[development] Logging of IRC Channels?

[Larry Garfield]

On Sunday 08 October 2006 16:16, Morbus Iff wrote:
> A decision was made today by one of the ops of #drupal and
> #drupal-support: that anyone *publicly* logging the channels
> would be banned.

I am (relatively) new here, so I have no idea what existing policies may or 
may not already be in place formally or informally.

My first question, though: What does "publicly logging" mean?  My IRC client 
(Gaim) logs everything I say or do in any channel or IM or PM.  I know a lot 
of people who do that.

> I'd like to get a communal response to this, however.
>
> My generic opinion is:
>
>   1) anyone who believes any internet communication is private,
>      without prior warning (encryption, auth, etc.), is naive.

True.

>   2) the #drupal-support channel is a large font of knowledge,
>      fixes, and help. not being able to search it, or use its
>      resources outside of real time, is a great loss.

True, although I suppose one must add "but that's what forums are for".

>   3) that this should not be the decision of one person.

True, with the caveat above that it may have already been decided and I just 
don't know about it.

>   4) feelings that it would change the "mood" of the channel
>      is no different than being informed that a mailing list has
>      a moderator (or is archived) or that anything you post on
>      Drupal.org is also search-engine-able: you self-censor
>      yourself. IRC is no less "professional" or "private"
>      than any other medium.

I guess it still depends on what "publicly logging" means.  If it means what I 
think it means, then this list is "publicly logged", as are forums.

-- 
Larry Garfield			AIM: LOLG42
larry at garfieldtech.com		ICQ: 6817012

"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of 
exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, 
which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to 
himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession 
of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it."  -- Thomas 
Jefferson