Wikipedia talk:IRC

I do not remember if I was ever banned from using IRC, but anytime I join a Wikipedia channel with the username "AwesomeAasim", it gives the error "You are banned". Does a channel mod want to investigate? Aasim (talk) 08:54, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Awesome Aasim, currently the IRC channels are restricted to users who are registered on Freenode due to a spambot attack. It is likely to remain so for at least the next 6-8 hours. Waggie (talk) 08:56, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

okay I registered a nickname with IRC. The end. Aasim (talk) 19:33, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

"Wikipedia:Chat" listed at Redirects for discussion[edit]

A discussion is taking place to address the redirect Wikipedia:Chat. The discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2021 February 25#Wikipedia:Chat until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. Elliot321 (talk | contribs) 02:28, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Bug won't allow me in[edit]

I'm trying to get into Freenode, but it won't let me in. Basically, I type my username and my password in, then I do the captcha. I successfully pass, but it says "invalid captcha." Then I do it again, and it says "invalid login." I double check my username and password, and it's correct, but it still won't let me in. Does anyone know what's going on? Seahawks4Life (talk) 14:29, 28 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Freenode[edit]

For those that don't know, there has been a hostile takeover of Freenode and most of the staff have resigned. I've opened a discussion for the global community here. YODADICAE👽 12:55, 19 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for opening the discussion on Meta. For the uninitiated, there is interesting background information about what's going on at Freenode at Freenode#Ownership change and conflict and Andrew Lee (entrepreneur). - tucoxn\^talk 15:52, 24 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Bad experience in the help channel[edit]

Hey there. A couple months ago when I was trying to get IRC working, I visited the help channel #wikipedia-en-help as directed in the {{notice}} at the top of the WP:IRC page. I was told to get my questions about nicknames and cloaking answered in the Freenode support channel, and that I was not allowed to stay in the #wikipedia-en-help channel. I felt rushed out of the channel without my questions getting answered. I found the experience to be WP:BITE. So I guess my questions are, 1) is it really necessary to rush people out of the help channel / disallow folks from idling in there? and 2) why can't we provide some basic IRC tech support in the help channel? Thanks. –Novem Linguae (talk) 19:09, 30 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hello Novem Linguae! We haven't had an "official" presence on Freenode since May. Are you referring to an experience on #wikipedia-en-help on Libera.chat? I looked through my logs and couldn't identify a particular experience that seems to meet your description. If you can give me some more specifics, I can review more closely. Specifics are always good if you're referencing WP:BITE, btw. As it stands, I can't comment specifically about your experience about being "rushed" or not having your questions answered while in the channel.

I can, however, provide some general responses to your questions:

Regarding idling in the channel, we do not allow idling by unidentified users due to 1) repeated attempts at impersonation of on-wiki users by LTAs, 2) repeated attempts by trolls/LTAs to subvert our support process by private messaging helpees and to gather PII on unsuspecting users, and 3) repeated attempts by scammers attempting to sell "services" to approve and "protect" articles for unsuspecting COI editors by private messaging them. As such, this "no idling" policy is not likely to change any time soon. IRC is much more of a "wild west" than on-wiki communication, and we do have to be very careful to try and protect the fairly tech-naive helpees we get. Even so, we give a fairly broad grace period to idlers (sometimes many hours, if the channel is quiet), unless they are connecting from IPs that are blocked or are known to be blocked users on-wiki.

To your question about provide "basic IRC tech support". Providing even "basic" IRC tech support is a slippery slope. Most importantly, however, we collectively do not have the knowledge, experience, or bandwidth to handle questions that do not relate to assisting with editing Wikipedia. As such, we often direct people to the correct support forum for various requests. Even our support of English Wikipedia is limited in many respects, often for transparency reasons. For example, we pointedly do not engage or take sides in any content disputes, we do not accede to requests to provide AfC reviews in the channel, we do not process unblock requests, and we do not accept edit requests from helpees except in very extreme/specific cases (blatant vandalism/BLPvios/copyvio/etc.). In any case, Libera.chat has a support channel available (#libera) to assist Libera.chat and IRC users that is populated with many people who are very knowledgeable with regards to IRC, and that is the correct forum for requesting assistance with IRC.

To dovetail on that into your question about idling. The purpose of the help channel is really just to provide a venue for support in circumstances where an informal live chat is more productive than the more traditional on-wiki format. Many Wikipedians are accustomed to the communication style and buffering/privacy protection that is available on Wikipedia, with the ability to delete, redact, and revise, as well as the transparency available on-wiki for who said what and when. The IRC environment is very different, with no ability to redact or remove accidentally posted PII that a helpee unwittingly posts (as they often do), or prevent a malicious user from privately messaging an unwitting helpee. As such, we do have to moderate the support channels differently than what one might expect from an on-wiki environment. We channel moderators/operators do strive for a positive support experience, however. Again, if you can provide details regarding your experience (specific times/dates, the nickname you used, etc. - you can even email these to me using the Email user tool if you'd like) I'd be happy to research the matter further and see if there's some way we can improve.

I hope this helps answer your questions. Waggie (talk) 21:57, 30 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hey @Waggie. Thanks for the detailed reply. Fully explained that all makes sense. In regards to idling, it sounds like a bunch of LTAs and scammers ruined it for everyone and there's not much that can be done about it. Bummer. In regards to tech support, I've found the whole process of getting set up on IRC to have a big learning curve. Compared to Discord which is just click, install, done. Last time, it was such a pain to pick a client (I didn't pick a good one), get my nick working (I had a weird issue where I had to /drop a nick and then reregister it), and wait for my cloak that I just gave up on it and went back to Discord. It's going smoother this time, but as you can see I am still a bit frustrated. Hopefully it's smooth sailing from here though. Thanks for the thoughtful response. –Novem Linguae (talk) 22:33, 30 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, it really is a bummer, the internet is a pretty crappy place sometimes. Discord has it's own issues, but it's a very interesting and useful technology, and I do use it myself (just not for Wikipedia). Glad I was able to clarify things for you and best wishes! Waggie (talk) 22:49, 30 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

IRC[edit]

Tried to join the IRC following the prompts from the page, but Kiwi IRC doesn't seem to connect. 24.90.88.127 (talk) 06:57, 8 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Connected, but now says "ⓘ ** This channel is not monitored for support requests ** You have been forwarded here because the channel you tried to join is temporarily closed to unregistered users or your connection is malfunctioning. Try registering your nickname [link] then rejoin, or /join #wikimedia-ops for help.". And when I try to join #wikimedia-ops, it says 0 people here. 24.90.88.127 (talk) 07:04, 8 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Have you seen "Wikimedia IRC has been migrated from freenode to Libera Chat" at WP:IRC? Johnuniq (talk) 07:27, 8 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Notice of proposed change to an IRC related template[edit]

Template:Libera.Chat is used to display IRC channel names. There is a request to change the template at Template Talk:Libera.Chat#Template-protected edit request on 22 June 2022. The change is waiting to see if there is consensus for it. Please make any related comments on that page. PHANTOMTECH (talk) 08:45, 23 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]