So slack is some nice thing around IRC chat, right? So on IRC, the convention is to answer to someone by prefixing the answer with nick: whereas it seems here on slack @nick: is used. How does that work for people that aren't on slack but on the corresponding IRC channels?

That is, will that other person see "@nick: my answer" or "nick: my answer"? The former would probably not create a mention in that person's IRC client...

Ah, it seems I've been wrong. The slack channels don't have anything in common with the IRC channels of the same name (other than they seems to be using IRC under the hoods, too).

@tsdh: There is a IRC gateway to slack. I don't know if it's enabled for this team or not.

@dmich: It is indeed enabled

OK, thanks for explaining.

Is there a way to omit display of join and leave messages in slack?

you can use the /feedback command to gripe about this

@dmich Will do

@dmich: Done

Another thing. Is there a quicker way to reply in the android app than typing @ then selecting the nick, and then typing a colon? That requires me to switch the keyboard pane twice...

hmmm, In the windows app I type @, the first letters of nick, then TAB to complete. It adds the colon automatically

course Slack is easier to use with a real keyboard 😜

That's a bit better though I'd prefer to omit switching to the punctuation and numbers pane altogether, e.g., by just touching the message I want to reply to.

tsdh: if you just type their name without the @ it should autocomplete too, the get notified with or without @

BTW, the automatic addition of the colon also works in the browser.

@gjnoonan: in your last message my nick is not highlighted.

@gjnoonan: it's not in the mentions either.

@gjnoonan: Ah, no, wrong. It's really not highlighted but eventually showed up in the mentions after refreshing that.

can I disable left/join messages?

@sveri: in the slack clients unfortunately not

adulteratedjedi: ok, thank you