As reported by miRC.net, IRC101 and iFiRC:

BIRC Consortium Forces Capture mIRC Author
LONDON (VNW) - According to reports, mIRC author Khaled Mardam-Bey has surrendered to BIRC Consortium forces operating in the London area.

The surrender comes on the heels of a prolonged siege of Mardam-Bey's authorial compound. Consortium forces have enforced a blockade of the compound for the past two weeks, preventing food, water, ammunition, and other supplies from entering. The troops have also allegedly imposed a "firewall" around the compound to prevent DCC file transfers from taking place; though Mardem-Bey reportedly possesses anti-firewall DCC technology, the details of how it has been co-opted by Consortium forces are not yet available.

Humanitarian organizations are pleased to see an end to the siege. A spokesman for the International Red Cross, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "The Consortium's siege created a near crisis for the people of mIRC. Their firewall has wreaked havoc on Khaled's ability to send and receive files from his supporters, including vital security patches. One simply cannot survive for long under those conditions, so we're happy to see a peaceful resolution."

Some observers, however, are not so optimistic. Eyewitnesses have described the Consortium's handling of the programmer as "rough" and "humiliating". In the U.S., suspicions are rampant as to the whereabouts of Mardam-Bey and his future treatment. One ex-Consortium member suggests that he may have been moved to Turkey for interrogation, as Consortium forces are eager to learn the details of mIRC's "identifiers" and "remote" technology.

Despite those reports, most British and Americans support the Consortium's actions. In a recent CNN poll, 65% of respondents believed Khaled should be tried as a war criminal for his defiance of existing IRC standards. The "defiance" is believed to refer to the imposition of color attributes in blatant disregard of prior, more colorful standards, as well as to the RFC-violating behavior of DCC Resume and the aforementioned anti-firewall DCC technology.

The BIRC Consortium, formed in the northwestern United States in 1998, is an underground organization dedicated to the advancement of free, customizable IRC clients. Government officials have hinted at links between the Consortium and international businessman Hans Prestige, patron of the popular Visual IRC program.

Prestige himself denies these links. Speaking through a translator, he says, "I have never met those fellows. What kind of name is BIRC anyway? 'Bisual' is not even a real word. They're lunatics, but I support what they're doing. The world must be made safe for free, robust chat programs; free of the iron grip of Khaled and his twisted ideas and policies."

This is what Visual IRC's website and forum shows as of April 2nd 2003. Happy April's fools day grin


- cF
Dedicated helper for rent.