##aix at freenode.net

An opinion from Rob McNelly (AIXchange):

"So get an IRC client. Try connecting to irc.freenode.net. Then try connecting to ##aix. Now, I recommend lurking awhile before you jump into the channel and blurt out all your (tech-centric) problems. The effort though is worth it, because ##aix can put you in touch with a world of talented AIX pros who are willing to help."

FAQ

Who is the founder of the channel?

According to ChanServ:

Information on ##aix:

Founder : morsing

Registered : Feb 23 17:08:30 2009 (2 years, 4 weeks, 6 days, 19:04:37 ago)

Mode lock : +ntc-slk

However, the original channel has been up since quite a while:

Information on #aix:

Founder : freenode-staff

Registered : Jan 13 10:37:30 2003 (8 years, 11 weeks, 1 day, 01:37:08 ago)

Last used : Feb 22 19:28:54 2010 (1 year, 5 weeks, 0 days, 16:45:44 ago)

Mode lock : +if ##namespace

Flags : GUARD

What happened to #aix?

Although IBM never objected to the use of his trademark name in the channel name, Freenode wants to prevent legal hassle with vendors and doesn't allow the use of commercial names without the explicit permission/endorsement of the owner. As a result, unofficial channels are getting an extra # character in their names to distinguish between official and 'topical' (unofficial) channels.

On February 27, 2009, the move to ##aix was announced by morsing.

For a while, #aix was simply redirected to ##aix. It is redirected to the special admin channel ##namespace now, indicating that #aix cannot be used anymore.

What is the official topic of the channel?

As of March 2011, the topic is:

Topic for ##aix: AIX does not run on a peecee (this includes anything with an AMD- or Intel-branded processor, as well as anything

under the Apple brand). AIX is not free. Contact IBM sales for further inquiries. Please be pleasant and polite to others

Topic set by morsing [] [Wed Mar 11 16:21:31 2009]

The topic comes from the early years of the channel.

Is morsing a bot?

No, he is a real person. His greetings are not run by a script.

Topic recommendation for ##aix by LGee

• Keep on-topic (AIX and Power/pSeries hardware, software running on AIX etc).
• Offtopic is tolerated to some extent, but keep in mind that there are other places to ask.
• Keep in mind that we are from around the world, be patient if you need an answer.
• Adhere to the Freenode channel guidelines.
• If possible, don't change nicks.
• Be sure to register your nick and identify yourself.
• It is recommended that you use a cloak, and SSL for your privacy.
• Don't publish IRC conversations without the consent of the nicks involved.
• The language of the conversation is English.
• Don't paste more than one or two lines of code or output, use a pastebin instead.
• Avoid bashing AIX, as most of us regard AIX as a nice system.
• Remember that AIX is a licensed product.
• Use a search engine before asking something obvious.
• The AIX documentation is available at http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/index.htm [2011-03-29]
• The AIX Redbooks can be downloaded from http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/power [2011-03-29]

Trademarks are listed here.