Q1:	What is Channel #Israel anyway? Who are you guys?
A1:	Channel #Israel is an IRC Channel which offers chat services to everyone (not only Israelis, but naturally they're the majority). We want to offer channel users a clean, nice and enjoyable chat. this requires a lot of regulations, but as long as you behave yourself there's just about no reason you couldn't enjoy it with us. We are just chatters, who have the required knowledge, experience and resources to run the channel. That includes (but not limited to) bots, texts, sites, and a lot of free time.
Q2:	Can I have Ops?
A2:	Short answer: No. Long Answer: No, but... New ops are selected from the channel regulars. They are being voted upon after being familiar with the channel, and being trusted by the more veteran ops. You can find more information about it in the Channel Guidelines. In the meanwhile, all you need to do is stick around and enjoy the channel, until you'll get to know it better. Doesn't look that bad after all, does it?
Q3:	Help! I got banned! What can I do?
A3:	First, You should check yourself. Did you do anything wrong? Perhaps you should go over the Channel Guidelines once more. After you've done so, /msg one of the ops, apologize, and ask to be unbanned. Most of the time, your plea would be answered, especially if it was evidently unintentional and you have a clean history. You could also be infected with a Trojan or running Microsoft Chat in Comics mode. Normal bans last only 40 minutes to one hour in any case, thus you will be able to come back later.
Q4:	I joined the channel, and got immediately banned. What can I do?
A4:	That's another story. There can be several explanations: A: You (specifically) have done something quite wrong as to deserve a dedicated ban. If you got that far, you're in deep trouble. Try talking to one of the ops, and hope for forgivness. B: Someone from your ISP/University/Company has done wrong. In this case, while the fault is not yours specifically, there's still not much that can be done. Discussing it with the ops might help, but then again it might not, if the site has a long history of abuse. C: Username/Nickname bans: Any nickname or username containing words which were decided to be banned (things like shit, fuck, hitler, etc.), will cause an immediate ban upon join. Simply change to a normal, non-offensive username and nickname. D: You could be infected with a Trojan script. E: You could be running Microsoft Chat.
Q5:	Can I use Hebrew in the channel?
A5:	You can speak hebrew in the channel, provided you use english fonts only, and that only in a limited manner. Hebrew fonts are not allowed.
Q6:	Why can't I use Hebrew fonts/mIRC colors in the channel?
A6:	First, Keep in mind that channel #Israel is not meant just for Israelis. There are plenty of regulars not from Israel, who just can't see Hebrew fonts... they look like garbage on their consoles. Secondly, not all Israeli users can see Hebrew fonts - that includes (but not limited to) Unix and Linux IRC Clients. This holds true for mIRC color codes as well.
Q7:	I joined the channel, stated my age and sex, and got kicked right away. Why is that?
A7:	Channel #Israel is a chat channel, and not a dating service. When your first message is your sex and age, people will assume you are just looking for catching a date or a sex partner, and might kick you for that. When you come into the channel, just start to chat - personal information can be given later, in private.
Q8:	What have you people got against gays?
A8:	Just about nothing. Many people however, come to the channel looking specifically for gay people. Since there is a channel dedicated for gay users (called #gay.il), we think it's only logical you should look for other gay users there, and not in #Israel. Moreover, many people come to the channel asking for gay people in a manner reminding date or sex looking (See question above). Of course, if regular chat is all you are after, your sexual tendancies do not matter to us.
Q9:	There's this person that's bothering me in private. Can you kick him?
A9:	We do not interfere with flame wars and harassment done in private (doing them in the channel itself will get all participants promptly kicked or banned). Try /ignore instead.
Q10:	Whenever I join the channel, I get a message telling me to join another channel/check a site. What should I do?
A10:	These are usually messages designated to be sent to each new comer to the channel, and are illegal. Please notify one of the ops, or just tell it on the channel (once is enough, more is annoying), and it will be taken care of.
Q11:	When I join the channel, I get offered a DCC send of some file. What is it?
A11:	Do not accept it! It's most probably a Trojan program. nothing good can come out of DCC sends you did not initiate. Use the same procedure as described above.
Q12:	This nice person is offering me some program (like ICQ99/A program for making music/ A hacking utility/etc.). Should I accept it?
A12:	Again, do not accept it. While these people may seem nice, they will most likely try to infect you with a program called NetBus, or a similar program, that lets them get into your computer without you noticing it.
Q13:	I think I am infected with something someone sent me. What should I do?
A13:	/msg one of the ops, they would try their best to help you. You can also try one of the many help channels in EFNet, like #irchelp. You can also find help about various IRC Trojans related issues in the IRCHelp site.
Q14:	Everytime I join the channel, after a while, my computer gets stuck. What is happening?
A14:	You are most probably being "nuked". Nuke is a form of a malicious attack designed to hang your computer. You should download and apply simple patches to defend yourself against it.
Q15:	I just saw many people quitting with the same quit message... What does that mean?
A15:	You have probably witnessed a netsplit. If you're interested in a technical explanation of netsplits, you can find it in other irc-related sites. In general, a netsplit means that the IRC Network has split into two or more parts, meaning you can not see or talk to the people who are on other parts than the one you are on. Usually, a split takes only a few minutes, after which all of the people which just left return. Often, when the split is over (netjoin), there will be a big burst of data. That's natural for IRC Networks, and there's nothing to fear.
Q16:	What is a bot?
A16:	A bot is an IRC session which is not a person. It is a computer running a program. The bots in channel #Israel are used to keep order in the channel, enforce channel rules and prevent takeovers, amongst the rest. A current botlist can be found on this site. Note: trying to converse with bots is futile. As the bots are computer software, and not real people, trying to talk to them will not get you anywhere.
Q17:	What is a Takeover?
A17:	Not everyone is happy with us as channel maintainers. Some think they can run the channel better. Many just want to sabotage in the channel's operation (mainly nazi's, arab fundamentalists, etc.). They are trying to forcefully gain ops using nuking, server-splitting and other malicious attacks (And in case you were thinking about it, 99.9% of takeover attempts fail, and you will earn yourself a permanent ban in the channel if you try to takeover).
Q18:	When I try to join the channel, it says "Cannot join channel (it's invite only)". What does this mean?
A18:	The channel was probably taken over. Sometimes those takeovers are over rather fast, so wait a few minutes and try again. Sometimes it can take longer periods of time to get the channel back, so please be patient. Note: Please do not /msg the ops in such a case. The ops are always already aware of the situation, and are working to fix it. Messaging them will be futile, and will only distract them.
Q19:	What is your problem with Microsoft Chat?
A19:	Microsoft chat is a non compliant IRC client. It means, that while you're talking, other people see mainly garbage. We seriously advise you get another client, like mIRC. If you want to use Microsoft chat nonetheless, set it to disable Microsoft chat specific codes. This option can be found in the setup menu.

(C) All rights reserved to channel #Israel masters forum, 1998-2003 This page is coordinated by Coutal. Comments will be gladly accepted Last updated in: 20 Oct 2003