To the loyal users of Undernet:

Channel Service and the Service Coding Group would like to share with you some information about the future of services on our network. Historically our services have made Undernet a uniquely pleasant environment among the various large IRC networks. With recent events, our X,W services were retracted to try and preserve and protect the regular business enterprise of the hosts that donated resources to make the services possible. Consequently life on Undernet became difficult as people realized the luxury of a sophisticated channel maintenance service.

Not coincidentally, we have been busy for over a year creating a new version of services compatible with ircu software upgrades and therefore more resilient to terrorist attacks. At the same time the new code introduces some concepts that, while different from our previous services version, will make channel maintenance easier and users more responsible.

So while a rumor until now, the observation is true that X/W, as we knew them, will not return to Undernet. Sponsoring the running of older code that doesn't allow the hiding of server addresses is too risky to a business enterprise to restore services in this form. Were we not so close to deploying the new system we may have considered running X,W again, but we are really close to a function-phased launch of new services. A dedicated group of programmers are now devoting over 50 manhours a day to bring the sofware to a useable platform at the soonest possible moment.

By function-phased launch, we mean that we won't wait until all features of the new software are complete before connecting the new services to Undernet. Our first phase will allow channel managers, who have a valid email-of-record on file with CService, to use their old manager password and very quickly reclaim their channels and get the service bots back into action. Future phases will help managers who need help gettting their channels restored and then the new channel registration system will be deployed.

We thank you for your demonstrated loyalty and patience in these trying times. It is, after all, the users of Undernet that make it a unique and superior chat environment.

The Undernet IRC network