[GLLUG] bitlbee tricks

[Karl Schuttler]

GLLUG,

I was wondering if you guys knew any neat bitlbee configurations. If
you don't know what bitlbee is, it is a irc gateway to other various
protocols. ie, rather than using gaim or something like that to
connect all your accounts at once, you instead use an irc client
(xchat, irssi, etc) to connect to a bitlbee server. You log into the
bitlbee server, and all the accounts you have registered for it
connect. In the channel (chat room) list, all your friends/contacts
show up like a normal irc user.

I know some people used bitlbee quite extensively, especially those
working for Liquidweb/corecom. I was wondering what kind of
configurations you guys used, not just in bitlbee, but on your server,
in order to have greater convenience.

My dilemma is that I have two computers at home, a terminal at work,
and a laptop. Every time I sit down somewhere, I usually log into gaim
with my various accounts. What this usually means is that I have
multiple connections to the same service. If my computer at home idles
and puts up an away message, then I will look like I am away even when
I am not. Also, sometimes I will leave work to go home, and someone
will message me in transit to either something I had said previously,
or a new message. When I get back, I will only see one side of
whatever they said.

My plan is this: Set up a bitlbee server at work. I would do this
because I don't feel like giving some other server all my password
information. Then open ssh for my user. Start a screen session, and in
the screen session start irssi. Log into bitlbee from there. Then
leave it logged in, and from wherever I am, attach my screen and go.

Any thoughts, ideas, etc?

Karl