BlindSight1) Fog is incorrect, channel founders (or any channel ops for that matter) can not see IP addresses. Only IRC Operators can see IPs.
2) The channels have decided that they want to move themselves, and they selected GeeksIRC so don't point your finger at me.
3) "What will that process entail when the proxy bot is also an IRC admin and the users get banned from the entire network?" I have no idea what you mean by this sentence, the bot does not exist on our network as it does not need it.
4) I plan on removing the redirect bot from #tf2.mix.nahl by the end of the week and just reset the topic.
5) I am already staff on GameSurge, so I really am not loosing much...
6) The network has been tested and proven, it just received a new name a few months ago.
7) If 80% of the channel want to move to GeeksIRC and #tf2mix and #tf2scrim want to go to quakenet, then that is their own prerogative.
8) The bot technically has no false positives as it checks through known dnsbl (black list) databases, and as soon as it detects it, it automatically kicks in. (I realize, some users don't know they are there but as you said I'd rather have them sign up for an account then remove the bot and have another botnet/spam attack)
9) When old players return they will just read the topic and move on, not a big deal and for most pug players it's simply just adding a new favorite in their browser.
10) tf2mix is moving because their system (atf2) does not work with GameSurge, so you don't need to blame me for that one.
The point is the network has been around for a while, it just received a new name and new servers. Believe it or not, but the TF2 community is not the only community on it so it's not like I created a glorified network for TF2.
From the SpamMaster8000 Bot Developer:
Spammaster8000 A.K.A AntiTOR-Bot - The bot was designed to remove spam users from the channel that were not registered with AuthServ. The bot could detect the users IP addresses because the GameSurge IRC network did not cloak non-registered users. Sometimes false positives can happen. The GeeksIRC network uses an IRC server daemon that has this functionality built in and will not allow the users to connect to the network to begin with. Basically this bot was designed specifically for GameSurge because of the lack of protection from spammers.
On another note, people that have connected to our network have NOT had an issue with our spam protection yet.
Blindtalent, I understand and appreciate what you already do for the community. None of my post is intended to be a shot against you or to claim that I think you would abuse the influx of data you'll get as a primary IRC operator on the new network. In response to your points:
1) Good. Nobody should have access other than IRC ops.
2) OK.
3 and 8) I'll touch on this below.
4 and 9) Removing the redirect and fully migrating to the new server means the existing channel will die in 30-60 days and ChanServ will leave, meaning old players returning will not see a topic.
5) Great, but who's to say that you or any other GeeksIRC admins won't become power hungry when you're on your own fresh network with no senior admins keeping you in check? Again, I'm not suggesting that you will--just saying it's a possibility.
6) The network has not been tested and proven by the TF2 community; GameSurge has.
7) I understand you have no control there.
10) OK.
In reference to points 3 and 8... You say the bot has no false positives, but you go on to say that it does. I can assure you--it most certainly does. They are few and far between, but they are definitely false positives from the standpoint that the current owner of a blacklisted IP is unable to join even though he is not infected. Perhaps a prior owner of the IP was infected or was a spam-bot, etc...
That's not to say the bot is doing a bad job, but it's certainly going to be a hassle for that user. Currently, if he is banned from the channel, he/she can message me or someone else and ask for help. I can very quickly walk him/her through the process of creating a gamesurge account and that person can rejoin within 5 minutes. On the new network, where you have confirmed that user will be unable to connect to the server, that user will now most likely be presented with an e-mail address where he/she has to e-mail the geeksirc staff and wait for further instructions.
Let me give you an example: Today, cozen was banned from pug.nahl. I told him how to fix the problem, but he had already talked to you.
<cozen> blindsight> So your IP address is in some known spam databases
<cozen> <blindsight> http://www.spamhaus.org/query/ip/173.66.58.37
<cozen> <blindsight> you just got there, check why its happening, fix it, then remove your ip
Your instructions there are pretty clear to me. He looks on the page, reads up about what could have gotten his IP there in the first place, and then he uses the listed 'removal method' to help get his IP address off the list.
What if it's not his system that's infected? What if he's got a dynamic IP from his ISP and someone else in his pool is infected? In his case, the first list won't even allow him to remove his IP by policy. The second list is actually super informative and helpful as far as getting his IP removed, but it also warns that repeated removals and re-detections will result in the removal function being disabled. What if he removes his IP and the infected system in his pool gets it re-added?
In the current scenario, he will be just fine by creating a GameSurge account, which takes around 5 minutes. He can go back to playing in 5 minutes. On your network, he will likely be unable to play for hours, days, weeks, or even forever.
Please do understand, I am not trying to change your mind, BT. I understand that you did put some pressure on the channel admins to migrate to your service but that it's their call in the end. I don't want this to seem like finger-pointing and calling you out specifically on that. I just want them to consider the negatives before making the move.