🚀 go-pugleaf

  For new readers on "dal.general", this thread was initiated by the 
information at http://www.ug.cs.dal.ca/cgi-bin/mossman/is-irc

T. Buckley (buckley@ug.cs.dal.ca) wrote:

: Quick question, how many people were using tin, pine, or netscape 
: (via slirp)

   Good point.  I just took a quick look, pine and tin seem to be 
giving IRC quite a run for its money.  But why shouldn't they?  Many 
non-C.S. courses are finially beginning to use these valuable tools 
that are provided on the IS Host.

: In a given night several people will come to ask how to do something 
: in C, or questions about Math, Stats, etc

   I've heard this story a thousand times.  The good news is that this 
is in fact true.  People (including myself) have and will occasionaly 
use IRC for academic work when a fast answer is required.  The bad news 
is that "$ irc LuvMachine <Enter>" is rarely (if ever) followed by 
academic work.  Let's face it, averaging 15 users (abusers?) at a time?  
*1* account logged in and using IRC on *4 separate* dial-in lines?  
When put against the facts this commonley heard piece of fiction loses 
validity as the busy signals go on, and on, and on.

: What you are suggesting by banning irc . . .

   Whoa!  Stop this train I wanna get off!  My post didn't suggest 
anything!  But since you've inadvertantly trolled for my opinion,  :)
here it is.  

   Banning IRC (or any other internet resource) would be archaic, 
illogical, and next to impossible at best.  What would be a preferable 
solution is for Dalhousie's students, staff, and faculty to use 
Dalhousie's valuable computer resources for academic related work.  
Note: everyone who has an IS account agreed to this concept 
(outlined in Dalhousie's policy on Responsible Computing) when they 
signed the IS application form.  

   Why can this policy not be followed at least to the extent that 
recreational users do no interfere with the academic work of other 
users?  I personally have no problem with IRCing when dial-up lines 
are clearly not busy.  

   Right now I'm lurking on #atlantic.canada (from my Atlantic Connect 
account) and wondering how the subject  "I want my damn RIB BACK!"  
could possibly be related to academic work.  But that's O.K.  This 
kind of use is not why the IS Host and dial-up lines were purchased.  
But there's no sense in letting all that great equipment sit idle is 
there?

: is liken to trying to stop the flow of a collapsing dam with a band-aid.  

   Excellent comparison.  Well put.  I couldn't agree more.

: Hopefully the new ug dialin lines coming online will help people 
: trying to get on for academic work.

   No doubt they will.  Unfortunately, it had to come to this.

Paul Mossman
mossman@ug.cs.dal.ca