On 2003-01-02T11:45-0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
) To the peoples who are suggesting that this would deprive sormal users
) of their protection, let remember some things:
) 1- It will always be a choice to join or not a channel. auto-join on
) invite are not an issue, this is a client matter. Want to try to solve
) the old game of #prison on the server side too? (auto-invite on part
) from this channel was giving a hard time to some mirc users)
Unfortunately, we can't afford to turn a blind eye on our less sophisticated
brethren. Ignoring the technical issues (such as join-on-invite), there's a
simple question of informed consent. Host hiding is a relatively new feature
on Undernet, but people have quickly come to rely on it to help ensure their
privacy when online. Joining a channel should not be taken to show that the
user is willing to have that privacy breached, there has to be some kind of
explicit, extraordinary action on their part.
A possible counter-suggestion would be to introduce a new channel mode to
disallow host hiding (or disallow host hiding for ops), and prevent hidden
users from simply /join'ing the channel (and prevent unhidden users from
authenticating while in such a channel). If a hidden user attempts to /join
your tech support channel, he could receive some message giving further
instructions on how to give consent (and explaning what it is he is
consenting to). I believe the most universally compatible solution would be
to have a "can see me" list maintained through X, so you might see
*** Can not join #myisp.net: This channel does not permit hidden hosts. To
join, your host will have to be unhidden for members of this channel. To
allow this, type ``/msg [EMAIL PROTECTED] unhide myaccount
#myisp.net''.
This is a bit far-fetched, though, so I imagine you would have to lobby
coder-com pretty heavily to see something like that implemented. I really
don't see any other way to do it, though. Simply giving all channel
operators the ability to see hidden hosts whenever a user joins their
channel does tend to negate the usefulness of host hiding.
) And to finish with this, choose an everyday example.. you always have
) the choice to enter in a store that would request that you give you name
) as a club member before going in. You then decide if this is acceptable
) for you before going in, even if it is possible that you will receive
) unwanted publicity afteward.
Not to get too "back and forth"y, but such stores usually keep you from
entering in the first place. Your suggestion is similar to them forcing your
checkbook open and paying for a membership if you happen to enter their
store by accident.
--
Daniel Reed <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Real computer scientists like having a computer on their desk, else how could they
read their mail?
naim FAQ: http://128.113.139.111/~n/naim/FAQ
