[irc/freenode/web-7.0.git] / content / news / 2008-05-31-new-services-nicknames-and-accounts.md

author: skenmy
date: 2008-05-31 17:56:35+00:00
slug: new-services-nicknames-and-accounts
title: New Services: Nicknames and Accounts
category: freenode
category: technical
imported: yes
---
We've noticed a lot of people who are confused (and rightly so!) about the new nickname system - particularly the way that nickname grouping has changed. Hopefully this blog post will clear some of it up.

# Nicknames and Accounts

freenode now uses a system of ownership that is different to the old nicknames system. Now, when you register a _nickname_ for the first time, that _nickname_ becomes the primary _nickname_ on your _account_ (which has the same name). An example:

> **User1** vists Freenode for the first time. She registers by using the
> command:
>
> > /msg NickServ REGISTER myshinypass my@shiny.email
>
> **User1 **now has an _account_. freenode services have automatically assigned
> the _nickname_ **User1** to the _account_ **User1**. **User1** is now
> happy.


So, _nicknames_ are now assigned to your _account_. But what does this actually mean, practically?

# Identification

When you identify:


> /msg NickServ IDENTIFY &lt;password&gt;


freenode services will try and identify you to your _account_.  It does this by taking your _nickname_, and looking it up in the database - to find the _account_ associated with it. Let's go back to User1 for a little demonstration:


> **User1** returns to freenode. She identifies using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
>
>
> freenode services finds an _account_ (**User1**) with the same _nickname_ as
> her (**User1**), and so identifies her succesfully.


But what happens when you try and identify with a different nickname?


> **User1 **connects to freenode, but her client decides to connect with the
> _nickname_ **User12.** She tries to identify using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
>
> freenode services tries to look up an account called **User12** (as this is
> her current nickname). This nickname is unregistered, and so does not have an
> account associated with it. The identification fails, and she is not logged
> in.


With the new accounts system, there is a command that allows you to identify to your account from any nickname!


> **User1 **connects to freenode, but her client decides to connect with the
> _nickname_ **User12.** She can identify using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY User1 myshinypass
>
> freenode services will now look for an _account_ named **User1**, and log her
> into that. Since she already registered this, the identification succeeds.


However, this isn't ideal, as she is now logged in, but is using an unregistered _nickname_. She may want to consider GROUPing the _nickname_.


# Grouping

With the new system, GROUP basically means to add another _nickname_ to your _account_. **User1** is fed up of being connected as **User12** and using an unregistered _nickname_, so she has decided to GROUP the _nickname_ to her existing _account_.

There are two ways to go about this:


> **User1 **connects to freenode, but her client decides to connect with the
> _nickname_ **User12.** She can identify using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY User1 myshinypass
>
>
> freenode services will now look for an _account_ named **User1**, and log her
> into that. Since she already registered this, the identification succeeds.
> She can now GROUP the _nickname_ (**User12**) to her _account_ (**User1**) by
> typing:
>
> > /msg NickServ GROUP
>
>
> The command takes the current _nickname_, and adds it to the currently logged
> in _account_. She can now, in the future, identify using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
>
>
> when connected as **User12**.


Or, she can do this:


> **User1** connects to freenode. She identifies using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
>
>
> freenode services finds an _account_ (**User1**) with the same _nickname_ as her (**User1**), and so identifies her succesfully. She can now change her _nickname_:
>
> > /nick User12
>
>
> And GROUP her new _nickname_, as freenode services does not log her out of her _account_ when she changes _nickname_.
>
> > /msg NickServ GROUP
>
>
> The command takes the current _nickname_, and adds it to the currently logged in _account_. She can now, in the future, identify using the command:
>
> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
>
>
> when connected as **User12**.


# Conclusion

So, to wrap up, freenode now allows you to register an account, to which you add nicknames as explained above. That's not an easy concept to grasp if you are used to the old system, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop into #freenode and ask away!
Commit	Line	Data
849bdd6f SB	1	author: skenmy
	2	date: 2008-05-31 17:56:35+00:00
	3	slug: new-services-nicknames-and-accounts
eeb00e73	4	title: New Services: Nicknames and Accounts
c5191f36 EK	5	category: freenode
c5191f36 EK	6	category: technical
df8e5765	7	imported: yes
849bdd6f	8	---
849bdd6f	9	We've noticed a lot of people who are confused (and rightly so!) about the new nickname system - particularly the way that nickname grouping has changed. Hopefully this blog post will clear some of it up.
34876803	10
951245ff	11	# Nicknames and Accounts
34876803	12
849bdd6f SB	13	freenode now uses a system of ownership that is different to the old nicknames system. Now, when you register a _nickname_ for the first time, that _nickname_ becomes the primary _nickname_ on your _account_ (which has the same name). An example:
849bdd6f SB	14
951245ff EK	15	> User1 vists Freenode for the first time. She registers by using the
	16	> command:
	17	>
	18	> > /msg NickServ REGISTER myshinypass my@shiny.email
	19	>
	20	> User1 now has an _account_. freenode services have automatically assigned
	21	> the _nickname_ User1 to the _account_ User1. User1 is now
	22	> happy.
849bdd6f SB	23
	24
	25	So, _nicknames_ are now assigned to your _account_. But what does this actually mean, practically?
34876803	26
951245ff	27	# Identification
34876803	28
849bdd6f SB	29	When you identify:
	30
	31
951245ff	32	> /msg NickServ IDENTIFY <password>
849bdd6f SB	33
	34
	35	freenode services will try and identify you to your _account_. It does this by taking your _nickname_, and looking it up in the database - to find the _account_ associated with it. Let's go back to User1 for a little demonstration:
	36
	37
951245ff EK	38	> User1 returns to freenode. She identifies using the command:
	39	>
	40	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
	41	>
	42	>
	43	> freenode services finds an _account_ (User1) with the same _nickname_ as
	44	> her (User1), and so identifies her succesfully.
849bdd6f SB	45
	46
	47	But what happens when you try and identify with a different nickname?
	48
	49
951245ff EK	50	> User1 connects to freenode, but her client decides to connect with the
	51	> _nickname_ User12. She tries to identify using the command:
	52	>
	53	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
	54	>
	55	> freenode services tries to look up an account called User12 (as this is
	56	> her current nickname). This nickname is unregistered, and so does not have an
	57	> account associated with it. The identification fails, and she is not logged
	58	> in.
849bdd6f SB	59
	60
	61	With the new accounts system, there is a command that allows you to identify to your account from any nickname!
	62
	63
951245ff EK	64	> User1 connects to freenode, but her client decides to connect with the
	65	> _nickname_ User12. She can identify using the command:
	66	>
	67	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY User1 myshinypass
	68	>
	69	> freenode services will now look for an _account_ named User1, and log her
	70	> into that. Since she already registered this, the identification succeeds.
849bdd6f SB	71
	72
	73	However, this isn't ideal, as she is now logged in, but is using an unregistered _nickname_. She may want to consider GROUPing the _nickname_.
34876803	74
951245ff EK	75
951245ff EK	76	# Grouping
34876803	77
849bdd6f	78	With the new system, GROUP basically means to add another _nickname_ to your _account_. User1 is fed up of being connected as User12 and using an unregistered _nickname_, so she has decided to GROUP the _nickname_ to her existing _account_.
34876803	79
849bdd6f SB	80	There are two ways to go about this:
	81
	82
951245ff EK	83	> User1 connects to freenode, but her client decides to connect with the
	84	> _nickname_ User12. She can identify using the command:
	85	>
	86	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY User1 myshinypass
	87	>
	88	>
	89	> freenode services will now look for an _account_ named User1, and log her
	90	> into that. Since she already registered this, the identification succeeds.
	91	> She can now GROUP the _nickname_ (User12) to her _account_ (User1) by
	92	> typing:
	93	>
	94	> > /msg NickServ GROUP
	95	>
	96	>
	97	> The command takes the current _nickname_, and adds it to the currently logged
	98	> in _account_. She can now, in the future, identify using the command:
	99	>
	100	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
	101	>
	102	>
	103	> when connected as User12.
849bdd6f SB	104
	105
	106	Or, she can do this:
	107
	108
951245ff EK	109	> User1 connects to freenode. She identifies using the command:
	110	>
	111	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
	112	>
	113	>
	114	> freenode services finds an _account_ (User1) with the same _nickname_ as her (User1), and so identifies her succesfully. She can now change her _nickname_:
	115	>
	116	> > /nick User12
	117	>
	118	>
	119	> And GROUP her new _nickname_, as freenode services does not log her out of her _account_ when she changes _nickname_.
	120	>
	121	> > /msg NickServ GROUP
	122	>
	123	>
	124	> The command takes the current _nickname_, and adds it to the currently logged in _account_. She can now, in the future, identify using the command:
	125	>
	126	> > /msg NickServ IDENTIFY myshinypass
	127	>
	128	>
	129	> when connected as User12.
	130
	131
	132	# Conclusion
34876803	133
849bdd6f	134	So, to wrap up, freenode now allows you to register an account, to which you add nicknames as explained above. That's not an easy concept to grasp if you are used to the old system, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop into #freenode and ask away!