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IRC Networks?
Is IRC still a thing? I remember back in the old days, as soon I would get home from school I would hop on the computer and talk to my tech friends via IRC. What I am looking for, is a friendly IRC network, that's relatively popular, which I can create a support channel for a hosting company I am working for.
Is IRC Support for clients a good idea for a hosting company?
Comments
freenode is pretty popular
Netchat.io?
GeekShed?
ObsidianIRC (irc.obsidianirc.net - Also hosts BlueVM and SZ1Hosting)
Geekshed is still alive? lol
I dont know if I should be ashamed but i've never got interested in using IRC. I always used programs like msn, skype, and now STEAM. ontop of that, doesn't your IP get broadcasted to all users in a channel that you join?
Not all networks, not on the one I suggested above. Modern IRCds have a cloaking module (+x) which encrypts your IP, only IRC administrators can see it.
Pretty much, I never even heard of it until more recently. Once I used it, I hated it. You'd think that after all these years, they'd find a way to make the overall interface much smoother and nicer. Sadly no, every time I'd use IceChat or even KiwiIRC, I feel like I'm stuck in the 80's. Stick with Skype, much sleeker and overall much better.
Get cheap VPS and run your server.
They are two different things, for different purposes. With Skype you can't integrate it as easily with bots, etc. It also doesn't have the option for webchat, where you can give users on your website direct access to the IRC channel with no prior knowledge or installation.
http://www.obsidianirc.net/ is good i am on there all the time i even ditched my irc network and moved http://myfreeirc.com to obsidian irc.myfreeirc.com
http://netchat.io - RamNode's on this network, I've in a few channels. It's pretty good.
EsperNet! Join my channel @ #eddynetweb.
I'm also on GeekShed and Freenode.
Twitch.tv use the protocol for each users chat and stream chats.. pretty awesome old tech if you ask me, freenode is very popular.
irc.swiftirc.net #ftpit
seconded, a few of us hang out in #ramnode all the time
Check out NetChat. We are not officially affiliated, but we have close ties with the Ops (and some of the nodes run on our network).
+1 for NetChat. I've been hosting my Minecraft servers IRC channel there with very little problems.
In IRC these days if your channel is not on Freenode, then you might as well FOAD (don't look this up). Everyone is already on Freenode due to one reason or another (it's got lots of channels, primarily free software projects though). But no one is going to join some crappy empty network no one has ever heard of, just to come to your channel.
LEB/LET's IRC channel #lowendbox is on Freenode too (252 users at the moment).
Freenode it is then
I think you'll find there are plenty of other active networks. I don't use FreeNode because it's unstable and their support is incredibly slow. People do visit small networks, because of webchat. If you're offering a service, like a VPS host, then most of your customers will come from your online webchat and don't need any knowledge of IRC. They take no notice of the network they are on. BlueVM's IRC channel is on an independent network and is successful. Sadly, I agree IRC is slowly dying off overall.
There are: http://irc.netsplit.de/networks/top100.php
Freenode doesn't participate in that list, but for comparison, it has 89335 users online currently, about twice as much compared to #1 from there.
Oh the 90', seems like all the good stuff are gone these days. I feel sorry for new generations.
Active doesn't necessarily mean as many users as possible. There are loads of channels on Freenode that have hundreds of users, but only see 50 lines a day.
There are much nicer close-knit communities which just as much activity. Freenode is too large, that removes the community feel from IRC in my opinion.
That's nonsense of course
It's also about network orientation. Freenode with specific network ruleset and orientation was never a network for casual chatters.
As example IRCnet will be always my favourite network simply because in a bit less than two decades I meet hundreds people in RL from our localized channels. I am talking about casual chatters (yes, also girls! ;-) from same country, or even from same town hanging at local channels.
You don't see something like that at some tech oriented freenode. An then there are gamers oriented networks, and so on...
Freenode is not the best. I found SwiftIRC's staff to be friendlier.
IRC is still a strong comms medium in the tech world, and will be for a good while. I've been on Freenode since it was linpeople.org
Anyone else remember playing multiplayer Quake 1 on quake.linpeople.org? I was still on a 33.6 modem back then 
I've used freenode on and off for years now. I used EFnet and Undernet back in the 90s, and I wouldn't dream of going back.
OFTC.net is my network of choice.
To hide your IP on networks that do not automatically cloak: use an IRC bouncer, such as ZNC. It relays the IP address of the VPS/Dedicated servers you install it on instead of your own.
You can also set up fancy rDNS shit with it
Holy shit... that net's still around? God damn... trying to get people banned by spelling jewelery... them were the days.