WHOIS_ Michael

Michael Long

Interviewed By: Heather Peel

Administers Chatnet, GalaxyNet, StarLink and X-World Networks

Software Developer at InfoAve Internet Service Providers

As the number of internet users grows, so do the number who are exploring internet relay chat and new networks are springing up all the time. Four new arrivals to IRC are: ChatNet, GalaxyNet, StarLink and the newest X-World.

These four have a common denominator: InfoAve and Michael Long. Info Ave is a internet provider in South Carolina, USA that provides a server on all four IRC networks. Michael is their software developer. I talked to Michael about InfoAve and the networks.

<Hthr> Michael, would you tell me about InfoAvenue's involvement with the four networks.

<MLong> As far as I know,Info Avenue is the only company to provide a server on 4 IRC networks.We provide our own IRC servers to users and we just happen to be on those networks. Most ISPs only choose one network but we felt it was important to offer variety to our customers. But we let the entire public use our servers

<Hthr> What is your role at Info Avenue and the networks?

<MLong> My primary job is Software Developer. I put together the software kits that our customers receive. I also help write the technical support web pages, do misc. work on our web servers, and maintain our chat services for the networks.
I help with the GalaxyNet and XWorld web pages. I am also a member of the GalaxyNet Net-Com, the governing body of GalaxyNet. We also hub on ChatNet and are a secondary hub on GalaxyNet.

<Hthr> How long have you been chatting on IRC?

<MLong> I've been "full time" on IRC for about 8 months. Before that, I would just logon occasionally to EFnet. I've been on the internet for about 4 years and was a major BBS user locally when those used to be popular. I was on BBSes for about 8 years I would say.
The internet has a lot of wonderful qualities, but its hard to ever meet anyone in your city like you could with a BBS.

"ChatNet is a pretty top-notch network. It has been getting bigger and faced a few issues and problems, but I think those will be worked out soon."(M. Long, January 19, 1997)

"ChatNet is one of the younger IRC (Internet Relay Chat) networks. It was founded in March, 1996. Born out of the ashes of an older network, it was setup by experienced administrators. By the end of March, channel services were added to ChatNet. ChatNet has quickly become well-known because of these channel services, represented by K9. Nowadays ChatNet is a mid-sized network with a loyal userbase and friendly hosts."(exerpt from ChatNet homepage)

Number of users online at time of interview: 740

<MLong> We have a very talented group of IRCops who I think do an exceptional job. They work as a team and try to make their network the best. We have a separate IRCop team for each network.
The IRcops are volunteers. They get higher access on the IRC networks in return for what they do.

<Hthr> What exactly does that mean? "higher access"?

<MLong> Higher access as in the ability to kill or ban users,access to administration areas and control of services.
Unfortunately in this world...there are those who wish to do nothing but malicious things on IRC such as cloning and flooding.
IRCops keep them in check

<Hthr> Do you find you have a lot of users who would like to become IRCops?

<MLong> Yes. People write and ask to be. Unfortunately I cannot do that as 1. I don't know them 2. I don't know if I can trust them and 3. There is only room for a limited number. On some networks, there is actually a limit

<Hthr> you have to have a lot of patience

<MLong> Patience and ability...it takes a lot of time to learn kline, gline, etc.

<Hthr> what is gline? Could you define both?

<MLong> Kline bans a user from a server permentantly.
Gline bans them from all servers on the network.
A gline may be permanent or have a time limit, depending on the network. Unfortunately, it is the only way sometimes.
You can kill a user, but they will just come back on and start their problems again.
There are a lot of people who devote their time to anything malicious - from flooding to cloning to ICMP pings to insults to harassment to stalking.
Thats what gives IRC a bad name

<Hthr> yes, i have seen my share of people who abuse others on IRC.

"GalaxyNet was formed as a democratic network. It is governed by a policy and all admins vote on issues. It had grown significantly to be a large network. We had hoped that the policy would avoid problems as EFnet and Undernet has had in the past. Unfortunately, a few hub admins decided to seize power and the whole network went into chaos. We reformed the network with new hubs and that is what you see. The people who did not come with us formed Imperial.Net. Overall it has a large atmosphere like EFNet.GalaxyNet used to be so big. I hope it will return to that one day." (M. Long January 19, 1997)

Note: GalxyNet was reformed in December 1996
Number of users online at time of interview: 450

<MLong> Just for informational purposes...StarLink and X-World specifically outlaw sex channels.

<Hthr> Ok. Speaking of sex channels, Dalnet today issued an annoucement regarding "kiddie-porn" type channels. They have finally vowed to ban users who try to form any illegal activity type of channels.

<MLong> I never use DalNet. One issue that has been discussed on ChatNet is the issue of censorship - its still being discussed. If an attempt is made to block some channels, then you are liable if you don't block all of them.

<Hthr> Yes...this is a challengenging decision that networks face. I wondered how yours have been handling it? You are still in the process of forming policies regarding censorship at ChatNet?

<MLong> Yes, regarding if they should exist or not. Starlink and xworld already have policies

<Hthr> Can I find out more about those policies at the homepages for those networks?

<MLong> Yes,I highly recommend users be aware of them. It will make it easier for users and ircops that way.

"StarLink is a relatively small network with friendly folks. The admins pretty much just talk to each other and determine how to run the network."(M.Long January 19, 1997)

"We at StarLink are dedicated to providing an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) experience that is friendly, comfortable, and pleasant for all who visit. You'll find a variety of channels that appeal to all ages and interests; we encourage you to freely explore...interact...and enjoy!
We simply ask that you respect others. Sexually explicit channels are prohibited and we ask that netsex be kept private. Warez channels are not allowed and warez activities are to be kept private.
At StarLink, you'll find friendly, helpful Channel Operators and IRC Operators. If you have questions or concerns please ask us.
We're glad you found StarLink...we welcome you to the StarLink "family"...please come back often and, when you do...we hope you bring a friend!"(exerpt from StarLink homepage)

Number of users online at time of interview: 480

<Hthr> Is there anything you could tell readers about the problems everyones experienced with lag lately not just on IRC, but over the whole internet?

<MLong> Well, you could probably attribute it to the growth of the internet. As more people get on it, the bandwidth of the backbones decreases.
Sprint, MCI, and the others have been trying to upgrade the backbones but I'm not sure if they have finished that yet.
If we did not have so many networks, users would have to put up with more splits and lag then they do now. Its good to have lots of small networks to distribute the load.

<Hthr> What do you see happening in the coming years as far as technolgical advances?

<MLong> Well someday in the future we will have teleconfrencing for the masses. Until then, I don't see much more than IRC. Web-chats are still a little awkward and the audio and video stuff like CUSeeMe and WebPhone haven't hit wide-spread use - hardware and bandwidth just aren't up to the point where EVERYONE can use the video and audio chats. Those are still a novelty technology I think.

<Hthr> You have been very generous with your time, Thank you Michael : )