From: StarWatcher@uiuc.edu (StarWatcher)
Subject: Re: "Gender Flags" -- for lack of a better term.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Reply-To: StarWatcher@uiuc.edu
Organization: Actuarial Science Program at UIUC
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 05:39:39 GMT
Keywords: significant words from a document used as an index to content

sundog@ecst.csuchico.edu (Mark Stone) writes:

:  Assuming that IRC females are not sex-crazed-net-geeks like the commonly
: conceived IRC male, there must be some OTHER reason a woman suggested this
: idea.  For instance, the previously posted net.decent.folks concept?  That
: there are plenty of other handy reasons for knowing a person's gender
: besides sex?  (Editor's note:  Are we all so involved in the sexual aspect
: of IRC that we can't see beyond it enough to note reasons other than?)

Well, #hotsex IS one of the busiest channels on the net....  :)

:  Plus, it looked so completely *optional* to me.  You can have a gender
:  flag if you like, but you don't have to.  You can tell someone your gender
:  if you like, but you don't have to.  You have lie about your gender by
:  using the opposite flag, if you like, just as easily as you can tell 
:  someone that you are the opposite gender, if you like.  If a few folks
:  wish to avoid the "so, are you male or female" aspect of the situation
:  (*when it matters*) then they have *that option* -- those who are so
:  against it, that maintain that gender doesn't matter, etc, can live
:  their own lives too.  (But again, my editor's note:  There are many
:  reasons besides sex that make gender note-worthy.  Perhaps we're 
:  concentrating too hard on sex being the 'one' or 'main' reason.)  

Well, I have a sneaking suspicion that this was an attempt to bring
a MUD/MUCK-like concept into IRC.land.  I am still not fond of the
gender _flag_ idea, but I will admit that the following is an
interesting idea:  Add the commands /set description <text> and
/look <nick> (or <nick@server> for all you ircd-three folks).  This
could be extended to the point of being able to /on notify_looked_at * ,
/on notify_caught_looking * , and even to the point of utilizing an
IRCDESCRIPTION variable.  (Yes, I have visited a MUD and a MUCK or
two in my life).  Basically, you would let lusers make easily availible
information concerning any or all of: gender, VR appearance, personality,
etc (within the ca. 255 character limit) to anyone who might be interested.
And, it would be optional.

I would probably use it, and so would many other people.  I'm also
willing to bet a hundred thousand zlotys (what is the exchange rate
nowadays?) that within minutes after its implementation, some net.geek
or hacker will find some creative or not-so-creative way to abuse
this feature.  

This idea is something I can live without.  It smacks of MUD-ness to
me; one of the reasons I like IRC so much is because of some sort of
inherent predjudice towards MUDs (which might be due to the geeky-types
here who literally move into the Res Hall 24hr computer labs on weekends
to MUD for 60-or-so hours straight).  IRC is nice, IMHO, because it is
unlike a MUD in many ways.  :)  But it is an interesting enough
idea that I thought it merited a post.

I'd prefer that the big.chief.IRC.programmers spent more time on
fixing bugs and reconfiguring the current client/server setup to
reduce the number of net.splits, rather than work out the code to
frilly things such as this.  :)

--
Michael Adams (aka StarWatcher)            "A converted cannibal is one who,
StarWatcher@uiuc.edu (NeXT & internet)      on Friday, eats only fishermen."
wi.5467@wizvax.methuen.ma.us (anonymous)             -- Emily Lotney
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