I would like to make a general announcement about the proper use of SAX and IRC. Several Cemetech administrators have voiced concerns that at times, off-topic chat has dominated the SAX/#cemetech channel. Ordinarily this is not a big problem, but when it actively interrupts discussion of the primary goals of this forum, namely calculator programming, hardware hacking, and general computer/web programming, it becomes something that needs to be addressed. I ask that everyone be sensitive to the other discussions going on on SAX/#cemetech, and defer to conversations more relevant to the site as a whole. To pick a random example, assorted Minecraft chat when nothing else interesting is going on is fine, but if people are trying to discuss calculator or programming things, I ask that you take the Minecraft (or whatever off-topic discussion it happens to be) to the appropriate forum thread to avoid monopolizing the channel. I'm considering adding channels to SAX (actually, something I've toyed with starting about four years ago), but until I get the motivation to make a move, please be aware of your fellow Cemetechians. And to be clear, I'm not asking for people to stop all off-topic discussing on SAX/#cemetech, or even to stop discussing Minecraft. Just try to be sensitive to the feelings of your fellow members, and the fewer people that a particular discussion is relevant to, the more I urge you to use a topic.

I couldn't agree more, if one is having a conversation with someone about one of the major forum goals, then he's not happy if another one invades the chat to discuss less serious matters.

Thanks for reminding the community Kerm

Yeah I agree. It's kinda annoying when a serious discussion goes on, and someone tries to interrupt it non-stop or when the chat is flooded with off-topic, less meaningful convo.

I like the multi-channel support. Netham45 did it on my site and now a bunch of the pointless stuff moved to the spam channel located there, while the French talk moved to the -fr channel.

Isn't there a #cemetech2, by the way?

Thanks for this, Kerm Now I have a little more authority to tell people to shush!

A better idea is not to link SAX and IRC at all. hurf derf

That doesn't help with talk on the channel. hurf derf

Maybe they should use #ti for hard-core supr srs calculator talk then where they know they won't get interrupted by other topics. #cemetech, #omnimaga and #tcpa are always community channels for general discussion. They were never meant to be calculators only.

DJ_O, there is technically a #cemetech2, but no one has used it in many months, as far as I know. Shaun, excellent. Nikky, I agree, but I think that when there's a bunch of competing discussions on #cemetech, the ones most relevant to the largest number of members (ie, programming/calculator discussions) should get precedence). The rest can be easily discussed in topics.

This, all day long.

People should use #ti for calculator discussion. It's a forum-independent IRC channel for serious calculator discussion, users and programmers alike.

None of this Cemetech/Omnimaga loyalist drama. Just talk calculators for goodness' sakes.

But if we're talking about non-calc-related development, then we can't go to #ti, but should get precedence in the channel over, say, Minecraft. And #ti is mostly dead. And, I don't want to have to switch over to #ti when I'm talking about calcs just because somoene else wants to talk about Minecraft.

I think that that's fair, though I also respect BrandonW's push for calculator talk in #ti.

I am saying nothing at all about Cemetech's IRC channel(s). I'm simply saying that #ti should be the be-all end-all source for general calculator discussion.

And it's not "dead" if it was never alive in the first place. No one will take the channel seriously if no one joins it and talks. Next time a calculator discussion explodes in #cemetech when people in #omnimaga or elsewhere could benefit, ask yourself why you aren't taking it to #ti.

I do not see #ti as dead personally. Everytime I check my backlogs, there's always discussion there.

Also it doesn't mean to eliminate every calculator discussion from forum-related channels, since the sites are partially calculator-related in the first place, but it means that #ti is a central place to talk exclusively about calculator.

As for Omni/Ceme loyalism drama, I did not see any happening in the last two months, unless I missed something. I don't see the point of it, since people can just visit the sites they want.

Mind if I ask what brought up the original topic?

A reaction to frustration by some people over the large amount of Minecraft discussion in the channel, I think.

Most likely. I wish there was more Starcraft II discussion, along with discussions about an eventual port of it to CALCnet 2.2, rather than Minecraft.

Something near and dear to you, since you've been complaining about Minecraft talk lately.

Ahh

Or you could all unwind your panties and realize it's just a chatroom - talk about whatever the hell you want and have as many simultaneous discussions as you want. It's not hard.

This could go quite well with multiple IRC Channels, which I'm sure has ran across your mind more than once (linking SAX to IRC Channels). Also would be cross-channel highlights and a bar at the top displaying the current channel. Such as "General," "Calculator," or "Minecraft Channel" under the text box.

I'm already getting ideas! If you don't support cross-channel highlights you could simply have users leave & join SAX rooms (like now when one logs in, 'comicIDIOT has joined the room') Also, if channels do become something, a channel and cross-channel (with channel name) user-list would have to be made, or this could be tacked onto the "Online Users" page.

I see this forming into a very nice feature, in my humble opinion.