[Caml-list] Group registration on Freenode.net for #ocaml channels

[Adrien Nader <adrien@notk.org>]

Hi,

Freenode is an IRC network which hosts at least the #ocaml and #ocaml-fr
channels (respectively 264 and 47 connectees currently). 

It has a long-standing policy of differentiating between channels
prefixed with one or two dashes:
- single-dash channels are "official" and can only exist if they are
  backed by a group that has been registered at freenode,
- double-dash channels can be registered freely.

Registering channels is a requirement for channel management. There are
currently a few operators (including myself) but some operations are
impossible to us because we don't have enough privileges.

Since the channels are single-dash with no matching group, we were told
we needed a group to change anything or had to migrate to e.g.  ##ocaml
and ##ocaml-fr. However, until recently, there was no way to register a
group and the situation was deadlocked because we didn't feel like
migrating either (migrations are really painful).

Now that group registration is possible again, I'm looking at the
process: http://freenode.net/groupreg . It's not legalese but it's
clearly not very entertaining.
The main takeaway is « Represents an official relationship between
freenode and your project or organisation. ». Everything else is a
consequence.

Is there a legal/formal entity that wants to establish that official
relationship with freenode? This doesn't imply managing the IRC channels
but only doing the registration and deciding who gets to actually manage
the IRC channels. If so, what should that contact email address be? If
not, can "we" register as an informal group?
[ Note that without any answer within 30 days, i.e. post-FOSDEM, I will
assume there is no interest from a formal entity to enter a relationship
with freenode and that we can register as an informal group ]

Thanks,

-- 
Adrien Nader