funny you should ask, there is a huge discussion and design 
\   thread going in the programmers list right now about an expanded protocol
muffin(2): compression techniques could drastically reduce lag, I think
mlong(*)(2): not only style 12 but also a new style with more info in less
bits
muffin(2): yes that is what I mean, a new and better style
nitemove(2): can we follow the thread of the question in ch 2 or not
mlong(*)(2): yes nitemove go ahead.
nitemove(2): what other styles could we have and what would they do
nitemove(2): thx muffin muffin said new sytle to reduce lag
mlong(*)(2): there would only be one more style as of now, the current idea is 
\   that it just give the interface programmers more flexibility
Zek(2): One example:  send the names of the players once at the start of a
game
nitemove(2): i have the new winboard and i hardly have ever lag even vs 
\   zippy...and computers
mlong(*)(2): it will send less data but more information.  yes let zek answer 
\   this he is involved in the discussion.
Zek(2): And not on each move as style 12 does
Zek(2): That will not significantly reduce lag
muffin(2): it would
Zek(2): It might reduce server load -- but server load is not a problem now
nitemove(2): how about reduction of amount of code needed to tranmit a move ?
Sentman(2): then maybe its an idea to increase the number of channels?
Tanstaafl(2): where does the current lag problem come from?
Greywolf(2): users.
mlong(*)(2): I guess zek is not totally in favor of the new style :)
Zek(2): I am in favor of the new style -- for other reasons
nitemove(2): it would me a rework of all interfaces
loopy(TM)(2): no....they could still use style 12....
Zek(2): Current interfaces will still work
Esekla(2): no, because the existing style would remain.
muffin(2): cannot hurt to try
mlong(*)(2): I happen to have an differing opinion, I think it would help lag. 
\   Maybe not much but most of the info we send out as of now is moves for 
\   games.
Zek(2): But new features would be possible
mlong(*)(2): yes new features that are not possible now would be possible, zek 
\   do you have an example of a new feature?
Zek(2): a 14.4 modem can transmit a style 12 mive is under .1 second
Zek(2): A BlitzIn style seek graph
nitemove(2): I think that given all factors we are very lucky with the results 
\   we have. maybe some of us have less crowded servers
loopy(TM)(2): ?
mlong(*)(2): thanks okay aceface is up bsk is next
mlong(*)(2): aceface your question please?
mlong(*)(2): going once.
Thunderbolt(2): Statistics for aceface          On for: 1 hr, 39 mins, 2 secs  
\   Idle: 19 mins
mlong(*)(2): going twice.
mlong(*)(2): bsk is up and nitemove is next.
mlong(*)(2): gone.
bsk(2): is it possible for mamer or a mamer-clone to be used most heavily for 
\   long blitz and standard time controls soon(longer than 1 0, 3 0, or 5 0)?
mlong(*)(2): ah one question near and dear to my heart.;
mlong(*)(2): mamer 1.8 is finally up and running - it had problem running on 
\   the linux machine whether it is from my crummy programming or linux's 
\   crummy libc is yet to be determined but I suspect it is both.
mlong(*)(2): I have been trying to get 2.0 up and running
mlong(*)(2): mamer 2.0 will allow multiple tourneys on the same TD at the same 
\   time.
mlong(*)(2): so you will be able to run tourneys that take weeks along side 
\   tourneys that take only minutes.
mlong(*)(2): one main problem I have with 2.0 is that I can't get people to 
\   test it.
loopy(TM)(2): mangers or players?
mlong(*)(2): players.
kumarms(2): that is amazing..
mlong(*)(2): well really both...manaagers have to run the tourneys for players 
\   to enter.
Esekla(2): schedule a time, I will volunteer.
kumarms(2): me too
mlong(*)(2): will do.
mlong(*)(2): in the mean time if you see a tourney in mamertesti (ch 149) 
\   please enter it its only a test.
mlong(*)(2): I would actually love to discuss new features of mamer with 
\   everyone but I think there are other questions that need answering.
Esekla(2): was there a news item announcing 149 as mamer testing?
bsk(2): i think there is market for 2 12's, 10 0's, 15 0's, 10 10's and the 
\   like mlong..
Sentman(2): Fideli(10): yeah put that machine in random mode
mlong(*)(2): no esekla
mlong(*)(2): yes I quite agree bsk
kumarms(2): Can we make MAMER code available -it might help/..
Esekla(2): maybe a good idea and the source of your testing problem :)
mlong(*)(2): I would be happy to take suggestions you have via messages...I 
\   love the random unmanaged tourney suggestion and it is not that hard to do
mlong(*)(2): source availability the old code is under a copyright by two 
\   people and I do not see it ever being released before 2.0 comes out and 
\   maybe not then...trust me on this it is very very ugly code
kumarms(2): We used to have some Gms play multiple games some time back -wud 
\   there be any more such games?
kumarms(2): oops sorry
mlong(*)(2): I don't wany my name bashed in programming circles :)
mlong(*)(2): okay bsk we can discuss this in channel 49 at a later date lets 
\   move on
hasenpfeffer(2): how about programming parallelograms?
mlong(*)(2): nitemove is next and sachinov is on deck
nitemove(2): bad alias
nitemove(2): hang on a sec
mlong(*)(2): hanging
nitemove(2): My question is there seems to be a lot of bad blood on the server 
\   with censoring and fights and players banned I personally would like to 
\   see censor reserved for admin...who have to have a good reason to censor I 
\   would also like to have flesh reinstated on fics ... and I would also like 
\   to be reinstated as TD manager since I was the one who quit
nitemove(2): three parter :-)
loopy(TM)(2): you can't help bad blood...
muffin(2): ppl should not be forced to listen to others
nitemove(2): we should be able to
loopy(TM)(2): Even at sit-down chess clubs...some people just won't talk to 
\   others...
nitemove(2): there is no following of rules
loopy(TM)(2): If people are immature....it can;t be helped...
mlong(*)(2): oi hold on still digesting all of that.
nitemove(2): we even fight over mamer when I was manager that is what ticked 
\   me off to begin with
mlong(*)(2): okay first of all censor is the way we allow the users to control 
\   to whom they relate to on the server.
LionMan(2): the people i have on my censor list are those who love to flood 
\   channels making it impossible to do anything.  there really is a purpose 
\   for censor
mlong(*)(2): removing it would be asking for a free for all for abuse.
Sentman(2): there are some 1000 (??) active players on fics, of course you 
\   have fights
nitemove(2): true
mulesmurf(2): yes mlong, what reason on earth was flesh banned? i saw the 
\   transcript,  why didnt fpawn warn first ?
hasenpfeffer(2): flooders should be programmatically logged off.
loopy(TM)(2): yes, i also censor paople whoa re vulgar during games...
mlong(*)(2): it is also the way we control fights and the like - question: if 
\   you tell an admin someone is bugging you about something what is the first 
\   thing admins tell you?
nitemove(2): one hot spot at a time give him time ok
mlong(*)(2): I hope it is you can always + censor them.
kumarms(2): fpawn is rude
Goob(2): you need a queueing system
nitemove(2): I censor but I uncensor...currently I am censored by a admin
mlong(*)(2): I agree that there are some people on fics that seem to be pretty 
\   loud about things.
hasenpfeffer(2): I AM NOT LOUD.
mlong(*)(2): and sometimes the loud people sway the fics general atmosphere.
hasenpfeffer(2): fics is partly an experiment in demagoguery.
mlong(*)(2): but I guess that if they are doing nothing wrong then that is 
\   something we all have to deal with.
mlong(*)(2): wow big word - I don't konw that word hasen
Beelzebub(2): what do you define as wrong tho?
mlong(*)(2): next topic for nitemove's question...
mulesmurf(2): i am all for a committe of fics players, that look at the 
\   bannings, and make recommendations
mlong(*)(2): I have no first hand knowledge of flesh's incident, I also do not 
\   believe this is the forum for discussing a individual's case.
nitemove(2): i feel personally responsible for flesh's behaver this time....I 
\   had a fight with fpawn
nitemove(2): flesh went to my defense and lost his rights
kumarms(2): a comitte of players is needed like the jury
kumarms(2): :))
muffin(2): you have no rights here, this is a free server
loopy(TM)(2): yes, kumarms...that sound fair.
kumarms(2): vote for a people's court
mulesmurf(2): yes, let our own peers judge us :)
hasenpfeffer(2): fics has always been a beneficent dictatorship.
hasenpfeffer(2): democracy would be too inefficient.
kumarms(2): ok lets go on ..
RAH(2): benevolent dictatatorship
mlong(*)(2): woh work called sorry
kumarms(2): lot of democrats here ;)
nitemove(2): we never got a answer.......If one admin can get rid of players 
\   then why are we such a open place...
mlong(*)(2): any time an admin bans someone it is reviewed by the admins 
\   online first.
nitemove(2): this is an important question I am speaking for a lot of others 
\   here
loopy(TM)(2): sometimes i see no admins online.
mlong(*)(2): the the individual can always appeal to friar who has reviewed 
\   cases and overturned a banning
Beelzebub(2): it should be reviewed by more than just admins online -- maybe a 
\   set number of admins that have jurisdiction.  Otherwise when one admin is 
\   with another one and they are both jerks it can turn into a ban fest.
nitemove(2): I am formally asking for a re review of flesh's ban then
mlong(*)(2): flesh has to do that...and he has to request it of friar, he may 
\   have already done so but please off the flesh issue
BrownCows(T)(2): it would be nice if there was an easy way to uncenor everyone 
\   on your cesor list ever once in a while... something like "-censor *"acc
mlong(*)(2): okay your question about mamer TD
mlong(*)(2): again I think it is inappropriate to discuss private matters here 
\   in the town meeting.
mlong(*)(2): I would love to talk to you personally about it though.
mulesmurf(2): with all due respect mlong, people wonder what the heck is going 
\   on here...why is the necessity for bannings? even in the case of flesh, 
\   fpawn said he didnt ban alone, there is a problem here, when are we going 
\   to fix it? read gnejs fin notes
mlong(*)(2): browncows that is an excellent suggestion, message suggestion 
\   about it.
nitemove(2): my feelings is that ......that is personal but in general i 
\   wanted...to try and understand how someone can get banned for just being 
\   themselves flesh or anyone...it seems so high school
BrownCows(T)(2): sorry.. that was meant for a while ago..
muffin(2): I think admins should not have the right to ban someone out of 
\   personal dislike alone
mlong(*)(2): there is a point where you can be yourself, and there there is 
\   something past that were you violate our rules.
Beelzebub(2): it's the same logic that applies to people who buy software, 
\   burn an illegal copy of it, return it for another piece of software, etc., 
\   nitemove -- they are being themselves (theives somewhat) but the line must 
\   be drawn someti
muffin(2): one I dislike someone I cannot ban them
RAH(2): it sounds like we have a review board then
mlong(*)(2): if we really must talk about flesh, he has a huge history of 
\   abuse and he was banned as much for that as for his actions.
mulesmurf(2): mlong fin gnejs, look at the transcript of what actually went 
\   on, notice fpawn NEVER gave any warning...it was, or looks like an ambush 
\   :)
nitemove(2): ok move on then
mlong(*)(2): admins absolutely do not ban people beacuse they don't like them
McKeork(*)(0): admins have guidelines etc how they should behave, treat 
\   different cases etc.  admins try to act uniformly
retsam(TM)(2): i've heard a number of times people complaining about 
\   admins.... but i''ve never seen any abuse by and admin
muffin(2): people can be banned from consistant breach of rules; but not for 
\   personal dislike
mlong(*)(2): in cases where an admin is personally offended he/she will turn 
\   it over to other admins.
retsam(TM)(2): but i've seen lots of abuse by people on the server
Beelzebub(2): they do ban people more frequently for channel tells and shouts 
\   than for actual miscreant activities such as cheating, etc., tho -- at 
\   least that is how it seems to me.  Maybe it's just harder to catch
someone.
mulesmurf(2): admins always say that, that means nothing however mlong, that 
\   is our point! flesh did no more than anyone else that nite,
mlong(*)(2): we have guidelines as to what we can and can not do.
mlong(*)(2): and we try to follow them every single time.
muffin(2): I find it offensive to all people that certain admins are deemed to 
\   have a 'better' view and should have the right to enforce it over others
mulesmurf(2): print the guidelines...mlong,
ricardo(2): Let's discuss FICS soft. What is the status ? Is it GNU ?
kumarms(2): Are admins reviewed for their actions?
mlong(*)(2): okay folks the format is way way out here...
loopy(TM)(2): It would help to have a set honor code....
muffin(2): what code of ethics do admins adhere to?
loopy(TM)(2): for everyone to see....
mlong(*)(2): if you can't follow it this meeting will end quickly
loopy(TM)(2): if you break it, you get banned.
mlong(*)(2): I can only handle one question at a time.
nitemove(2): i am out of the way move it on :-)
muffin(2): this is a pointless topic, move on...
Esekla(2): yes, ch 255 is available for continuation if really necessary.
mlong(*)(2): re guidelinse I will talk to the admins and see I don't see any 
\   reason thjey shouldn't be public
loopy(TM)(2): there seems to be a large division amongst the server over 
\   topices such as this though....
mlong(*)(2): re: code of ethics all admins are answerable to all the other 
\   admins.
loopy(TM)(2): how many admins are there?
RAH(2): I have found the admins   overalll abilities   very good!!!!!!! 
\   considering all the abuse from thousands of players
mlong(*)(2): if someone makes a mistake we will probably forgive that.  
\   However if they show a patter of abuse they will be removed just like any 
\   other user.
mulesmurf(2): honestly, banning should be a very last resort, especially 
\   permanent banning :)
ricardo(2): natalier banning is unacceptable
UnrFlesh(2): Banning of Rubbish was too
RAH(2): fi gnejs
mlong(*)(2): re # of admins = admin
kumarms(2): What about new ban in channel 49 a single abuse points prevents u 
\   from talking in channel?
loopy(TM)(2): Seems we should have a separate meeting about this topic alone!
retsam(TM)(2): i think fics is operating as it should, (with the exception of 
\   mamer being down)
mlong(*)(2): mamer is not down
mlong(*)(2): mamer has been up for days.l
RAH(2): mamer must come bacxk k up !!!!!!
kumarms(2): the knowledge of TMs speaks :)
retsam(TM)(2):  the admins seem to me to behave well
mlong(*)(2): MAMER is UP! rah
RAH(2): :)
mulesmurf(2): banning in general is a problem, that is the biggest concern,, 
\   at most have 1 day bans
RAH(2): tell mlong  :)
retsam(TM)(2): i've never seen an admin yet cuss someone out for being nice to 
\   them
Sentman(2): I still want the statue for theblob and woof! :P
retsam(TM)(2): enough from me ... :)
Beelzebub(2): I think it should be made public knowledge why people are 
\   banned, that way less people would complain and people would be lessl 
\   ikely to continually do the things which result in banning.
mlong(*)(2): okay next is sachinov and on deck is esekla
UnrFlesh(2): Why was Rubbish banned?
mlong(*)(2): sachinov is idel 15 minutes...
mlong(*)(2): going once
Sachinov(2): My question:  will there be a JAVA applet interface on the 
\   website to login and play chess on a graphical interface on fics, sometime 
\   in the future ?
mlong(*)(2): yes we are working on it.
muffin(2): I am writing one
muffin(2): with a friend :)
mlong(*)(2): oh good muffin is writing one too kewl!
Sachinov(2): ok
UnrFlesh(2): muffin stinks. hehe
mlong(*)(2): esekla is up loopy is next.
mulesmurf(2): there is a transcript as to the nite flesh was banned, i dont 
\   see the problem? but if there was, why was fpawn NOT curbing it? channel 
\   24 should be completely uncensored! no need for admins there
Sachinov(2): bye
retsam(TM)(2): i was only referring to mamer in the past tense :)
mlong(*)(2): okay mulesmurf this is a warning #1 this is out of turn #2 its 
\   out of line #3 you have been warned please stop with the flesh questions.
Esekla(2): I think my question was already covered by mlong saying that 
\   unmanaged tourneys are a good idea that may be in the works soon.
mlong(*)(2): okay loopy is up and I have nobody on deck
Esekla(2): I have more specific ideas, but we don't need to cover them here.
mlong(*)(2): 11 minutes left.
rocketmanSF(2): <---- eats flesh
loopy(TM)(2): as far as abuse is concerned......
loopy(TM)(2): Can a user find out why their opponent may be on the abuser 
\   list....
hasenpfeffer(2): we don't need to hear about your love life, rocketman.
loopy(TM)(2): to decide for themselves whether or not to play them....
mlong(*)(2): no loopy but I kind of like the idea, maybe something with a 
\   general topic in it..
mlong(*)(2): ie abuse - ratings abuse
loopy(TM)(2): like computer abuse, or language abuse.....
Beelzebub(2): or you could add it to their finger notes automatically or 
\   something like that.  Like a scarlett letter.
mlong(*)(2): for the most part the abuser's list has been reserved for ratings 
\   abuse and computer abuse
hasenpfeffer(2): abuse - cybersex abuse?
loopy(TM)(2): thnx.
mlong(*)(2): stored games abuse also...abuse list is for game related abuse 
\   for the most part not for language or something else...
mlong(*)(2): okay sentman is up loopy is next  7 minutes.
mlong(*)(2): okay sentman is lagging he did send his question though
mlong(*)(2): he says: There seems to be need for 'admin-free' channels, i 
\   speak for the lightning-players but i notice that the 'bug-group' wants 
\   one as well.
mlong(*)(2): I think I can say that there will never be a channel that admins 
\   can't get into.
hasenpfeffer(2): you can implement one using a bot.
loopy(TM)(2): what about one they don't monitor though...
Sentman(2): tell 2 There seems to be need for 'admin-free' channels, i speak 
\   for the lightning-players but i notice that the 'bug-group' wants one as 
\   well.
mlong(*)(2): you can't see the question as posed because it was messaged to me 
\   because sent man is lagging...I did cut and paste it so you have exactly 
\   what he put forth.
loopy(TM)(2): kind of like "enter at your own risk"
mlong(*)(2): I know there would be a LOT of people that would like this
hasenpfeffer(2): if someone desperately wanted to be admin-free, he/she could 
\   just write a bot-channel.
mlong(*)(2): but it is simply not going to happen - with our current structure 
\   we retain the right to moderate anything on fics.
mlong(*)(2): if you must chit chat and don't want a admin to see it there are 
\   always MUD's and IRC
loopy(TM)(2): What about a channel where the players could be vulgar towards 
\   each other...
mlong(*)(2): this has already been asked.
loopy(TM)(2): it seems that's what they want...
Esekla(2): although I like the principle, I would hate to see FICS opened up 
\   to legal liability because of something like that.  I'm guessing that's a 
\   big factor, right?
mlong(*)(2): fics had such a channel and we removed it because we didn't feel 
\   like it was a proper thing for FICS to endorse.
loopy(TM)(2): indeed....
mlong(*)(2): we have to make sure that we retain our PG rating :)
hasenpfeffer(2): if fics takes responsibility for such stuff, fics can be 
\   liable in the future.
mlong(*)(2): we already lost our G rating.
RAH(2): It` isnt something fics should endorse
Esekla(2): :)
RAH(2): fics has  a tell system and message system that works fine
loopy(TM)(2): yea, you would hate to have an over 18 warning on the server to 
\   play chess.
mlong(*)(2): I have nobody else on my que and time has expired.
mulesmurf(2): so what do you propose mlong?
mlong(*)(2): thank you for answering your own question loopy :)
loopy(TM)(2): t 2 :(
UnrFlesh(2): I have a question
loopy(TM)(2): t fideli ?
mlong(*)(2): I think this meeting is over...
loopy(TM)(2): i think i was misunderstood...
hasenpfeffer(2): i'd like to hear flesh swear.
UnrFlesh(2): Can I ask a question?
loopy(TM)(2): I was asking my question, just responding to anothers :)
mlong(*)(2): thank you all for your questions...I hope you got something out 
\   of it I know I did.
nitemove(2): i did nto
nitemove(2): i got nothing out of this but the same ole stuff
Misho(2): thanks, mlong...
Beelzebub(2): will this be logged and sent to some of the other admin so they 
\   know what took place?
jross(*)(2): that is the intention.
mlong(*)(2): welcome misho
UnrFlesh(2): may I ask a question now?
Googly(2): will players have access to the log?
nitemove(2): ask away I will answer you
nitemove(2): the whole idea that I get from admin flesh is that you have 
\   broken every rule in the book
nitemove(2): that everyone has complained about you
UnrFlesh(2): Why is someone else's account banned due to MY putting up a silly 
\   web page?
mlong(*)(2): yes the log for this will be made available.
UnrFlesh(2): and why is it ANY of the admins' business what I post on the web?
nitemove(2): and they don't want you around.....that is what I hear and i 
\   cannot believe that you did alll  that
Esekla(2): FWIW I did not get that idea.
mulesmurf(2): hey guys, i think mlong and other good admins, just dont 
\   realize, that there is a real problem, not for john doe login, but for 
\   interesting vociferous players, we have a problem on that

------------------------

end of town meeting log

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Last modified: Sun Feb 11 14:27:58 GMT Standard Time 2007