Signup
Hello! We are happy to see you are interested in joining the Blinkenshell community! Before you sign up:
Make sure you understand what you can and cannot use this service for. Read through the start page and the rules especially.
You have to be active in the chat to get your free account activated. We are looking for users who are going to hang around, not just log in once and disappear.
- You must be able to receive a verification SMS to your personal cell/mobile phone. (or use Paypal/Patreon)
Signup process
To get a free account at Blinkenshell you must complete the five steps of our signup process. You do this by running a special signup program on the shell server. It will take atleast 1 hours before your account is activated. The long signup procedure is intended to discourage users who are not serious, or just want to find a place to crack. It's well worth the wait however, just ask anyone in the chat!
If you are interested in a paid service you can register for a Supporter account (see Start page for comparison). You do not need to wait 1h and complete the signup process to get a supporter account. You do however still have to follow the rules or your paid account will be disabled just the same. Therefore, it's recommended to atleast complete the first three steps. You can also use the "Paypal instant activation" to instantly activate a free account for 50 SEK.
Start off by joining the chat channel, we use the chat protocol IRC. If you are not used to IRC then you can use the Webchat to get started. People on IRC might not respond right away, so keep the window open in the background and check back later if it seems quiet at the moment. If you're used to IRC, just join this network and channel: #blinkenshell @ irc.blinkenshell.org. Be sure you are using an SSL enabled connection on port 6697.
Next, you should log in to the server via SSH to run the signup program. Connect to ssh.blinkenshell.org on port 2222, and log in with username/password: signup/signup23 (Login help)
You are now in to the signup program, navigate the menus with your arrow keys or by pressing the number corresponding to the option you want to select. Start by creating a new signup account (option 2). This signup account will be used throughout the signup process, and once you complete the last step your real SSH account will be created with the same username. Important: you can not directly log in via SSH using your signup account! The signup account can only be used in the signup program, which you start by logging in as the SSH user signup.
Once you have created the signup account, choose option 1 in the login menu and log in. You can then start the first step of the signup process by choosing option 2.
The five steps of the signup process:
- Verify your email address.
A quiz with about 20 questions to verify that you are familiar with the rules of Blinkenshell and know some basic shell commands. Be sure to read all the relevant info on this website (About, Rules, IRC, Webhosting, Start) before starting! You can find manual pages for common Linux commands here: http://man.he.net/
Register with NickServ and verify the account. Type "/msg nickserv help register" in your IRC-client to get help on registering your nickname, or take a look at the howto guide for more detailed instructions on how to create an account with NickServ.
Get two registered users to vouch (approve) you. Join the chat and start talking to us, get to know some people! You can't be vouched within 1 hour of first creating your signup account. Make sure to check out this little howto GetVouched.
IRL Verification. Enter your personal cell/mobile phone number to receive an SMS with a verification code. If you have no way to receive an SMS or the sending doesn't work contact independence.
When you're done with the five steps, you can activate your real SSH account in the signup program. You will then be able to log in and start using your shell!
You can see what step you are currently at in the signup program at this page: https://signup.blinkenshell.org/ or by issuing the command !signup <username> in the chat.
Feel free to ask us in the chat if you have any questions about anything!
You are expected to visit the IRC-channel once in a while, even after you get your account. Please add #blinkenshell to your autojoin channels in your IRC client! (Autoidentify with NickServ is probably a good idea too.)
Misc info/FAQ
In the signup program, you create an account for the signup process. You will not be able to log in to the system (SSH) with this account. This account is only valid in the signup program, and you have to start the signup program by logging in with the user signup. So, first log in with the signup user and then, when you are in, you can use the signup account.
If you fail the quiz the first time, you can try again. There is no limit on how many times you can take the quiz, but you have to wait five minutes before you can try again. Do not try and guess answers, you will have to understand the questions and answers. Also, you have to get every single question right to pass.
Step 4 (vouch) may seem scary to some. If your English is weak, remember that many of us aren't native English speakers either - give us a try, and you'll find out that we're quite understanding. If you don't know what to say when entering a quiet IRC channel, try telling us what you do, who you are, why you want the shell, or something like that. We don't want an essay, but say something. GetVouched
After you become a registered member you can be added to the blinkenshell user maintained map which is a city-level map of blinkenshell users. The map can be found at http://blinkmap.lam1.us To be added to the map msg tidalwatersor or karan via IRC with your signup name and your city. (Note: The colours of the stars are randomly selected by mapengine and can't be changed.)
Remember to be active in the chat!