IRC

Warning: We moved IRC servers as of March 2010.

• The server is irc.freenode.net
• The main channel is: #dreamwidth
• The developer mentoring channel is: #dreamwidth-dev (merged into the main developer channel)
• If you need more information on how this all works, see IRC help.
• IRC quote database
• No idea what people in IRC are saying? Common Jargon
• Congratulations to the accepted Google Summer of code students, and best wishes to all other applicants! Any interested developer is welcome to become involved with the project.

Registering your nickname

Due to the current troll flood attack, it's best if you register your nickname.

In order to register your nickname on the IRC channel, use this command:

/msg nickserv register [PASSWORD] [EMAIL] 

You will receive an email shortly with instructions. (Do not include the square brackets in the command.)

You can then identify yourself to the IRC server with this command:

/msg nickserv identify [PASSWORD]

(Do not actually use the brackets, just put in your password or email.)

Channels

#dreamwidth

General Dreamwidth chatter, including owners, developers, support, and cheerleaders. Occasionally NSFW.

For the bosses' sanity, discussion of politics and religion is to be kept to other channels.

#dreamwidth-antispam

For the anti-spam team. Ops are Azz and skrshawk. SpamBot is the resident bot, owned by exor674.

SpamBot announces new spam and when the queue has been cleared. The command 'SpamBot: spam' makes SpamBot list the current contents of the queue.

When in channel, best practice is to announce that you'll take care of the spam that you're headed for, to avoid collision as much as possible.

#dreamwidth-bitch

Combining #dw_bitch, #dw_nsfw, and #dw_tmi. What it says on the can. For the extensive complaints, NSFW discussions, medical TMI, and general TMI that sometimes pops up in #dreamwidth; possibly even politics too.

#dreamwidth-dev

A development/training/support/testing-focused channel without side-chatter.

#dreamwidth-docs

this may be obsolete & from the old server For discussing documentation.

#dreamwidth-games

Officially unofficial, for funtimes including Zilch and Acrophobia.

#dreamwidth-ops

Mark, Denise, and Nagios the Annoying Wonder Bot.

#dreamwidth-support

For support-types to hang out, ask questions, and learn. Run by the Triumvirate of Domtheknight (Dom), Chemicallace (Chemla), and MissKat (Kat)

Other

There are sometimes impromptu channels created for specific discussions that do not fit regular channels. (Freenode's policies seem to state that these should be in the ##dreamwidth- namespace? Or is it just ##? )

Bots

IRC bots are programs people can interact with in the IRC channel. They have their own usernames and different uses.

Infobot has been fed the wiki links for most of the bots on the server. Infobot, help <bot> will usually result in a quick link to that bot's documentation.

Fig|Bit

Fig|Bit has several different features, and will answer to "Figment" or "Fig" interchangeably, as well as "Infobot" and "Bit".

(Currently, Figment will do a Bugsy-like lookup of Support requests in #dreamwidth-support upon someone mentioning the request number, such as request <x> or req <x> -- this may be subject to change as the tool uses screen scraping.)

Apparently the dedicated channel for all-Fig|Bit all the time is #dreamwidth-figment.

Infobot

There is a DW-specific infobot in the channel named Fig|Bit; the commands to use him are:

infobot, <x> is <y>

This is how you ask Fig|Bit to remember a factoid <x>. For example, you might say:

infobot, wiki is http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/

which would ask him to remember that the factoid "wiki" was the URL to Dreamwidth's development wiki. This command works only in PM. You can ask him to recall a factoid with the command below.

infobot, <x>

This asks Fig|Bit to recall a factoid that was previously remembered. You can use this in channel or in PM.

infobot, no, <x> is <y>

If Fig|Bit already knows a factoid when you try to ask him to remember one, he'll tell you that he already knows it and he won't remember the new definition. This command tells him to change the factoid to the new definition anyway. This command works only in PM.

infobot, forget <x>

This asks Fig|Bit to forget the factoid <x>. This command works only in PM.

You can use "info," instead of "infobot," for any of these commands if you wish.

Bit

Bit is the decision-bot part of Fig|Bit. Ask Bit a yes or no question, or ask Bit to pick between comma-separated options. Bit will choose!

Bit, tally will make Bit give a tally of the yes and no answers since the last time Bit was rebooted.

As Bit has not been specifically programmed to favor working on bugs, support, or code reviews over other (more frivolous) pursuits, it is clear that Bit just naturally favors these things, being a bot.

Support-bot

Fig|Bit is also a Support-bot, and will link to any support request mentioned in channel.

request <x> said in channel, anywhere in the sentence, will result in Fig|Bit linking the support request in question.

Figment, green

This asks Fig|Bit to retrieve the stats on the support requests without approved answers.

Fig|Bit functions like Anna for a support-bot, for those who are familiar with Anna.

These may be addressed to "Fig" as well.

Figment, tags

This asks Fig|Bit to retrieve the bracketed tags in the subjects of support requests.

Figment, stars

This asks Fig|Bit to retrieve a list of categories that have reached their defined thresholds.

Figment, be Goat

Fig|Bit will give the green count in Goat style.

Figment, points <x>

Fig|Bit will give the number of support points for the given user or category, or (if not user or category is given) the total number of points available on the board if one were to leave an approved answer for all the open questions right now.

Figment, stale

Fig|Bit will give stats on the requests that have been open longest.

Figment, recent

Gives a detailed report of open support requests in multiple categories.

Figment, recenttags

Lists tags of current green requests.

Figment, kittens

Fig|Bit will give a list of the categories that are under their defined thresholds. (Categories = cats = small cats = kittens)

Figment, random

Fig|Bit will give a random support request, optionally within a given category.

Figment, search

Currently unimplemented.

Figment, stats

Currently unimplemented.

Reminderbot

This function is only available in PM or in #dreamwidth-hell.

Syntax:

• Remind me in <thing>
• Remind me at <time> <zone> <thing>

Example:

• Remind me in 12 minutes DING COOKIES ARE DONE
• Remind me at 5pm PDT PREPARE FOR AN EVENING OF AWESOME

This command does not need to be addressed directly to the bot.

Others

These may be addressed to "Fig" as well.

Figment, countdown <time> <timezone>

Gives the time remaining until the specified time. fig, countdown 9pm EDT

Figment, gmt

Displays the current Greenwich Meridian Time.

Figment, is DW up?

Asks Figment to check if DW is up. "up" can be replaced with "down" synonymously.

Figment, math

A basic calculator.

Figment, twitter <x>

Reports the last tweet posted by a Twitter user. Defaults to @dreamwidth if no username is given. (The twitter account for Alertsy is @dw_alerts.)

Figment, botsnack

Not really its own command, but a nice way to reward our very useful bot.

RWhEll bot

You can feed items to Random Word hEll. When an item is fed to hell, hell will most likely spew out random items it has consumed. RWHell is present in #dreamwidth and its dedicated channel, #dreamwidth-hell.

feed <x> to hell

/me feeds <x> to hell

This feeds an item to Hell. Hell will probably at this point in time spew out one or two items it has been holding. It may also burp and not expel anything new.

(Hell recognises a number of synonyms for "feed". The current list is "feed", "send", "damn", "punt", "toss", "smite", "condemn", "hurl", "throw" and "kick". These can also be used in their equivalent form as part of a /me - for example, "/me damns <x> to hell".)

hell, tally

This tells you how many items hell is currently holding.

RWHell does not have a search function, so the only way to know what is in hell at any given time is to have kept track (or ask hell's minder).

There is a separate level of hell for every channel that RWhell is in, so objects that are fed to it in its testing channel will not re-emerge in #dreamwidth, and vice versa.

Hell is rate limited in #dreamwidth, to avoid abuse. Hell is not rate limited in #dreamwidth-hell.

The rumor that hell is sentient is just that: a rumor. Really. We swear. ...We hope.

More on its history in Common Jargon.

Bugsy

Bugsy is a bot that notifies the channel when bugs are opened, closed, or receive patches (although the attachment-upload function of Bugsy broke with a recent Bugzilla upgrade and the bot hasn't been patched yet). It will also bring up more information about any bug that you link to or mention in channel.

bug <x> said in channel, anywhere in the sentence, will result in Bugsy linking the bug in question. If Bugsy isn't in the channel, Figment will normally ask him for you, as long as Figment is also in the channel.

@<x>

when starting a line with this, it does something, mostly Bugsy telling you that it wasn't a valid command (if you say "@denise that was awesome", for example).

Alertsy

a Nagios bot that pages Mark when the site is down. Or up. An archive of its messages can be found at @dw_alerts on Twitter.

Not to be mistaken for _nagios_, who is usually D being Very Silly at Mark's expense.

Culture

The owners (mark/@xb95 and denise/@rahaeli) are the final arbiters of any IRC policy, issue, or debate.

Hazards

Hazards of hanging out in #dreamwidth include:

• becoming hungry from all the talk of delicious food
• starting to volunteer
• putting more time in developing, providing answers in support, doing a code tour, etc.
• becoming a project lead
• buying more yarn
• getting sucked into TVTropes, Wikipedia, and similar timesinks
• getting earwormed (see also earwormhole)
• pun wars
• conversations that started out perfectly sane and innocent degenerating (sometimes rapidly)
• losing the game

Rules

(coming soon; mind what ops say, D and Mark have the final say, (for the owners' sanity) no politics or religion in #dreamwidth, don't be a jerk. Consider the Diversity Statement and the Guiding Principles and try to embody them.)