[Gaim-i18n] Re: what is warning level in gaim?

[Luke S. <lsc...@us...>]

On Thu, Oct 27, 2005 at 05:29:49PM +0200, number845 wrote:
> hey
> 
> i am helping by translating gaim into hebrew (i make it better), and i
> have an issue i dont understand that i hope you can help me with.
> 
> i have seen in gaim the option to warn someone. what is that mean?
> what warning really do? does it a special option to gaim or is it
> supported in other protocols?
> 
> thx for you help
> 
> nice

A "Warning" is an aim-specific thing.  Part of the OSCAR protocol,
only available to aim users (not icq users), and quite possibly being
phased out by aol, it is (or at least was) used to compute the
various rate limits the user sets on you.  users of aim could press
the "warn" button on a conversation to increase this warning level by
set amounts (the amount varied on a number of factors).  as the
warning level for a given screenname increased, that user would be
able to send messages less frequently, warn others less severely, and
so on.  it was intended as a method to allow for a community to
punish those who abuse the network, but ended up being primarily a
means for juvenile users to annoy each other.

the theory behind the name was that someone was "warned" that they
were being annoying, and that they should cease bothering you.

luke