by the end of the DAY the takeover was announced,
Libera Chat was announced. Channels could just move over, and they did. The vast majority of open source projects that were using IRC just updated their sites to say "join #projectname on liberachat" instead of freenode, and freenode depopulated
Libera Chat was announced. Channels could just move over, and they did. The vast majority of open source projects that were using IRC just updated their sites to say "join #projectname on liberachat" instead of freenode, and freenode depopulated
February 9, 2026 at 8:29 PM
by the end of the DAY the takeover was announced,
Libera Chat was announced. Channels could just move over, and they did. The vast majority of open source projects that were using IRC just updated their sites to say "join #projectname on liberachat" instead of freenode, and freenode depopulated
Libera Chat was announced. Channels could just move over, and they did. The vast majority of open source projects that were using IRC just updated their sites to say "join #projectname on liberachat" instead of freenode, and freenode depopulated
I joined the @racket-lang.org IRC channel on freenode
What happened to you that changed the entire trajectory of your life?
May 21, 2026 at 11:26 PM
I joined the @racket-lang.org IRC channel on freenode
ever hear about freenode?
it was a major IRC network, since the 90s. basically every open source project had a channel on there, for user support and developer chat.
In 2021 someone used a bunch of money to do a "hostile takeover" of the network.
it was a major IRC network, since the 90s. basically every open source project had a channel on there, for user support and developer chat.
In 2021 someone used a bunch of money to do a "hostile takeover" of the network.
February 9, 2026 at 8:27 PM
ever hear about freenode?
it was a major IRC network, since the 90s. basically every open source project had a channel on there, for user support and developer chat.
In 2021 someone used a bunch of money to do a "hostile takeover" of the network.
it was a major IRC network, since the 90s. basically every open source project had a channel on there, for user support and developer chat.
In 2021 someone used a bunch of money to do a "hostile takeover" of the network.
What's the modern equivalent of Freenode? I mean the spaces where you hang out to low-key to learn and teach with good vibes? :)
May 27, 2025 at 8:25 AM
What's the modern equivalent of Freenode? I mean the spaces where you hang out to low-key to learn and teach with good vibes? :)
She has destroyed and sabotaged multiple reddit communities and IRC communities, starting with the trans community on what used to be Freenode. She would ban anyone she didn't like, and she regularly caused drama, and then blamed others.
March 22, 2025 at 8:39 AM
She has destroyed and sabotaged multiple reddit communities and IRC communities, starting with the trans community on what used to be Freenode. She would ban anyone she didn't like, and she regularly caused drama, and then blamed others.
clicking on a "history of irc" video and remembering, yeah, that's where i first heard the news about september 11 2001, a wallops on freenode
August 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
clicking on a "history of irc" video and remembering, yeah, that's where i first heard the news about september 11 2001, a wallops on freenode
Me: Someone should run a VPN with attestable infrastructure to let people verify it's not backdoored or logging
(Monkey's paw curls, vp.net is set up with SGX attestation, is run by the former CEO of Mt Gox and that fuckhead fake crown prince of Korea who destroyed Freenode)
Me: Fuck.
(Monkey's paw curls, vp.net is set up with SGX attestation, is run by the former CEO of Mt Gox and that fuckhead fake crown prince of Korea who destroyed Freenode)
Me: Fuck.
August 16, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Me: Someone should run a VPN with attestable infrastructure to let people verify it's not backdoored or logging
(Monkey's paw curls, vp.net is set up with SGX attestation, is run by the former CEO of Mt Gox and that fuckhead fake crown prince of Korea who destroyed Freenode)
Me: Fuck.
(Monkey's paw curls, vp.net is set up with SGX attestation, is run by the former CEO of Mt Gox and that fuckhead fake crown prince of Korea who destroyed Freenode)
Me: Fuck.
sometime in 2022 i tweeted a prediction:
Elon Musk : Twitter :: rasengan : Freenode
i'm feeling pretty vindicated about that prediction these days
Elon Musk : Twitter :: rasengan : Freenode
i'm feeling pretty vindicated about that prediction these days
“you’ll keep using us and like it no matter how poorly we treat you, because you have no choice” is the downfall of many a monopolistic enterprise
and it’s going to be the downfall of “Twitter as the town square for news” too
and it’s going to be the downfall of “Twitter as the town square for news” too
Also, holy shit, Bluesky sends real traffic. Will update this tomorrow with firm numbers but journalism is going to move here for sure. Twitter is a drop in the bucket. It's over, but we are so back, and so on and so forth
December 4, 2024 at 2:24 AM
sometime in 2022 i tweeted a prediction:
Elon Musk : Twitter :: rasengan : Freenode
i'm feeling pretty vindicated about that prediction these days
Elon Musk : Twitter :: rasengan : Freenode
i'm feeling pretty vindicated about that prediction these days
Early in my career when I was a Linux sysadmin, whatever I couldn't figure something out, I'd drop into the relevant Freenode channel and say, "Linux sucks. It can't even do _____." People would be crawling over one another to show me how to do what I needed.
January 26, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Early in my career when I was a Linux sysadmin, whatever I couldn't figure something out, I'd drop into the relevant Freenode channel and say, "Linux sucks. It can't even do _____." People would be crawling over one another to show me how to do what I needed.
freenode shutdown?
April 11, 2023 at 11:18 PM
freenode shutdown?
When a crooked fashy fuckwit took over Freenode irc, we packed up and migrated in 48 hours even though many had been there 20 years
This is probably part of why everyone on bluesky is 38 years old: 38 year olds are basically the only people who consider it totally normal to flee a sinking ship and then just casually resume the conversation on the tropical island they end up on.
They've outlived dozens of ships.
They've outlived dozens of ships.
October 24, 2024 at 7:45 PM
When a crooked fashy fuckwit took over Freenode irc, we packed up and migrated in 48 hours even though many had been there 20 years
Twitter changed my life, but so did the freenode IRC network. You can't go home again...
May 1, 2023 at 5:48 PM
Twitter changed my life, but so did the freenode IRC network. You can't go home again...
well, context is everything i guess
it's still kinder than comparing it to freenode, even though i'm just doing that for a joke heh
it's still kinder than comparing it to freenode, even though i'm just doing that for a joke heh
September 19, 2025 at 8:29 PM
well, context is everything i guess
it's still kinder than comparing it to freenode, even though i'm just doing that for a joke heh
it's still kinder than comparing it to freenode, even though i'm just doing that for a joke heh
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away called freenode on IRC, I was a channel admin for the Linux Journal.
We had a motley crew of regulars and all the admins were LJ employees or authors, except for me.
I was the super secret 2am to 6am admin because everyone else had jobs and slept.
We had a motley crew of regulars and all the admins were LJ employees or authors, except for me.
I was the super secret 2am to 6am admin because everyone else had jobs and slept.
I think we lost something when way fewer people online as a proportion of the whole started to have direct personal experience of moderating a forum or online community - though at least Reddit still exists
I can really tell you didn’t grow up on Internet forums if you’re shocked and indignant about “sometimes even human moderators make capricious and inscrutable decisions that you don’t like”
November 17, 2025 at 7:41 PM
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away called freenode on IRC, I was a channel admin for the Linux Journal.
We had a motley crew of regulars and all the admins were LJ employees or authors, except for me.
I was the super secret 2am to 6am admin because everyone else had jobs and slept.
We had a motley crew of regulars and all the admins were LJ employees or authors, except for me.
I was the super secret 2am to 6am admin because everyone else had jobs and slept.
Urgh, Freenode vibes intensify
September 10, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Urgh, Freenode vibes intensify
I would advise people not to comply with this, just stop using the site. Another option will be possible. Every time our ruling/tech class indulges in a new fascist convulsion like this, people will leave, as we did Twitter, Freenode, etc.
July 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I would advise people not to comply with this, just stop using the site. Another option will be possible. Every time our ruling/tech class indulges in a new fascist convulsion like this, people will leave, as we did Twitter, Freenode, etc.
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amzn.to
January 21, 2024 at 2:37 AM
Who doesn't love a great hoodie, especially during the winter? amzn.to/47J9nd6
curtis used to have a secretive irc channel on freenode where he and his friends would collaborate on projects like urbit, and i can say that my interactions with said irc channel led me to conclude the whole lot were batshit
while it's not the most important thing, I really want everyone to understand that Curtis Yarvin was completely off the deep end even when he was just a nobody software engineer
January 23, 2025 at 11:44 PM
curtis used to have a secretive irc channel on freenode where he and his friends would collaborate on projects like urbit, and i can say that my interactions with said irc channel led me to conclude the whole lot were batshit
This isn't linux-y enough.
Where's your IRC freenode handle?
Matrix?
What if I want to bother you over XMPP?
* note that this is a joke post, don't @ me on freenode
Where's your IRC freenode handle?
Matrix?
What if I want to bother you over XMPP?
* note that this is a joke post, don't @ me on freenode
December 16, 2024 at 3:58 PM
This isn't linux-y enough.
Where's your IRC freenode handle?
Matrix?
What if I want to bother you over XMPP?
* note that this is a joke post, don't @ me on freenode
Where's your IRC freenode handle?
Matrix?
What if I want to bother you over XMPP?
* note that this is a joke post, don't @ me on freenode
I MISS LURKING IN CHANNELS WHERE HASKELL PEOPLE WOULD POP IN AND I WOULD LEARN SOMETHING
BRING BACK THE FREENODE ERA # SCALA
BRING BACK THE FREENODE ERA # SCALA
August 3, 2025 at 11:19 PM
I MISS LURKING IN CHANNELS WHERE HASKELL PEOPLE WOULD POP IN AND I WOULD LEARN SOMETHING
BRING BACK THE FREENODE ERA # SCALA
BRING BACK THE FREENODE ERA # SCALA
yeah they're all on freenode
June 12, 2026 at 1:13 AM
yeah they're all on freenode
i've had IRC for over 20 years (omg i feel old) and now i mostly just idle with @irccloud.com to pop in some channels on occasion
and this popped up today 👀
and this popped up today 👀
February 11, 2025 at 1:34 AM
i've had IRC for over 20 years (omg i feel old) and now i mostly just idle with @irccloud.com to pop in some channels on occasion
and this popped up today 👀
and this popped up today 👀