..on a server or server(s). (eg, /msg $*.net will send a message to all users on servers ending in .net, see RFC 1459 sec 4.4.1 for more).

mIRC puts messages sent like that in status.. I was expecting it to put it in a PM window. (I was sending a message about password security since we'd had a rash of compromised nicknames, so I wanted to use PM instead of notice so people can't miss it). Irssi at least recieves it as a PM.

As an example I type "/msg $*.com hi" and get in status "(Chris233) hi", instead of in a new PM window. The raw format received back is: "<- :Chris233!ident@host PRIVMSG $*.com :hi".

Shouldn't mIRC treat messages like this as normal PMs?

I'm running mIRC 6.16, and the servers I tested this one were both running Unreal, though I don't think the ircd makes a difference.

I am unable to reproduce this error.

This is not a bug, but a feature.

Not 100% on the reason, but I would think security

..where's the security risk in not opening a private message window for a message sent to all users, but still displaying the message?

And PhantasyX, what IRCd? After thinking about it, the way the IRC server sends the message probably is different between ircds.

It provides your authentic messages a distinction above the very messages you are warning your clients about. By diverting it to status and enclosing it within different seperators ('(' and ')') than normal (by default), you give your mIRC-based clients a method to distinguish legitimate messages.

This also happens with #*.tld masks, which can become a problem when the client is desynched and they are merely receiving a channel message.

Most ircd will send the privmsg with the original target ($*.tld) used by the operator, which causes this behaviour, though some will remap the $*.tld to each clients nick. You could find an ircd that does this, or patch your existing one to do so.

Hope this helps