Rules

As put in some of the MOTDs (message of the day, which you are supposed to read and adhere to):

On this network, IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat", not "My Script is Better than Yours", so if you're caught with any of those, you'll be removed. All bots and automata will be shot and banned without any prior warning. Should you decide to disrupt other people's chatting in ANY way, you'll be removed too. We own these servers, so we have the final say here. If you don't like the above rules, remove yourself.

We have very good reasons for the above rules:

• Scripts: they waste bandwidth when pasting chunks of text or "kewl" ascii art. Auto-op scripts aid in channel takeovers, since none of them check whether the user is really who it claims to be. It's very easy to fake the user details, so check with NickServ (see the ACC command) before you give anyone "ops" on a channel. The automatic actions of scripts, like banning for flooding and mass-deop's, get it wrong many times. So-called protection scripts are bogus too, since they simply waste more bandwidth when they auto-respond with silly things like "flood detected, you're being ignored". There's also the matter of idiot scripts (and irc clients) that auto-reconnect when you're kill'ed or disconnected. Do not use these. You'll be k:line'd (or worse). And trust me, we won't take "but my script did it" as an excuse. You've been warned.
  
• Bots and automata: they're more trouble than good, mostly due to the way they've been written. They also suffer from most of the things written above about scripts. And for those wanting a bot to keep a channel open: why keep a channel open when there's nobody there to talk to your visitors? They do not prevent channel takeovers either, since they'll just get deop'ed first and then your "protection" is gone. They then also prevent people from gaining access to the channel again, since it doesn't have enough intelligence to leave in those cases. The same applies to people idling in channels, especially the smaller channels: you'll be branded a bot and k:line'd (or worse) until you get a clue to go offline when you're not there. People with auto-op scripts will be branded as bots too.
  
• Disruptions: many "elite hacker kiddies" and clueless people use flood scripts and nuke programs, so make sure your operating system is patched up. Be assured that anyone caught using these will be banned from ZAnet and reported to the relevant ISPs who will not hesitate to remove your internet account/access. ISPs who do not cooperate in these matters will be denied access to ZAnet.
  
• Our servers: we own the servers, so we make the rules. Any attempt in gaining unauthorized access to these servers will get your access revoked too. Remember that these servers are private property and you have NO rights to any of them, so we'll prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
  

Don't come whining to us that you didn't know when your access and/or nick is suspended due to violations of the above rules. When you connect to any of the ZAnet servers, you agree to adhere to these rules. Should you decide that we're not serious and want to have a bit of fun, you'll only have yourself to blame afterwards.