So recently, I’ve been spending more time on IRC again. I came across a post on reddit about someone making their own IRC server. I decided to get back into it to scratch my social media itch without algorithms.
I’ve mainly connected to two networks. Libera.chat and In the Mansion, the aforementioned network that I found through reddit. Even though both places have been quite fun, I found myself way more active on the Mansion side of IRC.
What even is IRC?
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a protocol for real-time messaging and communication over the internet. It was originally developed in the late 1980s and quickly became a staple of the early internet. IRC allows users to join channels, chat with others in real-time, and participate in group discussions. The closest analogue today is probably Discord.
Why IRC?
IRC might feel a bit ancient by todays methodologies, but it’s decentralized, meaning there’s no central authority controlling the network. This allows for greater privacy and control over your data. The tech can be a bit arcane, but it’s one of the few truly grassroots protocols still in use today. You have full control of how you interact with others here. There are countless clients being developed. You want a console client? You got it. You want to interact with irc as if it was a comic book? There is a client for that too. It is a relic from a time when the internet was still in its infancy, and users had to rely on each other to build and maintain the network. No big corporations who are nickeling and diming you.
How to get started with IRC?
You need to pick a client, and pick a network. (irc.inthemansion.com exists and is great if you are looking for a small group of passionate computer people) or libera.chat if you want to discuss particular topics.
mIRC is great for windows users, Textual is a good mac client, Halloy works on all clients and is quite nice but can be a bit clunky to set up. There are plenty of others, like MERK, developed by wraithnix on irc.inthemansion.com. I can recommend that one quite a bit. And you can also nag him if you need something fixed ;)